Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
by Charles Petzold
Rating: 5.0 / 5 · Read · Finished 2017-06-17
The title sounds like some shallow pop science best seller, but it’s actually very deep and technical. At the same time, it starts from a point that nearly anyone could understand: how a flashlight works. From there it builds up in complexity until you’ve designed a computer. The last few chapters talk more about special topics, history, and “modern” technologies (from the early 90s when the book was written).
Highly recommended to anyone interested in how computers work. It’s a weird mix of a college-level computer architecture course and an “explain like I’m five” description of computers, but the style really appealed to me.