We recently wrote a review for The GIS: 20 Essential skills, now, the author speaks with ESRI in a podcast, found here.

A useful tutorial for the GIS beginner and those who need a quick introduction into the software or those who use ArcGIS infrequently. The book quickly gets into the how-to’s of several essential GIS computations, without steeping the user in theory. The operations are thoughtfully selected for usefulness and frequency or necessity of use, and the step-by-step instructions move the user quickly through the lesson toward the chapter’s goal.