A true programming book describes more than syntax. It's really about the heart of the language. At it's core, the heart of perl is, "the programmer knows best". (Contrast this with, say, Java, which says "the language knows best".) Even if the syntax will soon be outdated, the philosophy described in the original camel book is a great introduction to the language. The first edition version of the book is particularly humorous as well, an uncommon trait in a programming book