Oh, don't you worry, I wuv my camel book. In fact, the camel book is the only book I used to learn perl, and it's the best learning experience I've had yet.
As a matter of fact I've tried to learn some python a few times by using the online tutorial at python.org, but all that tutorial does to me is annoy me so much I just close my browser and do some perl instead.
And you're right about clever stuff being incomprehensible at first. But the brain can be helped a bit on its way by not doing in 1 200 character line what you can do in 5 60 character lines.=)