I appreciate the web is full of this stuff but in many ways that's my problem, there's too much out there to rifle through in order to find something worthwhile

What I need is a virtual book written in plain english preferably aimed at intermediate to advanced level readers. Ideally something that's not intended for reading end-to-end. Tutorial-type stuff is good too as long as it has a thorough reference section. I'm not an advanced reader but I'm aware that I need to dip into big boys stuff here and there.

Any bookmarks appreciated