Exactly what I was looking for! Finally, a book about Apple Scripting that doesn't teach you how to write a script that e-mails your friends when you upload new tracks to your iTunes library!
Mr. Rosenthal has broken down Scripting to a basic level but the book can also be used by a proficient scripter too. My boss was borrowing it so often she went out and bought a copy of her own.

A Mac aficionado, I began knowing nothing of Applescript but a burning need to tweak Filemaker and its interactions with the Finder. Specifically I wanted to incorporate files (or more particularly their pointers) to a Filemaker Database and then move these files to different locations on the network as part of a document storage system.

With this book I have achieved my goals. In addition to freestanding (Finder based) scripts I have used Filemaker's ability to embed Applescript within its own scripts to better integrate my solution.

Of course it is impossible for a single text to cover such a vast topic completely, but together with available web help, Mr Rosenthal's book has allowed me to feel I have at least a nodding acquaintance with Applescript.

I would recommend this text to anyone needing to understand Applescript and its potential. The layout is simple and logical and the index useful. Like other reviewers I thought the "powerwrap" at the end of each chapter was very helpful.

I found the PDF version of the book particularly useful. The example scripts are downloadable which also a great boon.

I continue to use the text on nearly a daily basis as a reference document and look forward to the next edition.

this book suitable for beginner (as me) and advanced user. It start with basic AppleScript skill. And the best thing if the language it use is simple and interesting. You will not feel boring (like other training books) when read it.

Easy to read and very complete, until with the least details (How to implement a debug mode, how to name subroutines, good practices to write the code, etc.)

Prior to getting this book as a gift I read every printed book and pdf on AppleScript written in the last 10 years, and still my progress hit a wall that I couldn't get past. Seeing as I've only been scripting for a year, that's part of the problem. Most AppleScript books are either severely outdated, poorly written, or both. This book breathed new life into a subject that really needed a fresh perspective. This book is an extremely thorough reference, a challenging and inspiring workbook and a treasure trove of ready-to-use scripts and tools that you can take and make your own in the real world.

Don't expect:
"This is a subroutine, here is what it does. This is a variable, this is what it does."

Instead, expect stuff like this:
"Here is a common problem, here are four ways to solve it. Here is why the first three work. Here is why the last one might not be a great idea. Here is how you can put this to use in the real world."

This book is low on fluff and useless graphics and high on useful tools. It is important to maintain a rhythm and mood when trying to get an audience to make it through 800 pages and Hanaan succeeds in keeping the content fresh and throws in just the right amount of humor. And unlike just about every other technical book I've read, the jokes are actually funny.

And you'll find that the approach to solving a problem doesn't focus on right or wrong, or the good or bad way of doing things. Rather, it shows the better or best way of doing something and backs it up with real world scenarios and in plain english. I could go on and on about this book and how much it has helped me and my business. Bottom line, if you use AppleScript then by this book now and keep it close by.