Edited to incorporate @Craig Sefton's suggestions.
About a book that I admire, I wrote in an SE computer-programming group:
The material seems old -- well, it is old -- because it's been around for long and, while by no means trivial, is well understood. A solution you can lift is published in W. Richard Stevens's superb and unparalleled book (read "bible"), Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment, Second Edition. The book is the rare treasure that's clear, concise, and complete; its every page gives real, immediate value.
In the emboldened phrase, I want to convey that the book is in contrast to other 1200-page doorstops because it has no fluff, no extraneous or off-topic matter. Almost every other programming book should be of 256 pages; this book justifies its length on every page. So:
- Should I even try to include that idea? Maybe I should just let the contrast go and talk about the book itself.
- If so, how can I do it concisely? I'm afraid that too many words will bore the reader and weaken the contrast.