Every few years something significant happens in the land of computer programming. In my opinion the Ruby computer language is such a landmark. Over the years I have seen programmer productivity go up ...

Programming Ruby, 2nd Ed. goes farther afield in its 800+ pages, but has less material on the language itself and more material on ancillary matters.

Ruby for kids is a site that includes directions and screencasts for a new programmer, young or old, to get started in the Ruby programming language.