Rating: 
Summary: ex, fmt, diff, cp, vi, cd, bash...
Review: What tool does this not cover? There are hundreds of little recipes in this book (examples are one of the best things a book can offer) and I am 2x more productive and happy since I picked this up. Highly recommended. If I were stranded on a deserted island with a Linux laptop...
Rating:
Summary: If you can only afford one book on Unix, this is the one
Review: I do not know about you, but for me, a book has to be pretty darn exceptional to persuade me to buy a second edition of a book which I already own the first. Unix Power Tools is one such book. It is simply packed with tons of useful tips which the authors have accumulated over decades of using Unix, and is a sort of `crème de la crème' of O'Reilly reference books.Praise aside, the book is not for everyone. It is an intermediate level reference, not an introductory tutorial. If your problems are like "How do I delete a file?", you should read something else first, get acquainted with Unix, and then return to it. If, however, the questions you face are more like "How do I delete a file with a null name?", then this is exactly the book for you. Unless there is a real Unix wizard around you, this book is likely to earn you this title in your environment. The second edition focuses on POSIX systems rather than on SysV/BSD, uses Bash and Tcsh instead of Sh, Ksh and Csh, and has moved from Awk to Perl. The two-colour printing is gone, though. Fortunately, the superb index - one of the best I have seen - is still here, and so are the cross-references in the text. Accompanying CD-ROM might be essential if you are living in the mountains of Tajikistan, but anybody connected to the Internet will probably prefer to download newer versions of software on-line.
Rating:
Summary: Best reference book I've found
Review: I have found the answer to so many problems in this book, it's amazing. Conceptually, this book takes you lots of place (I love the references to more complete information whenever they refer to a command) and it can keep you moving around for hours but the thing I've found most handy are some of the command line and script examples. I've had several problems to solve in a script and the book gave great examples that through a little tweaking and testing, solved the problem in lots less lines of code than I'd anticipated. Essential for a Unix Sys. Admin!
Rating:
Summary: Not your average tome!
Review: It's very annoying to carry around a 1000+ page book when there's only 50 or so pages that are really helpful. This book, however, is full of information. You know, the kind of info that says, "There are five ways to do this; let me give you all five then tell you why method number 3 is the best, based on my experience." What compliments this is the fact that just about everything is cross-referenced. Some authors try mention things without explaining them at all. Some mention things then explain them later, which is a little better. Some authors make a valiant attempt to not introduce you to a new concept without explaining it right then and there. This book, however, is different in that it cross-references everything. If a buzz-word is mentioned (pretty much any Unix term) a reference is made as to where it can be found. That's so awesome! It's annoying to say, "I know I saw this topic in this 1000+ page book before, I just can't remember where." All books this large should follow this format. Overall, there is tons, TONS of info (just look at the table of contents), the topics are not glossed over, the authors do a good job of doing more than simply telling you syntax and the info is easy to find. Of course, nothing's perfect. The authors should throw in a chapter on NFS and reconfiguring the kernel. I guess they figured that that was something for Unix admins. I guarantee, however, that you'll have to hide this book if you get it!
Rating: 
Summary: Unix and Linux users need this book
Review: This is easily the largest O'Reilly book I have seen, but it's worth it. It's chock full of 45 chapters devoted to nearly all topics in the Unix world. It's helpful for a wide range of skill levels. My only problem with it is that it's a bit out of date (1997), but as Unix draws on a 30 year tradition, most of the tips and tricks work as advertised on the latest Linux distros.
Rating:
Summary: one of the most useful books in my library
Review: I bought the first edition of this book way back when it first came out, and it's still by far one of the most useful books in my library. I find myself referring back to it any time i have to write a quick shell script. It's a big fat book that contains no end of useful tidbits and information. I'm not sure what's changed in the second edition, but it's one of those must-have items for any library.
Rating:
Summary: A very much appreciated reference book!
Review: A friend of mine recommended this book for me a couple of years ago and it took me a while to find it in the book stores. After finding and reading it I was absolutely amazed! Very full of information and tips, easy to understand and written with humor as well. I have about a dozen of those Post-It flags in my book to mark the several sections that I am currently reading. The design and cross-referencing is excellent! I have yet to see a book as well-constructed as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed Feelings
Review: This may go without saying, but if it would've been stated here I would've saved some money: I found that since I owned almost all of the other O'Reilly's on the subject matter that this book was virtually useless. Of course if you aren't lucky enough to have a nice O'Reilly library, this book seems to be a good substitute for those books. I wish someone would've pointed that out to me before I bought it!
Rating:
Summary: Everytime I read it, something valuable turns up...
Review: I have already written one review for this book. The unique browser format makes it very easy to read. I feel like I am digging blindfolded through a pile of gold and silver coins and opening my eyes once something gets stuck in my hand. Amazing book with lots of practical info.
Rating:
Summary: Everything You Need!
Review: This book is an EXCELLENT book for your library
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