If you are looking for a good present for the virtualization enthusiast, look no further than the just released vSphere 4.0 Quick Start Guide: Shortcuts down the path of Virtualization.  The book has made its arrival at Amazon.com with a price of only $15.99. 

Think of this book as a 2nd edition of the old popular quick start guide from the RapidApp folks back in the ESX 3.0 days. 

This latest version is vSphere 4.0 ready, and was authorerd by some well known virtualization community members like Thomas Bryant, Duncan Epping, and Alan Renouf.  I've known Thomas a while now, and this guy really knows his stuff!  Along with Thomas, I have been fortunate to personally meet up with Duncan and Alan.  All of these guys are virtualization experts and evangelists.  And more to the point, all are great guys and very friendly. 

I was lucky to get an advanced copy of the book during VMworld 2009, and I must say, it is well worth your time and money. 

The authors wanted to provide an easy to use reference guide for all level administrators, consultants and architects.  This pocket guide does an excellent job of covering the new features introduced with vSphere 4.0.  It attempts to answer some of the common questions around vSphere and virtualization, while giving you rich insight into expert tips & tricks, pitfalls to avoid, and help with RemoteCLI & PowerCLI (PowerShell) scripts.

And as a pocket guide, this book is easy to carry along with you wherever you go.  Check it out now on Amazon.