An interesting observation William Shotts makes at the beginning of the 2nd edition of The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction (No Starch Press 978-1593279523), is that in all of the hacking movies, one never sees the hacker using a mouse. From The Matrix to Takedown, the hackers are invariably busy at the command line. He writes that we as human beings instinctively know that the only way to really get anything done on a computer is by typing it on a keyboard.
To that end, The Linux Command Line is meant to help the Linux user master the powerful art of the command line. This most effective guide provides a step by step compendium to getting complete control over how to use Linux. He take a very procedural approach, and starts with the core set of commands, and leads the reader to writing their own scripts.
Rather than just listing all of the Linux commands and their syntax, which one could freely get via the man page, Shotts also details real word usage of these commands, and the overarching Linux philosophy.
For many Windows and Macintosh uses, the use of the command prompt is almost a foreign language to them. For Linux users, it is a powerful way to make the most out of the system, and not be a slave to the mouse.
For those looking to master the Linux command line and get an essential understand of the core Linux command line tools, this book is a highly effective and useful guide.