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Title: The Computer Science and Engineering Handbook by Allen B., Jr. Tucker ISBN: 0-8493-2909-4 Publisher: CRC Press Pub. Date: 21 December, 1996 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $179.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: An exceptional review of core CS material
Comment: I'm using this book to relearn core CS material in preparation for the CS GRE after several years in the industry. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is not a book from which to learn concepts for the first time. If you've never heard of (e.g.) "undecidability", don't get this book intending to learn about it. However, if you know enough to know what you don't know, this book will efficiently fill in the gaps.

The book consists of over 100 chapters covering material across nearly major area of computer science. Each chapter is 20-30 pages long and is geared to someone who has seen the material before but is in need of a review and summary of core terminology and historical context. Someone experienced in one field who wants to be able to read current technical material in another field will also find it useful.

Most of the authors are academics; the remainder are members of major research labs. Some of their chapters, like James Feldman's piece on Digital Logic, are truly extraordinary. Most others range from solid to exceptional. The material isn't just that of concern to traditional academic CS; I was pleasantly surprised to see an entire section (8 chapters worth) on practical software engineering topics (development process and lifecycle models, requirements and specification, design, validation, tools, testing, project management, etc). The material was authored around 1995 or 1996, and nearly all of it is still relevant and as up-to-date as is appropriate for this sort of collection.

One minor weakness is there's no cross-chapter index or glossary. The book is organized as a collection of papers, and each paper includes its own index, bibliography, and glossary. To find material about the web, for instance, you have to hunt through the (excellent) 20-page table of contents for the relevant subsections scattered throughout. This weakness is far from fatal, however. Should the next edition add an index, it will only add value to an already exceptional collection, by making it easier to locate references to material that spans subfields.

Again, highly recommended for targeted learning.

Rating: 3
Summary: Alot of info.....A little unreadable
Comment: There is a wealth of information in this book. Many engineers will enjoy having this reference. However, if you are not in the industry, or still a little low on the mathmatics totem pole. This book will appear to you as though it is written in Greek! It practically is with all of the differential notation. When I am finished with my CSE degree, I will try to read it again. Until then, it will stay on the shelf. Definitely NOT light reading!