Choice Review

This is an excellent and special kind of book that integrates in considerable depth a rich variety of themes from artificial intelligence (AI) and knowledge engineering. After an introduction to the fundamental theory of knowledge systems, Prolog is introduced followed by illustrations of advanced Prolog programming for nontrivial AI applications. The book uses IBM Prolog, with an appendix on this version, but is general enough for use with any Prolog. There is a chapter about expert systems, with details of two shells, Syllog and Plantdoc, and another chapter about natural language processing, combining theory and practical guidance. The book is a sophisticated and illuminating mixture of theory and practice, making it much more than just a theoretical introduction or practical guide. The style is clear and helpful. The book is a must because of the insights it gives into theory as well as into practice, and would be an invaluable reference for introductory undergraduate and graduate courses in artificial intelligence, expert systems, and natural language processing, and for those engaged in independent study.- R. Bharath, Northern Michigan University