I had some spare time in a mall earlier this week and strolled into a London Drugs. They sell alot more than drugs, let me tell you! In fact, London Drugs has quite a large computer section (Mac too!) I found a display table piled high with discount computer books. I just go crazy when I find cheap computer books! I immediately dropped my belongings, and got comfortable for the comprehensive chaos about to ensue. I went through every book on the table and it was worth it for the gem that I found: Programming Logic and Design by Joyce Farrell. The book is older, a 2002 second edition, and this accounted for it's $9 price tag. However, the content is somewhat timeless. From the back of the book:

"Programming Logic and Design, Second Edition, Comprehensive, provides the beginning programmer with a guide to developing structured program logic. This textbook assumes no programming language experience and focuses on no one particular language. It introduces programming concepts and enforces good style and logical thinking. This edition also includes a new chapter, Chapter 15, covering UML concepts."

While I don't consider myself a beginning programmer, I am self-taught. Picking up HTML on the fly is one thing, but learning PHP without a programming background can certainly leave you feeling somewhat unfulfilled. I read alot of books covering syntax, but very few books I've read touch on the concepts introduced in Farrell's book. Programming Logic and Design fills a gaping hole in my tech library, and I recommend it to all PHPers who learned their craft without the benefit of core computer programming courses. I think Perens would approve.