Rating: 
Summary: A good book, but lots of errors.
Review: This is a really good book. It is quite long, almost 1200 pages, with several hundred more pages of material on the enclosed CD. The book tackles some pretty large topics like assembly programming, Microchip controller features, development tools, prototyping projects, and more; plus briefly treats related subjects like project management, defining project requirements, etc.The book does seem to have a lot of errors; which is really a shame since the book seems to be targeted to people just getting started with Microchip controllers. The technical editor at McGraw Hill should be fired. Hopefully there will be a third edition with all the errors corrected. But even with the errors, I am glad I bought the book and am looking forward to more books from Mr. Predko.
Rating: 
Summary: Disjoint
Review: This book is crammed with information on "everything"
but it's disjoint. It needs a serious edit and I would not
recommend it. I'd compare this work with Wall and his PERL books. The exception being that Mike isn't obnoxious or
trying to convince us that he's so smart.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing (Is it a test in encryption?)
Review: Being a software developer by trade and having built many projects as an electronics hobbyist, I decided to learn something I hadn't ventured into before - PICs. Browsing this book in the bookstore, it looked extremely well done. The topics seemed to be covered thourougly, organization was fair. But after sitting down to actually use it.... What a disaster of a publishing feat. It seems that nothing except maybe (maybe) the processor architecture taken from the standard Microchip data sheets and product info is correct! The instructions for building the programmer are quite bad - every version of everything is different, the PCB, the CD ROM instructions, the book.... <sigh> After ordering parts and getting it built to what seems to be the correct way - it doesn't work (even though the test points given in the text pass). Email to the author to ask a question about the circuit - no response. I gave up and ordered Newfoundlands' Warp-13 PIC programmer (excellent product, by the way). So then I tried a couple of the projects in the book. Well, guess what, the schematics don't match the software and there are obvious errors in... well, everything. This book reminds me of the Monty Python cheese shop skit - "it will intentionally waste your time". Do yourself a favor and find another book.
Rating:
Summary: A cult classic...?
Review: Other reviews have mentioned the level of detail that this book contains, and the obvious value that such a book has in the rather narrow technical niche of programming microcontrollers. Clearly Myke Predko is knowledgeable on the subject and has made a huge effort to provide a service to his readers. But of all the books I have read in my 53 years, I can honestly say that this is the most poorly edited work I have ever encountered. In fact, I am almost certain that the book was not edited at all. It couldn't have been. The grammar and typos are what you might find in a first draft, when you're trying to simply commit ideas to paper as quickly as possible. I do not think that this is entirely Myke's fault. The publisher is supposed to take care that the final appearance, readability, and accuracy of the book are up to snuff. McGraw-Hill has let its customers down in a big way. If you buy this book, you'll probably get enough good information to make it worthwhile, and you may also be buying what will turn out to be a cult classic: The Most Poorly Edited Book Ever Released by a Major Publisher.
Rating:
Summary: Not Great... Needs work...
Review: OK... This is a book on PIC programming.... So the first piece of code in the book is a "Hello World" program on page 19, WRITTEN in 8088 ASSEMBLER and C. So this is a book on PIC programming. The author did put some PIC code in, on page 25. But I am sure he could have picked something better than the basic code for an interrupt handler in c. This is not how to teach someone to program... I am sure that if you know how to program a PIC then the book makes sense. If not, stay away from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a primer
Review: When you consider the vast majority of microcontroller books, most assume that you have a good background in embedded design - this book was no exception. I can honestly say that there is no such thing as a microcontroller primer. I have only seen an online reference that guides you from microcontroller fundamentals to coding real-time OS'. Just stick to online references. This book is great for professional coders.
Rating:
Summary: A book written in french
Review: If you want to confuse yourself in the text riddled with grammatical errors and typos. I didnt read this 1000 page book from the start to the end as I was irritated by trying to comprehend what the author wants to say. Mike, get a reviewer. Kudos on your design ideas though.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow. What a terrible book.
Review: Who was the editor of this book? I certainly hope that Michael and Myke actually hired an editor and that McGraw-Hill has some sort of prerequisite proofreading requirement before a book is published. The book did hold some useful information, but a lot of it was jargon rather than practical application. The PCB was a neat throw-in but I already had a programmer, so for me it was mostly useless. The book starts out with a super-beginner introduction approach, but then a few chapters later, throws you deep into theory. I was also disappointed by its lack of actual programming information. They seemed to give a lot of code without explaining exactly what was going on in the assembly. Overall, I give it a single star, because I cannot stand reading a poorly written book.
