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Eloquent Ruby (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series) 1st Edition

by Russ Olsen (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 247 ratings
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It’s easy to write correct Ruby code, but to gain the fluency needed to write great Ruby code, you must go beyond syntax and absorb the “Ruby way” of thinking and problem solving. In Eloquent Ruby, Russ Olsen helps you write Ruby like true Rubyists do–so you can leverage its immense, surprising power.

Olsen draws on years of experience internalizing the Ruby culture and teaching Ruby to other programmers. He guides you to the “Ah Ha!” moments when it suddenly becomes clear why Ruby works the way it does, and how you can take advantage of this language’s elegance and expressiveness.

Eloquent Ruby

starts small, answering tactical questions focused on a single statement, method, test, or bug. You’ll learn how to write code that actually looks like Ruby (not Java or C#); why Ruby has so many control structures; how to use strings, expressions, and symbols; and what dynamic typing is really good for.

Next, the book addresses bigger questions related to building methods and classes. You’ll discover why Ruby classes contain so many tiny methods, when to use operator overloading, and when to avoid it. Olsen explains how to write Ruby code that writes its own code–and why you’ll want to. He concludes with powerful project-level features and techniques ranging from gems to Domain Specific Languages.

A part of the renowned Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series, Eloquent Ruby will help you “put on your Ruby-colored glasses” and get results that make you a true believer.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0321584104
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0321584106
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Addison-Wesley Professional
  5. Publication date
    February 11, 2011
  6. Part of series
    Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series
  7. Language
    English
  8. Dimensions
    7 x 0.95 x 9.13 inches
  9. Print length
    448 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

R>Eloquent Ruby is like programming in Ruby itself: fun, surprisingly deep, and you'll find yourself wishing it was always done this way. Wherever you are in your Ruby experience from novice to Rails developer, this book is a must read.

About the Author

Russ Olsen’s career spans three decades, during which he has written everything from graphics device drivers to document management applications. These days, he diligently codes GIS, web service security, and process automation solutions. He spends much of his otherwise free time writing and speaking about programming, especially Ruby and Clojure. His first book was the highly regarded Design Patterns In Ruby (Addison-Wesley, 2007). He is also the lurking presence behind the Technology As If People Mattered blog at www.russolsen.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Addison-Wesley Professional
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 11, 2011
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0321584104
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0321584106
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.95 x 9.13 inches
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 247 ratings

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4.6 out of 5 stars
247 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this Ruby book to be a definitive guide for intermediate developers, with clear explanations and examples. The writing style is praised for being easy to read and grasp, with the author presenting information in a clear, point-by-point manner. They appreciate how the book elucidates basic Ruby concepts and shows multiple ways to solve problems with the language.

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50 customers mention "Knowledge level"46 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the book's knowledge level, noting that it explains concepts well and provides good examples, making it particularly suitable for intermediate Ruby developers.

"...This is an extremely well written book with a lot of examples and it has been a pleasure to read...." Read more

"...I feel that the book would be fantastic for anyone coming to Ruby with an in-depth knowledge of another programming language...." Read more

"...The technical content is very clearly presented, with just the right amount of detail to get the point across, and not much more...." Read more

"...Instead he zooms in on unusual, tricky, and unexpectedly useful features. He assumes you've had some basic introduction to the flavor of Ruby...." Read more

28 customers mention "Writing style"28 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's writing style, noting that it is extremely easy to read and grasp Ruby, with the author explaining everything in a clear, to-the-point way.

"...The chapter on regular expressions is excellent and I haven't seen a clearer explanation of it in other books I have referred to in the past...." Read more

"...The author's tone is somewhat light-hearted, without being cloyingly jocular...." Read more

"...Ruby itself is an elegant and powerful language, and this author's approach gives you a full-on experience of that...." Read more

"...Russ has a knack for distilling concepts to their simplest, understandable form while maintaining a breezy, friendly writing style that invites..." Read more

13 customers mention "Ruby style"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's Ruby style guide, which elucidates many basic Ruby concepts and shows different ways to solve problems.

"...In addition to teaching the language, this book covers the ruby way of doing things and the reasoning behind why it's done that way...." Read more

"...Ruby itself is an elegant and powerful language, and this author's approach gives you a full-on experience of that...." Read more

"Illuminating with pretty good examples but the tone which was trying to be clever if not snarky instead verges on condescending in places, and..." Read more

"Russ Olsen has turned in an excellent Ruby style guide with "Eloquent Ruby"...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Siddhardha
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Work
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    After programming for years in static typed languages, I needed to learn Ruby for use at my professional work place. I started with "Learning Ruby The Hard Way" per recommendation from a fellow co-worker - it served as decent introduction. Then I switched to Eloquent Ruby even though I was recommended a different book since the reviews for this book were extremely positive. I was not disappointed. In addition to teaching the language, this book covers the ruby way of doing things and the reasoning behind why it's done that way. Such a treatment of the subject is a welcome change for me. Now I can understand the Ruby based conversations among my co-workers much better with this background. This is an extremely well written book with a lot of examples and it has been a pleasure to read. The author's writing style is very engaging - I'm impressed so much that I'll be checking out other books from the same author (notably Ruby Design Patterns). The chapter on regular expressions is excellent and I haven't seen a clearer explanation of it in other books I have referred to in the past. The "Staying Out of Trouble" section at the end of every chapter is helpful even though some of it will be obvious for the reader. "In the Wild" section that illustrates usage in real world code/frameworks of the concepts learned in a chapter is also useful as it helps to reinforce the learning process. This is not a book to read once and then leave on the shelf - I envision myself coming back to this book on an ongoing basis as I continue to develop Ruby applications. Highly recommended.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • NATALY G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bien libro
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Excelente inversión en fundamentos de ruby
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  • John D. Sayle
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good reference for some . . .
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Overall, Russ Olsen's Eloquent Ruby is a good book. I feel that the book would be fantastic for anyone coming to Ruby with an in-depth knowledge of another programming language.

