Rating: 
Summary: Good info, numerous typos / code errors
Review: I've been building a PIC project for three days, and after the umpteenth time looking at code in the book and realizing it can't possibly work I decided to spend the time to tell everyone interested that you can't really trust the code in the book. Its often correct, but far too often not. There is no master summary list of PIC instructions - a GLARING omission (I found one via google and printed it). I went to the author's site and McGraw-Hill's site and can't find a list of errata (which would be very long! :) It is somewhat disorganized I wound up having to flip around to get all the info on how to write interrupt routines, and now I'm doing it again for serial i/o (code for one type one place; another type another place; PIC hardware info another place; PC hardware info yet another place). While its faster to flip around a book than flip around the web via google searches, I certainly expected better. Another round of serious, competent copyediting/checking would be a very welcome improvement, as well as some reorg to have complete "framework" examples for things like serial i/o, interrupts, etc.All this said, I'm still glad I have the book, tho it has caused some frustrating moments in the last 3 days that could have been avoided with a bit more attention on the author / mcgraw-hill's part.
Rating: 
Summary: Bob LeDoux
Review: Myke offers a great deal in this volume. For anyone who wants to make the quantum leap from the "Easy Pic'N" type books to a much deeper text, this is the text to use. He has gone out of his way to ensure success for people who put together the El Cheapo programmer based on the printed circuit board included with the text. The material on the CD will take any reader through the process to a successful conclusion. Having said that, I have to agree with other reviewers, that the proof reading of this text leaves much to be desired. Typos abound, and inconsistencies are common. For example, the El Cheapo schematic on page 601 shows resistors R3 and R4 to be 1K ohm units. But on the following page, 602, the parts list incorrectly shows them to be 1 ohm units. In numerous areas, the text is repeated. A paragraph or section of a paragraph will be repeated word for word a page or two later. Chapter 3 covers Processor Architecture. This material should be reviewed and rewritten in a more readable style. In spite of my reservations, I still think very highly of the text. Myke has put together a great deal of material. For the serious student, this is a good place to spend your money. Just expect your study to include careful review to ensure inconsistencies have been sorted out, at least in your own mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Concise
Review: This book was a great ivestment for me. Not only does it have all of the information I need for my experiments but "side" information as well. This book was to-the-point and as my title says, was concise and well thought out. I complement Mr. Predko on his mastery of all things semiconductor.
Rating:
Summary: A vast cornucopia of ideas and info on PICS
Review: I have been using the book for the last 7 months , pretty much as my sole reference . It comes with a CD_ROM and circuit board for a PIC programmer , which makes it a great value . Myke usually goes out of his way , in his writing , to explain things in several different ways to ensure clarity . As a beginner , I found I could immediately start writing small usefull programs . I am now creating a fairly complex project for work . Although I still consider myself pretty much a beginner , I would highly recommend this book for experts and beginners alike . Both beginning and advanced topics are presented here , along with a wealth of valuable experience . 5 stars !
Rating: 
Summary: Great content marred by bad organization and writing
Review: Myke Predko has a thorough knowledge of electronics, computers, and programming, so he is more than qualified to teach others the tools and tricks he has learned and developed over the years. Unfortunately, his conversational style does not work here because this complex material is not presented in a well organized fashion. Myke, for the third edition please collaborate with a writer or two; and a proofreader.
Rating: 
Summary: Great effort but poor, poor editing
Review: I'm only on page 45 but I felt I had to get this off my chest. It is EXTREMELY frustrating to read this book because of the bad grammar and the typos. I can't believe this is a publication by McGraw-Hill. Have they fired all their copy editors? Is this some kind of a joke?!? Too bad it will probably end up in the garbage where it belongs, because there are probably some interesting technical tidbits in there somewhere. I'm completely appalled and taken aback with this. I can't believe I spent money for 1,200 pages of scrap paper.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Content, Poorly Edited.
Review: Myke's complete grasp of the PIC Micro is readily seen in this book. He covers all aspects of using these chips in your embedded designs, from interfacing hardware and writing software in both assembly and upper level languages to the inner workings of these microcontrollers. However be prepared to read many paragraphs several times in order to grasp what he is saying as the editors did not help with Myke's English.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the best PIC book I've read
Review: This book has been a great asset to my collection, it is filled with great (and useful) projects to teach you about the PIC, and it is written in a clear fashion. There are a few errors in the book, but this should not be a problem to the careful reader. I have read other books about the PIC, but this is the first one that has been able to put all the pieces together for me. The CDROM included in the book is great, as well. Packed full of information. I recommend this book for anyone who uses the PIC, it is a great teacher for the novice, and a great reference for the pro.
Rating:
Summary: Mind Numbingly Technical
Review: It's a great book, no question. But Predko gets so bogged down in technical minutia that it's incredibly frustrating for beginners with little or no knowledge of the PIC and Assembly Language programming. It does include a programmer and tons of software along with some primers in basic electronics and programming theory, but it all suffers from hyper technical jargon and glosses over topics useful to beginners with this preconceived notion that you already know these things, so why waste time here? Ironically enough, Predko's claim that complaints about the First Edition being overly technical was his inspiration to write the second. Amazing, I can only imagine what the First Edition looked like. I don't mean to be completely negative though, it's a great book with a lot of added value (via the programmer and software) It definitely has a place on your bookshelf if you're interested in PIC programming and has a great collection of experiments, including ultrasonic range finding that are just enthralling. The best. Buy it, but if you are a beginner plan on going though it after you have read a more basic introduction to the PIC and Assembly. IMO, that's the only way a beginner will truly appreciate this book.
Rating:
Summary: the most complete PIC book
Review: This is the most complete PICMICRO book of all. It takes you from know nothing or little to know probably more than you need to. The projects have come in handy. The project where a 16F877 is used with the parallel bus (ISA) was almost instantly applied at work. And Myke Predko does respond to your e-mail questions and comments (usually promptly).
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