True enough, I have read both (actually the 1st edition of "Programming Elixir"), and "Elixir in Action" is more hands-on. The reader ends up working on an actual project along the book, adding new functionalities.
However, since Elixir 1.2, some of "Elixir in Action" is now outdated, especially the use of HashDict replaced by Map.
I have not read the second edition of "Programming Elixir" though. Based on the table of contents it seems to be a bit more "applied" than the previous edition.
There is a post from the author that documents what has diverged between Elixir in Action and Elixir 1.2. More than simply updating code examples, it actually gives context around all of the changes.
Agreed - I was just today seeing that my edition of the book still pushes the hashdict. Perils of early adoption! Still, kudos to both and my advice to all peeps looking at Elixir (and you should!) is to buy both.
However, since Elixir 1.2, some of "Elixir in Action" is now outdated, especially the use of HashDict replaced by Map.
I have not read the second edition of "Programming Elixir" though. Based on the table of contents it seems to be a bit more "applied" than the previous edition.