if I want to learn normal programming to start with PHP is not necessary. Yes the language is very easy to learn in terms of web able all that is necessary, etc., but then go to normal/"correct" language will be harder than learning from scratch. So if you want a simple to learn and not time-consuming language — choose Python. Get a beautiful, concise and simple code, quite a lot of versatility(in comments above painted) and most importantly experience that will allow in the future to move on to more serious languages.
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If even so stay on PHP, koterova quite good books. Although if you know English it is better to read the original and the latest literature.