As I read about advanced Perl techniques, I'm becoming more and more curious about the C programming language. Stuck in my mind is some advice a while back from a fellow Monk who, to paraphrase, said that learning C along with Perl would be very beneficial to understanding programming in general.

As I consider taking the plunge and pick up a beginner's C book (any recommendations?), I'd like to hear thoughts on this. In what specific ways would you say C can expands programming horizons?

$PM = "Perl Monk's";
$MCF = "Most Clueless Friar Abbot Bishop";
$nysus = $PM . $MCF;
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