Apress was kind enough to send me a copy of their new book “Beginning Ubuntu Server Administration: From Novice to Professional” by Sander van Vugt. Overall, I was very impressed with this book — it was well written, filled with applicable examples, covered a wide range of topics, and provided background for people new to Ubuntu or Linux in general. The book was written to Ubuntu 7.04, so there are a few places where 8.04 will make for an improved experience without having been changed too drastically. All through the book I was pleased to see various slightly advanced topics covered well enough to get a reader started down the right path without getting them lost in the details. I think this was especially true in the command line and scripting sections which were great for someone unfamiliar with what can be a daunting experience.