Living up to it's name the PHP Complete Reference is a tome of PHP knowledge. With great detail about each (and just about every) PHP function, the book easily warrants the space it takes on your desk. If you are like me you will spend most of your time flipping back into the book to remember the correct order of arguments for in_array or another function.



Don't expect to learn anything fancy or exciting, the book covers the functions and the basics. It is also not exactly where you want to learn PHP, but that is where my second book I am reviewing comes in. The book PHP: A Beginner's Guide is the perfect companion to the Complete Reference. What you learn in the Beginner's Guide is backed up and reinforced in the Complete Reference.



The Beginner's Guide is really a great starter book for PHP developers, or those who think they will be PHP programmers. The information is provided in usable chunks, but fast enough that the book isn't a boring text book. When paired with the PHP: Complete Reference you will become a better PHP developer in no time at all.