The Linux Cookbook shows Linux users at all levels how to perform a variety of everyday computer tasks such as: printing stationery; converting and managing files; editing and formatting text; working with digital audio; and creating and manipulating graphics. The quick-reference, "cookbook"-style format, includes step-by-step Linux "recipes."
Michael Stutz is an American writer. His reality fiction (including Circuits of the Wind, a three-volume novel) explores Generation X nostalgia and life in the Net Age with trademark poetic rhythms and rhapsodic lyricism.
A bit dated (at least the edition I read), but I love the practical approach. Easy to get your hands a bit dirty on the command line and walk away with a pretty great base from which you can jump into deeper waters. Plus, it's formatted in LaTex and has that textual feel.