Hi Ryan,
I wind up using the HTML manual that comes with MySQL quite a bit. Two books to recommend, though, although neither one is a complete SQL reference.
i also recommend the online manual for MySQL, altho it can be a tad difficult to "browse" sometimes. for a complete MySQL reference, try "MySQL Reference Manual: Documentation from the source" written by the man, Monty W. himself.
http://www.bookpool.com/.x/qm79xf16z8/sm/0596002653
The first is O'Reilly's "MySQL & mSQL", primarily because you can find it on clearance for $8 (I got it at B&N in Cary). It has a good chapter on SQL and most programming language interfaces, but does not try to be comprehensive.
the reason these books are on sale is because the totally updated 2nd edition has been released -- "Managing & Using MySQL, 2nd Edition" -- I *highly* recommend this book, especially for those not very well versed in MySQL or RDBMS. (also, you can see they dropped the mSQL-specific references to go with the more popular product).
http://www.bookpool.com/.x/qm79xfpy6m/sm/0596002114
The second one is "MySQL Cookbook", from the same publisher. I've gotten addicted to these $50 tomes for quick wisdom on how to accomplish real-world tasks. The current one is for MySQL 4.0. It may be worth waiting for the 5.0 version if you're planning on spending that much.
this is a fantastic programmers reference; not so good for beginners. if you already understand your MySQL problem/challenge and want to find a quick solution, this is a good place to look. heh - just noticed this one is written by Paul DuBois, as well. for a tip on saving $$$ on these tomes, check Bookpool.com -- you might be surprised.
dave m.
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