I've used this book for several years to teach an undergrad course introducing CS majors to assembly language and computer representation of data.

The authors have chosen an interesting way to ease the transition from high-level language to assembly: they use several successively more realistic versions of the same (ultimately MIPS) assembly language, all of which run on a simulator provided with the book. The first models a memory-to-memory machine, with typed variables and no registers, allowing students to learn about the minimal arithmetic and control operations (including a limited form of procedure calling) of assembly language without worrying about other concerns. In this context they spend two chapters on integer, floating-point, and character representation. In Chap. 7 they introduce memory addresses, using an array-like syntax familiar to high-level-language programmers, and show how to implement simple data structures. In Chap. 8 they introduce registers and type-specific operations thereon, pointing out that in a load/store architecture like MIPS, all arithmetic actually works on registers. Chap. 9 treats procedures more fully. This constitutes a minimal course; the remaining five chapters can be used as time allows. Chap. 10 discusses assemblers, machine code format, and the "true" MIPS assembly language; chap. 11 discusses I/O, chap. 12 interrupts and exceptions; chap. 13 performance; and chap. 14 other approaches to computer architecture.

I switched to this book when I found Hennessy & Patterson too advanced for my students, and it has served me well. Students are sometimes a little confused about which version of the assembly language we're using at the moment, and I wish the author of the simulator had put in a three-way choice rather than accepting all three languages at once, but I still think the approach works better than throwing the kids in the deep end.

Ordinarily I skip or only skim prefaces, but that would have been a big mistake in this book which starts right out with a hilarious account of Jim Greer's encounter with Jack Nicholson, the famous actor immediately recognizable to everyone but clueless Jim. Riding West is always entertaining and frequently moving. Greer's description of his metamorphosis from performance auditor for the Colorado legislature to outfitter in the rugged high country of Gunnison County should be of interest to anyone who has ever contemplated reinventing himself in the midstream of life. Greer emerges as a fascinating (if somewhat eccentric) personality and a superb storyteller. I hated to see this book end. Someday, I suspect, it will be made into a film. It has all the earmarks of a classic, one that belongs in the distinguished company of other such classics as A River Runs Through It.

thumbed thru this great book at Barns and Noble and was hoping it would be less expensive on the net. I knew Prof. Carleton and took his history class at LSU. The book "The River" is seriously the best I have seen considering the real history of Baton Rouge as I know it to be. All of the "recent" characters that are noted are real to me. Mr. Lloyd Collett was my neighbor back in the 50's when he first invisioned the company that he founded. United Companies was born on Eugene Street in the 50's and has blown into a mega company. Others noted in the book are just as acurate to my knowledge and I've known them all at one time or the other. It feels like my history in this city - from 1942 to present. Prof. Carleton was in command of a wealth of history regarding this area - politically and otherwise. I wish he had not been taken at such an early age. The pictures are beyond great. Have one for me Tom - wherever you are.

This undiscovered gem was written by the person who adapted Helter Skelter for film. It is the tale of an average mid-aged doormat. A man with no future, a beautiful but highly-unfaithful wife and no self worth. As the fates would have it, "Span" (our amiable protaganist) was in for one of the most unforgettable life-awakening experiences ever put down on paper. This novel is a surprise from beginning to end and a fascinating lense for examining the "darker" aspects of us all

Good textbook with detailed explanation on the matter how to deal with "errors" in analysis. Discussion on "weighted" regression of calibration curve, related to error models, is exellent. I recommend the book to any quantitative analysts.

My sons are 3 and 4-1/2 and love trains. They enjoy reading this book because the transparent flaps add an extra exciting touch to their favorite subject.

This book is an absolute necessity if you follow UTAH/BYU football. The rivalry is vividly painted with the book. It is almost an entire history of this tense rivalry. Rosetta and Miller are particularly good at taking the UTAH or BYU view in each chapter. The book synopsis is correct on the cover of the book--each chapter makes you laugh and cry, disagree and agree, and protest and cheer (it all depends on which side you are on!). This book does not take sides, UTAH/BYU fans will love one part of the book, and hate another part of the book. READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they

A must for everyone who owns or dreams of owning a victorian period home. Covering grand to smaller scale homes, this book takes you through every nook and cranny of homes...from porches to living rooms to victorian style bathrooms. This book offers the reader so many ideas but is not a true reference book...no how-to's in this one but rather a visual treasure chest of examples for those looking to renovate or decorate in true victorian style. A source directory is included. Enjoy!

