Today when I got in from work there was a FedEx package containing one of these:

This my friends, is the [Official Ubuntu Book](https://www.phptr.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0132435942&rl=1) and it is out now!

I am really pleased with how the book turned out, and it was a delight to work with Mako, Corey, Jonathan and Ivan. A special thanks should go out to the awesome Debra Williams-Cauley who nurtured the book through every step. The schedule for the book was pretty tight and it was an interesting experience writing a book around software that was not written yet. I remember hanging around #ubuntu-devel getting daily updates about the GUI installer as Colin was writing them. Bleeding edge writing if there ever was.

Also, thanks to the incredible Ubuntu community who contributed recipes for one of the chapters. This started out life as [this fridge post](https://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/282) and resulted in an awesomely diverse chapter. This not only gives the book more value, but makes the book feel like a real community effort. Thanks for your awesome work people! 🙂

Finally, the book is released under an open license, but I really urge you to buy a copy. This is not for any financial benefit for the authors, but for the potential of a second edition. If this book sells well, there will be another, and we can keep having a high quality official guide for Ubuntu. So, vote with your feet and grab a copy. If a second edition is commissioned, I would love to explore ways in which we can increase the contribution of the community and the doc team to the next edition and continue the community contribution to the book. This is not mine, Mako’s, Corey’s, Jonathan’s ad Ivan’s book – its *our* book – lets make it rock hard. 🙂