Unix in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference for System V Release 4 and Solaris 7 Books

Pros: every UNIX command explained -- and a lot more
Cons: highly snooze-worthy, and useless to UNIX newbies

One day not long ago I was listening to Tom and Ray Magliozzi murder the English language while dispensing useful automotive advice and useless relationship advice on NPR's "Car Talk." One of the brothers - I disremember if it's Click or Clack; maybe...

Pros: Great info on UNIX commands, sh scripting, Makefiles, sed, awk, etc...
Cons: No info on tcsh or bash shells

Pros: A USEFUL reference
Cons: Not a dummies book

Of course UNIX rules!!!!!!
This book is actually useful - quite in contrast to many
other so called reference books.
Covers different shells - that is useful too.
Provides decent examples too.

My copy is well worn since I...

Pros: Lists a lot of commands in UNIX
Cons: Not much regard for Linux, not easy to use or read, confusing

Unix in a Nutshell is not for the faint-hearted. It tries to be a concise reference on Unix but ends up being incomplete (esp. with regard to Linux). A lot of commands are explained cursorily without complete options or examples. The presentation is often confusing; witness the chapters on shell programming. If you know nothing about Unix, don't even consider this book; it'll get you nowhere and more frustrations than ever. If you already know Unix you can find better and more accurate Unix references elsewhere.