The TeXBook by Knuth is also good if you want to really get to know TeX (and by extension LaTeX). The writing is engaging and well-paced: ISBN: 0201134470
It's a shame that you've never read a good manual. I recommend The TeXbook by Donald Knuth. Being trained in certain things brings so much joy to my life. I would hate it if my life was just a caveman who can only press buttons and see what happens.
…plain TeX, with a very good feel of what it is doing in its 'guts'. I wrote parsers in compilers in pure TeX (the latter was admittedly a silly academic exercise). It took a very thorough reading of 'The TeXbook' but after that I am constantly amazed at how deliberate and tasteful Knuth's choices were. TeX is simply ... elegant. I am not sure what 'modern' bells and whistles TeX lacks that everyone is so eager…
I use TeX. LaTeX also works, but the books are longer and less well written than Knuth's original TeXBook! :-)! I love TeX -- it's one of my favorite and most important tools. I have a Ph.D. in applied math, and IMHO TeX (or LaTeX) is just essential, call that more than ESSENTIAL for my work. E.g., now…
A counterpoint would be Knuth's The TeXbook. In that book, Knuth explains every feature of TeX in excruciating detail, without being boring. He could have made the book 1/4 the size, but the book would have been worse for it.
如果你想真正搞懂 TeX（进而搞懂 LaTeX），高德纳（Knuth）写的《The TeXbook》也很不错。文笔引人入胜，节奏极佳：ISBN: 0201134470
The TeXBook by Knuth is also good if you want to really get to know TeX (and by extension LaTeX). The writing is engaging and well-paced: ISBN: 0201134470
你居然从来没读过一本好的手册，真是太可惜了。我推荐高德纳的《The TeXbook》。在某些事情上受过专业训练，给我的生活带来了巨大的乐趣。如果我的一生就像个原始人一样，只知道按按按钮看看会发生什么，那我绝对受不了。
It's a shame that you've never read a good manual. I recommend The TeXbook by Donald Knuth. Being trained in certain things brings so much joy to my life. I would hate it if my life was just a caveman who can only press buttons and see what happens.
……原生 Plain TeX，对它“底层内脏”在干嘛非常有感觉。我用纯 TeX 写过编译器里的解析器（承认后者纯属无聊的学术演练）。这需要把《The TeXbook》非常彻底地读透，但在那之后，我无时无刻不在惊叹于高德纳的设计考量是多么深思熟虑、品味独到。TeX 简直太……优雅了。我真不知道那些大家挤破头想要的“现代”花哨功能，TeX 到底缺了啥……
…plain TeX, with a very good feel of what it is doing in its 'guts'. I wrote parsers in compilers in pure TeX (the latter was admittedly a silly academic exercise). It took a very thorough reading of 'The TeXbook' but after that I am constantly amazed at how deliberate and tasteful Knuth's choices were. TeX is simply ... elegant. I am not sure what 'modern' bells and whistles TeX lacks that everyone is so eager…
我用 TeX。LaTeX 也行，但它的书太长了，写得也没高德纳原版的《The TeXbook》好！:-)! 我超爱 TeX——它是我最喜欢也最重要的工具之一。我有应用数学的博士学位，依我愚见（IMHO），TeX（或 LaTeX）对我来说完全是不可或缺的，甚至可以说是重中之重。比如，现在……
I use TeX. LaTeX also works, but the books are longer and less well written than Knuth's original TeXBook! :-)! I love TeX -- it's one of my favorite and most important tools. I have a Ph.D. in applied math, and IMHO TeX (or LaTeX) is just essential, call that more than ESSENTIAL for my work. E.g., now…
《The TeXbook》是高德纳为 TeX 写的技术文档。书里有超多笑话梗，我读得津津有味。
The TexBook was a technical documentation for TeX written by Donald Knuth. The book had a lot of jokes, and I enjoyed reading it.
一个反例就是高德纳的《The TeXbook》。在那本书里，高德纳极其详尽地解释了 TeX 的每一个特性，却一点都不枯燥。他完全可以把书的篇幅缩减到原来的 1/4，但那样的话这本书反而就逊色了。
A counterpoint would be Knuth's The TeXbook. In that book, Knuth explains every feature of TeX in excruciating detail, without being boring. He could have made the book 1/4 the size, but the book would have been worse for it.