Choice Review

An introductory textbook designed for hands-on use with any version (1.0 - 3.0) of the Turbo PASCAL compiler and an IBM PC or compatible computer. The focus of the book, however, is on the basic concepts of programming in Standard PASCAL rather than on the advanced features of the various versions of Turbo PASCAL. Carroll, an industry-computer consultant, presents the fundamentals of PASCAL in a logical order using short programs as examples of the concepts presented. He requires nothing of the reader except access to an IBM PC or compatible computer with a Turbo compiler. The book comes with a disk containing the source code for the programming examples and a compiler that is a limited form of version 1.0 of Turbo PASCAL; however, it can be used with higher versions. The format is excellent; the diagrams and pictures are well selected; the index is short but useful; and the two-page bibliography lists a number of oustanding reference books and programming texts on PASCAL. The soft binding appears to be sturdy. No exercises. Carroll's work is more useful for a short reference and introductory self-study than the usual programming texts on PASCAL, e.g., Elliot B. Koffman's Problem Solving and Structured Programming in PASCAL (2nd ed., 1985; 1st ed., CH, Jul '82). Strongly recommended for academic libraries.-M.I. Frye, Northern Michigan University