The Unabridged Pentium 4: IA32 Processor Genealogy (PC System Architecture) Paperback – 26 July 2004

The book quality was good. The CD was missing but everything else is fine. Would have been better if he mentioned the non availability of CD.

This is a unique book, they don't write them like this anymore.I'm an 'old' electronics engineer who started with processors and code back in the late 70's, using the 8080/Z80.Life was simple then (though we didn't know it!). The Intel/AMD/Zilog data books held all the treasures.Now processors are so complex, the datasheets tend to contain only package/register info, with no real clue about what happens internally, or more important, externally.For some time I have pondered questions like:1 What happens on the FSB (Front Side Bus), electrically/timing/protocol.2 How does segmentation really work.3 How do interupts, in their many forms, get routed to the processor4 What is really happening in VM86 mode5 How,in detail,have features eveolved since the 286... and many moreAll the answers are here.Don't throw it at anyone, at 1600 pages (+ 500 on CD) and 7lbs weight, it a mighty tome. The size is partly caused by the page layout, font and often repetative sections. This is not a criticism, sometimes its better to repeat things than have you go searching back to previous sections. The diagrams are profuse, large and detailed.I cannot praise this book enough, congratulations to Tom Shanley and Mindshare. We need an update for the i3/5/7.I actually bought the ebook from Mindshare first, which curiuosly doesn't contain the CD. I was so impressed, I then bought the used book on Amazon for little money, and it contained the CD!!. eBooks are OK for reference but I like to relax with the paper version.If I had to rank my 3 best books, they would be this and Richters 'CLR via C#' and 'Windows via C++'.I've now bought other books by Tom S, PCI/PCI Express/ISA, all excellent.PS: No I don't work for Mindshare, I design embedded systems part time but walk a dog for a living.