Is the Cookbook series great or what? The Ruby Cookbook is a collection of code snippets that illustrate the many uses of the Ruby language along with brief essays detailing how exactly they work. The recipes cover everything from basic string manipulation to sophisticated metaprogramming. While the Pickaxe book may be somewhat redundant given the online documentation, this book compiles material you can't find anywhere else and is excellent for novices and Ruby experts alike.

The Python Cookbook is also very good. ( )

Great stuff - tons of recipes that the practicing ruby programmer will find useful. ( )