What is the best book to start learning LaTeX?

Question

Which book (free or otherwise) was the most useful to you when you started learning LaTeX? I am frequently asked this question by friends who want to learn LaTeX, and I recommend the book which got me started, the not so short introduction to latex, but I feel that there might be better options around.

Answer 1

I've used LaTeX wikibook mostly. It's a really good resource when writing mark-up which is the easiest and fastest way to learn.

Answer 2

I found Kopka and Daly's Guide to LaTeX to be very helpful. It starts with the basics of what a LaTeX document is, how it's laid out, what components it can and should have, etc. and then moves on to cover technics for drawing and including figures, creating new commands and environments, and more advanced customization in case you ever need it.

Most important to me were the many examples scattered throughout, so that if you have some idea of what you're trying to do you usually don't have read an entire section but just flip through until you find an appropriate example and then try something similar.

Answer 3

Grätzer's under-appreciated book is excellent, especially at showing you how to do things the "right" way:

• George Grätzer (2007), More Math into LaTeX, 4th edition, Springer, ISBN 978-0387322896

(Earlier editions were called "Math into LaTeX"; it's not a sequel.) Especially if you're learning LaTeX for typesetting mathematics or related areas, this is a wonderful book — it includes, for example, chapters on the several AMS environments for multiline equation displays, making presentations with Beamer and other classes, and BibTeX — all things that you're likely to need at some point. Several samples from the book are available on CTAN (and you can also find online copies of the book of *cough* dubious legality).

[Edit: His first section, A Short Course in LaTeX, is available on CTAN and I recommend it even higher than lshort/not-so-short introduction: it's shorter, though of course less detailed. As quoted in the comment below, it's IMHO the ideal introduction to LaTeX for mathematics.]

Among actually free books, take a look at the LaTeX book on Wikibooks; its excellent quality may surprise you!

Answer 4

I think I would suggest the book by van Dongen, Latex and Friends, which is very up-to-date (in fact, still being written) --- for example, it has a long chapter on tikz. The book used to be available to download from van Dongen's web site but, to quote from an entry on his web site:

Due to copyright restrictions I had to remove the preliminary version of my book on LaTeX and Friends.

Springer's web site shows a print version due in 2012 and this has been reviewed on the TeX User Group site.

Parts of the book may now be read on line.

Answer 5

I used the Not so short introduction and still go back to it.

(I think that all the answers should be in the answers so that it's easier for people to compare them; also, what I said is true: it is the one that I use and continually go back to.)

Answer 6

Ah, I remember my first steps: somehow I stumbled upon LaTeX Primer which was not only a great introductory text, but was a real beauty typography-side.

Also, another great book which hasn't been mentioned here yet (and is definitely worth mentioning) is Digital Typography using LaTeX by Apostolos Syropoulos, Antonis Tsolomitis and Nick Sofroniou. I personally call this book "the book" along with Gratzer's "the book" ;)

Answer 7

Have a look at Stefan Kottwitz's LaTeX Beginner's Guide. It has lots of fully-explained examples and up-to-date tips.

Answer 8

The Not So Short Introduction to LaTeX that the question references is good, but when first learning LaTeX, I found Peter Flynn's Formatting information a very useful supplement.

Answer 9

I recommend Peter Flynn's Formatting Information to people -- it seems to have the right pace and style for many, being well-written and reasonably brisk.

Another (unusual) advantage is that it's more sympathetic towards humanities users than many introductions.

Answer 10

I found Art of Problem Solving Wiki page on LaTeX to be a good resource. (it's themed towards learning simple syntax for texing math, which was exactly what I wanted)

Additionally, there is the useful list of LaTeX symbols.

Answer 11

The most important is to learn by doing. Take some small piece you want to typeset and make a most simple possible document. Then start to make it more compilicated. If you want figures/plots use TikZ.

Answer 12

Ethan Bloch's A Brief Introduction to LaTeX for Bard Students contains exactly enough info to get started (I started texing with it within an hour).

Answer 13

I found Lamport's Latex: a document preparation system the best book for learning LaTeX

Answer 14

I think that a great start is some of the above mentioned like: The Art of Problem Solving

But I think that a short introduction book to LaTeX is good and its goes by the name:

learning LaTeX, by David F. Griffiths and Desmond J. Higham. learning LaTeX

Very light on the beginner and quite comical throughout.

Another great one that is free and a online pdf version would be this:

A Simplified Introduction to LaTeX

Hope this helps any.

Answer 15

To get started with LaTeX, visit:

1. Getting something out of LATEX
2. Road Map