First published in 1982, William Tang's Spectrum Machine Language for
the Absolute Beginner is generally considered to be the best
introduction to 8-bit machine code programming ever written. With many
great game writers crediting this as the book that got them started,
there still is no better way to learn the language at the heart of the
ZX Spectrum.
* * *
As the original publisher Melbourne House wrote:
If you are frustrated by the limitations of BASIC and want to write
faster, more powerful, space-saving programs or subroutines, Spectrum
Machine Language for the Absolute Beginner is the book for you.
Even with no previous experience of computer languages, you will be able
to discover the ease and power of the Spectrum's own language. Each
chapter includes specific examples of machine language applications
which can be demonstrated and used on your Spectrum as well as a
self-test questionnaire.
At the end of the book, all this is brought together in an entire
machine language program - from design right through to the complete
listing of an exciting, original arcade game.
* * *
Acorn Books is proud to present its Retro Reproduction Series, a
collection of classic computing works from the 1980s and 90s, lovingly
reproduced in the 21st century. From standards of programming reference
no self-respecting microcomputer programmer would be without, to obscure
works not found in print anywhere else, these modern reprints are
perfect for any connoisseur of retro computing.
