I purchased this book because it is the only reference book I could find that is dedicated to nginx. The first two chapters (about 1/4 of the pages) are dedicated to general operating system-related content. While I'm sure that some readers will appreciate the ability to start at the ground floor and build up to a working nginx installation, I would have preferred to have those extra pages dedicated to nginx-specific issues.
One of the features of nginx is its extensibility via add-in modules. Many modules come with the nginx package, and others are available from 3rd parties. I was disappointed at how brief the content was in relation to modules that are included in the base package. I'd be understanding if the book lightly touched on 3rd party modules, but there are significant feature additions that are covered in less than 1/2 page each.
Also, details on nginx configuration directives were sparse in some instances. A one sentence description of a directive may suffice for someone that has a basic working knowledge of a subject, but more details would be a great addition for a book that claims to address both beginners and experienced users.
Overall, the book answered some of my questions, but leaves me with many unanswered ones. Alas, the reason I purchased the book was because online reference materials were somewhat disjointed and brief. I had hoped for the book to be superior to the information I could find online. Instead, the book is on-par with the info that I could find myself. While it's nice to have it all in one place, it's not worth ~$40 for that convenience, in my opinion.
The editors pledge to answer questions not addressed by the book, so I've dropped them a note. I'll follow up when they respond.
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