PERL is not a dirty word. They do not sell PERL books out of the back of dirty bookstores. If you want to learn PERL, er I mean if your "friend" wants to learn PERL, it's OK. It's perfectly natural to feel curious about these things.

I looked at all of the books on PERL in a few bookstores, and the one that made the most sense to me was SAMS "Teach Yourself PERL in 21 days." Finding a good book on anything depends highly on how you learn. Some books will make perfect sense to some people and not others. I couldn't make heads or tails of the o'reilly books, although they are always highly recommended. Head down to the local mega bookstore, and look through the PERL books until you find one that makes sense to you.

I mean, uh, one that makes sense to your "friend".

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