Perl and CGI for the World Wide Web
Second Edition, Visual Quick Start Guide (c)2001 ElizabethCastro? Peachpit Press ISBN 0201735687A book for the uninitiated, curious and impatient. Written for beginners and those who may have little understanding of programming and computer hardware and software. One which will open this mysterious domain by proceeding with no assumptions or requirements of prior computer knowledge.
From Introduction: "Maybe programmers like this mystique... certainly the don't seem to make it easy to break into the art of programming. Most books that you read about programming start off somewhere in the middle, assuming you've already done some programming somewhere, and that you're just learting a new language, with the basic concepts already under your belt ... This book starts at the very beginning ... you don't have to have any previous knowledge ... I'll teach you as we go along. Let's start!"
This is a book with screen snapshots, diagrams, code examples, step by step instructions ranging from setting up PWS or some other server, to creating and analyzing data, files and directories, whether Windows, Unix or Macintosh, you'll find them all covered with easy to understand descriptions and illustrative visual examples. Of course if you are already accomplished in composing perl scripts you may not like or need this type of approach, but if you need help in understanding cgi scripts from the beginning, this book can certainly move you along toward an operational expertise.