If you notice, I didn't recommend Townsend as beginner material. I agree with everything you said in your review (except - and I may have misunderstood you here - the part about Townsend only applying to long hikes; I think that you just scale back to fit shorter hikes. Minor quibble, certainly doesn't change the fact that it's not the best book to start out with.)

Skurka's book is good, but I think it requires a certain commitment to an ultralight style to make it work - and that's why I don't see it as a beginner's book. (I have a friend at work who has taken trips with Skurka for the last two years, and says the same thing.) To his great credit, Skurka defines several hiking styles in the first chapter of the book - and states his own preference, and states that the recommendations he makes in the book reflect that preference. If you match that preference, it's a great beginning book. If not, then it's a "broaden your knowledge" book best left for later. (Just for reference, I don't agree with the need to make big miles, but I like his book in general. I followed a lot of the same logic over the last 20 years as I reduced my pack weight successively from 35 to 30 to 20 to its current 14 - which includes a weekend's worth of food and fuel, and a liter of water.)