    My main reason for giving it four stars instead of five is that this edition is a bit dated (it focuses on Ruby 1.9) and the content while broad in scope is not as in depth as I'd hoped for. Also, it should be noted that Eloquent Ruby is written more like a reference book than a "how-to" or textbook (ie - while Russ Olsen does offer real world examples at the end of chapters, this book is not written with the express purpose of teaching you how to code using the Ruby programming language, or giving you multiple or one large scale "project" to work through with the authors guidance).
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Flekstpor Drufan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Teaches idiomatic Ruby; an easy read
    Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed reading this book, and found it to be a useful adjunct to other learning materials. The technical content is very clearly presented, with just the right amount of detail to get the point across, and not much more. The author's tone is somewhat light-hearted, without being cloyingly jocular. Where the book differs from most tutorials is that it focuses on teaching Ruby that is not just "correct", but also idiomatic. I now understand better how, for example, Rails is able to work its various "magic" using various Ruby idioms. That said, I'm not entirely comfortable with the enthusiasm with which the author embraces some of Ruby's "magical" capabilities. I wonder how easy it might be to get carried away with some of these idioms and end up writing a bunch of difficult-to-understand, difficult-to-maintain code. However, insofar as this sort of jazz is part of idiomatic Ruby, I suppose the author is fulfilling his mandate by promoting it; so I hesitate to deduct a star just on account of my own scruples here. On the whole, I recommend this book - especially if you are coming from a more traditional object-oriented language (C++, Java) - and have yet to appreciate just how flexible (sometimes worryingly so) Ruby really is.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Prasad Chalasani
    5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the funnest programming language book you'll read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    The approach of this book is really fun. The author does not get bogged down in introducing an exhaustive list of language features. Instead he zooms in on unusual, tricky, and unexpectedly useful features. He assumes you've had some basic introduction to the flavor of Ruby. For example, the only introduction I had previously read was "Ruby in 20 minutes" from the Ruby home page, and that was sufficient for me to dive into this book. Ruby itself is an elegant and powerful language, and this author's approach gives you a full-on experience of that. You could easily just read this book even without having a computer in front of you.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Brian Uri
    5.0 out of 5 stars No sophomore slump here!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    It's been three years since I devoured Russ Olsen's first book, Design Patterns in Ruby, and I'm still no closer to being a Ruby whiz. This is not his books' fault -- if I had a set of programming New Years Resolutions, "learn Ruby" would be my failed equivalent to "going to the gym". It's pretty amazing, then, that I could still read, follow, and enjoy his latest book without necessarily being in its target audience. Russ has a knack for distilling concepts to their simplest, understandable form while maintaining a breezy, friendly writing style that invites readers to share in his excitement about Ruby. This is done in a pretty humble manner, free of evangelizing or gimmicks like cartoons and bad jokes, and when you look up at the end of the book, it's like you've spent a pleasant afternoon with a mentor rather than a lecturing professor.

    It's true that this book is more specific to Ruby than the previous one, but even non-Ruby-programmers will walk away with some new knowledge or a rounder understanding of programming. You might even be compelled to learn Ruby!
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • jeff
    5.0 out of 5 stars A lire absolument si on veut connaitre ruby
    Reviewed in France on March 23, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Très bon livre.
    La structure est très claire, la lecture rapide et on a toujours envie d'aller plus loin dans le livre.
    Tous les chapitres ont leur importance et vous font passer des bases du ruby aux recoins les plus complexes, et fonctions les plus avancées sans jamais vous perdre en route.

    C'est un livre à avoir à portée de main lorsqu'on développe en ruby.

    PS: il faut au moins avoir fait quelques expériences (tutoriel codage) en ruby avant de le lire.
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  • Shayan
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Harry Potter of technical books
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I never had this feeling during reading a technical book but for this one I was enjoying every word of it and I was hoping it never end!

    One of the best chapters in my opinion is chapter 13 (Singletons). The way that this book explains it step by step is just amazing. After reading it, you will gain such a deep understanding about Ruby which you wouldn't if you had the whole RubyDoc by heart.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must
    Reviewed in Canada on October 24, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a must-read for any serious developer using Ruby. You will write better code and avoid lots of headaches.
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  • Usuario Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Imprescindible
    Reviewed in Spain on September 20, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Si ya sabes algo de Ruby, sin duda este es el libro perfecto para aprender a escribirlo correctamente. Uno de los.. libros fundamentales de este lenguaje junto con el "pickaxe"
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  • Hunz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelent and concise
    Reviewed in Brazil on June 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Goes straight to the matter.

    If you already know a bit of Ruby or other programming languages and you want to get a solid grip on how Ruby works (the language and the community), this book is an excelent choice.

    It is short and concise but does not fall short in any subject.

    I really loved reading it.
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