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who has suffered a loss or for those who care about someone who has suffered a loss. Miller writes beautifully and I have given away numerous copies of this books to friends and associates. The chapters are short and easy to read (an essential element for those who are grieving). While geared primarily toward those who have experienced loss through death, the "12 Things" are practical and quite helpful for anyone who has suffered a loss of any type.

To be honest with all you gentle readers, I don't much admire War novels, nor do I stand by the title of my review. Generally, I believe War is truly Hell.

But last Winter, in the grips of a bout of quasi-depression-for-teens following a move to the most FLAT province in Canada, I truly thought I was in Hell. An e-mail friend suggested Catch-22 to use up edgy cabin-fever time. Now, let it be known that my attention span for most novels dwindles quickly, especially if the book is slow to pick up. While significantly slower to get 'into' than most of the writing I chase, Catch-22 sucked me in, like Alice down the rabbit hole. It is sharply funny, engaging, and chock full of delightful characters. The main character is a thinker; a young man disheartened by war and his own mortality. His name is Yossarian, and since reading this novel, he has stood out in my mind as being one of the most...sculpted... characters in the history of literature.

Put simply, this book is a satire about World War 2. Coming from a kid sickened by the very idea of war, I can say that this book is worth whatever bills you have to fork over for it. It's not about war, per se, but more about the human condition. In addition, it made me laugh a few times, something that only a few other works of fiction have ever been successful in accomplishing. I finished this book feeling oddly... renewed. If you're looking for something 'new' (or, so old it's new) and engaging, I heartily recommend 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller.

catch-22 is the best novel to come out of the second world war, and plausibly the greatest american novel of the twentieth century. heller's career as a writer was somewhat over-shadowed by this pyrotechnic debut. his prose here is as insane as the subject-matter, he uses a whirling style that lifts you in and out of scenes in a non-linear fashion that suits the helter-skelter emotional experience of the war the book describes.

catch-22 concerns one captain yossarian and his attempts to get out of bombing raids. yossarian doesn't really care about the good guys versus bad guys aspect of battle. as far as he is concerned everyone is out to kill him and he must survive no matter what.

the novel is genuinely hilarious. there is a great joke on every page, but heller also has the ability to turn on a sixpence. one moment the reader is crying at some piece of head-twisting anti-logic, the next the reader is crying at some horror... and then back again.

when i first read it, i at one point had to slam it shut and throw it on the floor, so emotionally involved was i in the death of a character... but i immediately picked it up again, because it is utterly gripping.

if you are a first-timer, i warn you you will be shocked, you will be incredulous, you will laugh like an idiot whilst you're commuting. but above all you'll be dazzled by a genuine slice of real genius.

Joseph Heller has written a book of such broad scope, such immense power and such depth, that the reader is absolutely entranced to every page.

It takes place on a fictional island during World War II, revolving around a group of bizarre, truly individual characters that are slowly going mad. Catch-22 basically means a 'lose-lose situation'. Each of these men get caught up in the insanity, the beaurocracy and hypocracy of the war that they are trapped on the island, prisoners of the military rather than the war. Despite whatever they try, the just can't get out: Catch-22. The author articulates the isolation of the island into an excellent backdrop for a brilliant character study.

There's Yossarian, the main character, who is gradually descending into madness. There's Milo Minderbinder, the cold-hearted entrepreneur who is using the war to generate revenue and who bombed his own base so the Germans would pay him. Also, there's Colonel Cathcart who is so focused on getting a promotion that he volunteers his bombardiers for the most dangerous of missions, just to impress the general. There's Chaplain R.O. Shipman, who is losing his mind and his faith, and there's Hungry Joe, whose terrifying nightmares make him scream and swear in his sleep, causing the entire squadron to lose sleep. These are just some of the many characters in the book who are revealed through tantalising vignettes.

The writing in the book is truly masterful; the author commands a strong grip of English vocabulary. The plot moves along in illogical, chronologically incorrect sequences, making for a very unique reading experience. There is little violence or language: the author generates tension from the psychological aspect of the story.

This is an exemplary book, which should be studied in English Literature classes, rather than books such as 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstien', or 'The Great Gatsby'. It is tense, hilarious, black, cynical, satirical and formless. An absolutely brilliant character study.