The code examples given are good so I won't offer any.
But I would suggest looking into:
Beginning Perl by Simon Cozens
It is very good for the basics and touches many areas.
The Roth books are good for the win32 platforms. I have both myself! ;-)
Good luck and enjoy!
I can't thank everyone enough. I can't believe so many people with powerful knowledge are willing to donate their time and thoughts. The repsonses have given me plenty of meat, even chicken, to chew on. I'm adding to my library also. Many thanks.