Rating:
Summary: superb, comprehensive, but too many errors
Review: OVERVIEW: This book is a detailed and comprehensive discussion of the three categories of PIC micro MCUs (low-, mid- and high-end). At over 1,000 pages, the book covers the products in (sometimes very technical) detail. It's an excellent resource for microcontroller beginners, as well as those with micro experience but are new to PIC. The book provides excellent descriptions of how the PIC MCUs work, including details about their instruction sets, hardware features, tips for assembly language and macro development, and a slew of interesting experiments and projects. ADD-ONS: The book includes a CD and a PCB (printed circuit board). The CD contains project code, additional information, data sheets, and even an entire chapter (presumably left out of the actual text because it's already quite lengthy) that provides an excellent introduction to electronics. It (the extra chapter) covers all the basics, and segues into PIC-related electronics issues. The chapter, for example, provides an excellent power supply circuit for PIC experimenting. The PCB is for the "El Cheapo" PIC programmer -- you need to purchase the components (which might be difficult to find), and then you can solder them up onto the included PCB and you'll have a working PIC programmer! IMPORTANT: Be sure you check the author's web site BEFORE ordering your parts -- I believe the parts list has been updated since the text was published. REFERENCE QUALITY: The book does not make a good reference -- partly because of the way it's structured. (You'll find yourself flipping pages quite a lot if you intend it as reference material.) It is, however, a quite comprehensive and logically organized as a textbook. As an example, the author goes into the why's and how's of the instruction set, rather than just copying a reference table from the Microchip datasheets. Included in the discussions are things to watch out for, optimization ideas, and tricks of the trade. There are also a good number of code samples, which illustrate techniques the author teaches. The index, contents, Appendices (10!) and supporting material on the CD-ROM are all quite good. ERORS, TYPOES, AND MI$TAKES: Unfortunately there are quite a few errors in the text. Careful readers, though, will catch most of them, -- but they're enough to get you scratching your head in confusion from time to time. If you read critically and experiment as you go, you'll probably do just fine -- just don't bet your job on any one sentence or code snippet. Where there are errors, they're usually typos. They're *not* the types of errors where the author is just dead wrong and thinks he's right. The book could have used a good, qualified technical editor. I like to consider the errors puzzles -- to keep me on my toes. =) TARGET READER: The text can sometimes get confusing, and is targeted at those with at least some technical education (though I'm sure a bright kid could learn from it, too). If you get stuck somewhere, just move on and come back to it later. This is not the kind of book you just read once then store on the bookshelf, and it's not the type you read through without ever turning back, either. COMPARED TO SIMILAR BOOKS: This book wins hands down. Take a look at "Programming and Customizing the AVR" to see what I mean. This text does not simply regurgitate information in the datasheets. It goes into DETAIL. For example, "subwf" isn't explained away as "subtract w from f", instead the text explains why this command is a bit different than others, and how it can be thought of to make more sense. BINDING QUALITY: The book is paperback and is bound in such a way that the pages will not turn and the cover will not swing closed when set flat - a great benefit when following along with experiments. Also, the binding has held up quite nicely and all the pages are held tightly in place, even after being left in a hot car all day. CONCLUSIONS: Four stars only because of the errors and because it's a poor reference. Otherwise, A+ all the way. Highly recommended, indeed. I hope this information is helpful to you.
Rating:
Summary: Love the details, loathe the errors
Review: This book is not for the newbie programmer or someone without experience in electronics. That being said, Myke's book is chock full of details and (mostly) great code snippets that will help the average hobbyist/professional in putting PICmicros to good use. Without prior experience in microcontrollers, but a strong background in electronics and programming, this book was able to get me up to speed very quickly. The down side? Good god, the errors! Please, Myke, I love your book and can see your depth of knowledge in the field, but you and your publisher need to get both a copy editor and a technical editor...IMMEDIATELY! My copy was published in December of 2000, and yet 18 months later neither Mcgraw-Hill nor Myke's website have any more errata than two files that were missing from the included CD. There are several errors in schematics that will guarantee a circuit to malfunction. Likewise there are code errors (most specifically the SIMPRS.ASM experiment - a start bit is a mark or 0, not a space or 1) that will also completely fail to operate as explained. The most damning errors are those that exist in the technical explanations; key explanations are sometimes obscured by horrible grammar and leave the reader scratching their head trying to understand what, exactly, the author was trying to say. Despite my complaints/screed, this book will remain on my shelf, and in fact will surely be as tattered as some of my other favorite references.
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