wiki

Wikis For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
$24.99
The book is like an encyclopedia for Wikis (dare I say a wikipedia)... History and information. This is probably the best book I have bought on the topic in the last year.

It is very creative in the suggestions for uses of wikis.

WikiReader Pocket Wikipedia
$99.00
I used the WikiReader briefly at a Wikipedia meetup, on flaw about it that hasn't been mentioned here already is that it only displays a subset of the articles on Wikipedia due to it parsing a limited amount of the underlying syntax.

For example it doesn't support tables in articles, they simply don't appear, so critical information stored in in tables like those in articles about countries, chemical elements and other key-value oriented things simply don't appear. Simple lists on Wikipedia are also increasingly stored in table format, when I was using the device I wanted to look up a fact that I knew Wikipedia had a list for but the article in question was almost empty because the list wasn't displayed on the device.

It also doesn't support templates at all, those are also used a lot in the main content of articles for things like displaying foreign-language names.

Professional Wikis (Programmer to Programmer)
$39.99
I just received the text. It has "beginner" information about what I consider fundamental structures of wikis and it includes resources where to find more info. I read it by jumping around in the book and I have had no problem. I find what I want and then see something interesting and move to it, so it is not a linear read like an instruction manual, more like a first pass resource manual for beginners. Looking for the next level up. I rate this a 4 for starters.

Where to next?

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms
$28.95
I purchased this book as part of a technology class I am taking. I teach elementary art and technology. This book does a great job of getting the reader involved in using the technology as a learning tool right away. It clearly explains the advantages of newer technologies and the power they can have to increase your ability to learn, collaborate, and teach.