Bebop to the Boolean Boogie: An Unconventional Guide to Electronics Fundamentals, Components, and Processes

I have a MSEE, but I found this book to be far more enlightening and useful than any textbook I ever read in college. It teaches you the real basics of electronics without going into complex mathematical equations and theories. It teaches you in a way that is fun with emphasis on the key points that really matter. If you work in the electronic industry, but are non technical or even if you are technical this is a great book that is easy reading. They should write more books like this.

If only all "techies" could write like this! Clear, comprehensive, funny and genuinely both informative and entertaining. There's even a recipe for Seafood Gumbo! The most fun I've had with anything "electronic" since my Dad and I built a crystal radio together back in 1970. I can highly recommend this book for any literate person wanting to know more about such things as Boolean algebra, numbering systems, Karnaugh Maps, multiplexers etc. "Max" Maxfield's other books - Bebop Bytes Back, and Designus Maximus, are great also.

One of the friendliest "textbooks" I've ever encountered, this is a superb introduction to digital logic followed by a description of how that logic is captured in silicon. The many historical sidenotes are fascinating.The very liberal dosage of diagrams has a hand-drawn feel (no doubt due to the casual font) that makes you feel the author is looking over your shoulder explaining them to you.A must for anybody curious about digital electronics who hasn't had any training in the area. I'll bet quite a few who know the subject well will also enjoy the book. And if you like this one, the author has followed it by the even better "Bebop Bytes Back" for those who want to understand (really) how computers work.

Some people are content to use their computer and other electronic devices in the same way they use a VCR: simply put in a tape and press "Play," then turn it off and walk away when they're finished. But the more adventurous among us are interested in learning how these machines really work! Bebop to the Boolean Boogie is a fantastic way to discover everything you ever wanted to know about digital electronics, integrated circuits, boolean algebra, and so forth. It is filled with tons of clearly drawn illustrations which are described in detail, in a language that a beginner to electronics can appreciate. I recently had to take the cover off my VCR to release a video cassette, and there were resistors, capacitors, ICs, and so forth. I wouldn't have been able to identify anything in the open VCR if it hadn't been for Bebop to the Boolean Boogie! I have some electronics books on my reference shelf that I've picked up in the past, like: "Troubleshooting & Repairing PC Drives & Memory Systems" by Bigelow, 1994. But books like that already expect me to know electronics -- Bebop to the Boolean Boogie gives me the foundation needed to read and understand Bigelow's book! Many authors take a lot for granted as far as what the reader already knows. Bebop books, on the other hand, walk the reader step-by-step through some pretty sophisticated concepts, with just the right amount of humor added, so the subject matter isn't too dry. Yet, they also treat each concept thoroughly. Another thing that other books have a tendancy to do is either talk over my head or insult my intelligence. Bebop to the Boolean Boogie has successfully found the middle ground. Complex concepts are explained clearly, without going over my head, or treating me like a dummy. The concepts presented in this book are quite sophisticated, so it is surprising to find explanations which are understandable! Get this book if you are not content to merely "play" your computer or other electronic devices. This book is for the curious among us who want to learn how these machines really work!

Maxfield audaciously attempts to cover the fundamentals ofelectronic theory and components from atoms to large scale integrationand beyond. He manages to pull it off brilliantly. This is a book that anyone interested in the subject can read for pleasure, it is no stuffy textbook, and yet you find that you have received a comprehensive grounding in the subject, almost without realising it. The authors off-beat style and liberal sprinkling of quirky facts keeps your interest while difficult concepts are presented in a way that makes them easy to understand yet manages to cover them in more than sufficient detail There is also a pretty good Seafood Gumbo recipe. The author has a website at http://ro.com/~bebopbb See also Maxfields new book - Bebop Bytes Back (an unconventional guide to computers) at http://ro.com/~bebopbb/bbytesb.htm