Out of the 5 assembly books I own (beginner to advanced), this is one of the better ones. Duntemann's book is EXCELLENT. I read over my copy of Mastering Turbo Assembler and still I wasn't getting it. I read over Using Assembly Language and had the same problem. Too many authors just mention things and leave it at that figuring you already know what they are talking about. This book is not like that. He starts out at the foundation of the computer, at the CPU. He doesn't jump into programming, but rather, explains how computers work, about hex, decimal, how the processor works with code, and so on. It is actually interesting because that's exactly what assembly language is, right down to the metal. Then he takes it one command at a time and explains it very well. His examples are clear and he explains how all of it works. I was having trouble with a couple commands and couldn't find help in several other books. After I read Jeff's book, all those commands made perfect sense. He doesn't teach EVERY assembly language function, but he gives you an EXCELLENT foundation, one that is mandatory to learn assembly. In other books I've owned the authors put stories in there they try to make fit with the lessons, but they never make sense. At the beginning of some chapters, he does the same. His story makes sense, but once you read the following part on assembly, you can put the two together and understand just how things work. A perfect example is how the stack operates. If you are a complete beginner to assembly, someone who hasn't used it in a while, or need a general reference, I couldn't recommend any book more than this. Jeff is truly an excellent teacher. Keep in mind this book covers the 8086/8088 (and briefly the 286-486), so if you plan to move on, you MUST have base knowledge. You can't program the 486 (or such) without knowing the 8086/8088. So don't take that like "oh no, I'll only learn the old stale PC." You have to learn to walk before you can run. Overall, I would recommend this book! to ANYBODY wanting to learn assembly language. It lives up to its name.

The Art of Assembly Language Programming (AoA), Randy Hyde's acclaimed text on assembly language programming, is the most-often recommended book on 80x86 assembly language programming in newsgroups, on web sites, and by word of mouth. Why? Well, here are a few reasons:

• AoA is comprehensive,
• AoA is easy to read and understand,
• AoA has had over 10 years refinement,
• AoA teaches the fundamentals one must know to be considered an assembly language programmer, and
• AoA was written by a recognized expert in x86 assembly language programming.