Most programming is intuitive, you have to catch on or you don't make it in the programming world... This is a really good intro to PHP. What you start with in this book can then be filled in and filled out with online resources and a sharing community of fellow programmers and techs.
And yes, PHP5 is in use now... but don't let that stop you from this introduction if you really want to jump in to implementing PHP for secure interactive content on your site!

It is very helpful and includes quick reviews as well as practices to help gain hands-on experience. It starts with some very basic "this is what php is" and goes from there. It's definitely for beginners, and could even be for "Dummies." I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn PHP.

I've orderd PHP4 book and I'm satisfyed with my order, but why does the shipment cost that much?!

I, for one, don't expect myself to know anything about a topic when I first start reading a book around it - especially when that book has the word 'Beginner' in the title. However, I DO expect the author to know quite a bit, and to pass on that knowledge. Others may find it excusable that, with recent releases of PHP (meaning 4.2.0 and later), the scripts in chapter four won't actually work with a default PHP configuration - but I don't. I found it infuriating to have such a result, especially since it took me about an hour to resolve. (Kudos to php.net's page on 'Using Register Globals' for explaining things.)
Also, what kind of author calls a project a 'Busy Box?!' C'mon. That's all I can say. C'mon. Osborne has put out some excellent books (such as Herb Schildt's C++ books), but this one is _not_ up to their standard. It's an easy read, and a reasonable way for an experienced programmer to pick up PHP quickly (aside from the aforementioned caveats), but there have GOT to be better books out there.

This is my first review. I don't normaly write them except that I found this book to be exactly what I was looking for. I needed to learn php and I had to do it on my own.I am a complete beginner in this area.
The chapters were clear and concise. The code was explained without 'over explaining" it.
There are small quizes in each section to help reinforce the learning.
I didn't find any problems with the source code.
If you're looking for a place to start with php I don't think you can find a better book.