LaTeX: A Document Preparation System Book

When I first started out using Linux there just wasn't a good equivalent to word processors like Word. Abiword was available, but wasn't really stable and StarOffice (the software which would eventually become LibreOffice) was very slow and used inordinate amounts of memory. (It is worth pointing out that this was more than 15 years ago!).

Looking for a way to create documents I discovered LaTeX, a mark-up language which did the job. It has a steep learning curve, but the quality of the resultant files is worth the effort. At the time I learned what I needed to know from an older book, but as my knowledge expanded, and I wanted to be able to do more things the books I needed changed too. This book is now my first port of call, though I also refer to the LaTeX Companion books when I need to.

The subject matter is quite dry, but the style is easy going and quite readable, and with a useful, well constructed index it is easy to find what you need.