Prompt Engineering for Generative AI versus Prompt Engineering for LLMs.
Both show up on every "best" list. They're not competitors. They're a sequence. Here's which one to read first, and when.
Reviewed by Ashish Sheth · Updated May 2026
Author
James Phoenix, Mike Taylor
John Berryman, Albert Ziegler
Pages
422
282
Published
2024
2024
Publisher
O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media
Level
beginner to intermediate
intermediate
Amazon Rating
4.5/5 (132)
4.1/5 (60)
Goodreads Rating
3.64/5 (144)
3.89/5 (79)
Prompt Engineering for Generative AI
Strengths
+ Covers both text and image generation in one book
+ Good entry point for developers completely new to prompt engineering
+ The five principles framework provides a structured starting point
+ Practical and project-oriented approach
Caveats
− Heavy reliance on specific tools (LangChain, etc.) that date quickly
− Reads more like assembled blog posts than a cohesive narrative
− Tutorial-style code that ages fast as APIs change
− Breadth over depth on most topics
Prompt Engineering for LLMs
Strengths
+ Focuses on understanding why techniques work, not just memorizing patterns
+ Written by practitioners who build one of the world's largest LLM products
+ Good visual explanations and exercises throughout
+ Research-backed approach with references for deeper exploration
Caveats
− Heavy GPT-3 focus makes some content feel dated
− Longer than it needs to be, some sections are unnecessarily verbose
− Some later chapters feel too abstract for practical application
The verdict
Read Prompt Engineering for Generative AI first to build foundations, then move to Prompt Engineering for LLMs for advanced concepts.
Prompt Engineering for Generative AI
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Prompt Engineering for LLMs
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Frequently asked
Which is better, Prompt Engineering for Generative AI or Prompt Engineering for LLMs?
Read Prompt Engineering for Generative AI first to build foundations, then move to Prompt Engineering for LLMs for advanced concepts.
Does this cover image generation too?
Yes. About a third of the book covers image generation with Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. Most other prompt engineering books focus only on text.
Is this just a collection of prompt templates?
No. It focuses on understanding why prompts work at the architectural level. You'll learn principles that apply to any model, not templates that stop working when models update.