Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!watdragon!violet!ajmyrvold
From: ajmyrvold@violet.waterloo.edu (Alan Myrvold)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: help me fill my bookshelf
Keywords: It's not my money
Message-ID: <5409@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 29 Feb 88 04:00:51 GMT
References: <1559@loral.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: ajmyrvold@violet.waterloo.edu (Alan Myrvold)
Distribution: na
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 61


In article 12598 of comp.sys.ibmpc Jim Harkins (jlh@loral.UUCP) writes

> And, sitting above it is a nice, empty bookshelf.  So tell me, if you
> were spending the boss's money what books would you put on this shelf?

I have bought quite a few books over the past few years (my money, not
the boss's). Some were good - some classify as turkeys. Here goes the
recommendations.

Books :
-------

1) A legitimate manual for each piece of software which you use
   regularly. This includes a real DOS manual. DOS is probably
   the single most pirated program around.

2) DOS Technical Reference

3) The C Programming Language by Kernighan and Ritchie. A must have.

4) Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC by Peter Norton. Some people
   would disagree with this one, but my copy is almost worn out
   from use. I also have Advanced MS DOS by Ray Duncan, but I
   much prefer Peter Norton's book.

5) Handbook of Software & Hardware Interfacing for the IBM PC's
   by Jeffrey P. Royer. Lots of assembly language examples -
   good even if you aren't interfacing with the hardware.

6) Assembly Language Techinques for the IBM PC by Alan R. Miller.
   Not a bad book. Good introduction. Have a table of 8088 instructions
   with descriptions handy - because they aren't in the book.

And - If you need to do any numerical analysis :

7) Numerical Recipes - The Art of Scientific Computing. by Press,
   Flannery, Teukolsky, and Vetterling.
   What a great introduction to all sorts of numerical topics !!!

8) Matrix Computations by Gene H. Golub and Charles F. Van Loan
   Best book on the subject. A classic.

Software :
----------

1) MS Assembler version 5.0. Big improvement over previous versions.

2) MS or Turbo C (I won't get into the big debate ... both are good)
   Competition sure does improve the market.

3) Lesuire Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards. Haven't bought
   my copy for the IBM PC yet - but I loved it on my friend's ATARI.


      Hope these recommendations help.


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Alan Myrvold                       ajmyrvold@violet.waterloo.edu
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