PHPMagazine has a new post today for those out there looking to find a good beginners resource for learning PHP (in book for at least) - <a href="http://www.phpmag.net/itr/news/psecom,id,22039,nodeid,113.html>this note about APress offering their "A Programmer's Introduction to PHP 4.0" for free!

In a quick note from Jason Gilmore, "Apress is offering a free online edition of the book, "A Programmer's Introduction to PHP 4.0". It is only available as a (large) PDF. So if you're interested, I recommend you get or upgrade to the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader. Which, as of this review, is version 7.0, and includes many enhancements." From the Apress Web site, "No matter what language you are familiar with, this book will benefit you. Beginning with a rapid introduction to PHP's syntax and basic functionality, you will swiftly understand PHP. The book then steers you toward advanced issues, like PHP's role in database manipulation, sessions, and user interactivity."

It's not going to be the most up-to-date resource simply because it deals with PHP 4, but unless you're really looking for PHP5 specific functionality, then this book might be the way to go for you...