The Art Of Micro Design is one of those 'text book' books that manages to successfully cross over into the general interest category. Its ability to do that is due to the author's awareness of the difficulty that people have in putting together a sufficient understanding of the workings of a microprocessor.

Maybe I should clarify what I mean by general interest. The book is aimed at engineers and enthusiasts who wish to gain a practical working knowledge of microprocessor system design. Naturally being of general interest, it restricts itself to 8-bit microprocessor systems. As you might imagine, it amounts to fairly demanding reading; but it is of general interest as it assumes minimum previous knowledge of electronics, while it covers the topics in sufficient detail to allow the reader to design around microprocessor circuits.

I met this fellow recently who lists being a fisherman and a defence systems designer on his CV. He pointed to the fact that it now wasn't possible for the hobbyist to compete with technology from the kitchen table or anywhere else for that matter. Enthusiasts who have taen technology to where it is today are being forced from their pastimes because of it. I had to agree.

Three hundred consuming pages later, I'm not so sure. Using three actual MPU's - the Z80, 8000 and the 1802 - as examples, Mr. Berk offers actual data and principles of reading data sheets which could be applied to any MPU. Subsequent discussions on bus structures, memory, input/output devices and interfacing are detailed and supported by examples.

Later chapters develop this new knowledge to consider the use of the micro in computer systems from control and data collection machines to local area networks.

No more is required of the reader than an understanding of logic gates and some general electronic theory. Four appendices offer any further background required and the text provides rather than assumes any more advanced knowledge.

The author manages throughout to convey concepts and principles which are highly theoretical by reference to practical situations and standard hardware. His intention was to enable the reader to have a sufficiently complete understanding of microprocessor design to be practical; in this, he has been highly successful.

The Art Of Micro Design may plant the seed for a whole new crop of micro controlled systems. I shall certainly recommend it to my hobbyist friend, his hitherto frustrated fellow enthusiasts and daunted and bewildered engineers.