How this book compares to my other books

This is my fourth PHP and/or MySQL title, after (in order)

• PHP for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide
  
  
• PHP Advanced for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickPro Guide
  
  
• MySQL: Visual QuickStart Guide
  
  

I hope this résumé implies a certain level of qualification to write this book, but how do you, as a reader standing in a bookstore, decide which title is for you? You are more than welcome to splurge and buy the whole set, earning my eternal gratitude, but if you had to choose just one….

First, see the "Is this book for you?" section and see if the requirements apply. If you have no programming experience at all and would prefer to be led more gingerly, my first book would be better. If you are already very comfortable with PHP and want to learn more of its advanced capabilities, pick up the second. If you are most interested in MySQL and are not concerned with learning much about PHP, check out the third (it has a single chapter on MySQL and PHP).

That being said, if you want to learn everything you need to know to begin developing dynamic Web sites with PHP and MySQL today, then this is the book for you! It references the most current versions of both technologies, uses techniques not previously discussed in other books, and contains its own unique examples.