PHP is the defacto programming language of the internet. Thousands of websites run using this popular web programming language and is perhaps one of the most used programming languages on the internet. The beauty of PHP is that even though it is very easy to get started, you can still build up some pretty complex stuff in PHP. PHP has also been battle tested for more than a decade and hence is one of the most robust web developemnt alternative. Ths PHP tutorial lists some great resources for you to start your PHP journey. By the time also check out some good books below on php.

PHP and MySQL Web Development Author: Luke Welling,Laura Thomson ASIN: 0672317842

Programming PHP Author: Rasmus Lerdorf,Kevin Tatroe ASIN: 1565926102