How Linux Works
February 11, 2009 
by Brian WardThere are plenty of Linux manuals out there. But from what I've seen, none of them are as well written or as well organized as How Linux Works. Author, Brian Ward, begins this book with basic shell commands and gradually builds up to configuring hardware, scripting, networking, and customizing the kernel.
One of the things that I really like about this book is that it doesn't just say "here is how you do this with Linux". This book goes a small step beyond that and explains some of the underlying technologies behind what you are doing. For example, when discussing networking, the book describes some of the protocols involved as well as how the software at the interface layer interacts with these technologies.
Some of these kinds of books, such as Linux in a Nutshell, are meant to be used mainly as a reference. Instead, this book is meant to be read from cover-to-cover. If you're already a seasoned Linux guru, this book will serve as a great refresher. But if you're new to Linux, there is no better place to start than with this book.
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