Sams Teach Yourself MySQL in 21 Days

This is the best starter book on MySql that I've read and I've read quite a few. Start with this one.

The book is aimed at the beginner/intermediate level, which I think is about right. Readers at both levels would benefit significantly from this well written and easily read volume. Each chapter gives you a `kick start' in that aspect of MySQL starting at a basic level and progressing to a stage where you have a very useful knowledge. The chapters on Querying Data for example take you to a point where you (as an intermediate user) could do most everyday queries.This is achieved by using straightforward examples with carefully graded and well explained steps. I never felt too pushed nor felt I was being patronised - quite an achievement.What I particularly liked were the chapters on interfacing with the real world.The chapter on PHP does not pretend to be a primer on PHP but does introduce the few functions in PHP which allow you to write to and query a MySQL database, retrieve the results and present them to the rest of your PHP code - just what a PHP coder needs from a book on MySQL. This is repeated for those who need to interface with C and PERL.I would unreservedly recommend this book to anyone starting out in MySQL.