A hefty tome, this one. Not in content but in weight. It is a hardback of almost 600 pages forming a browsable encyclopaedia of computer systems and their applications.

This high quality publication has the distinction of being of American origin but I shan't hold that against it. As a test I sat and thought of a subject, perused the index and, lo and behold, there was a reference.

I'm sure there must be something they haven't at least mentioned but I've yet to find it. Peripherals, languages, programming, careers, application software... everything.

The book naturally has a heavy business applications leaning but this is no disadvantage because what happens in business today percolates through to home computing tomorrow.

The book is written as a course textbook in computing but I've kept this a secret until now because it is nonetheless an excellent read. Lacking the dryness of my impression of a textbook, it is still very serious in its approach. Reading it is like digging into a rich, light fruitcake, lots of nutrition but easily digested, and just a little goes a long way.

Though the book will age with time, it is bang up to date with the latest laser technology and also contemplates future developments. As you may gather I'm impressed, if not overawed, by this book. It is packed with colourful diagrams and photographs and even an old hack like me can find plenty of interest in its pages. For a serious-minded beginner to computing, this gives an excellent overview of the computer age and should be found in every public and school library. It will certainly take pride of place in mine.