Tanenbaum's "Structured Computer Organization" was my intro into the 'levels' of computers. It's quite logical, approaching each level built on the previous.

I've often thought of doing a similar one, stretching from quantum physics through classical physics, electronics, integrated circuits, microcode, machine code, compilers, interpreters, VMs and so on, but I fear that would be about as possible as Knuth's 12-volume series. I hope he has a child to carry on the work :-).

Tanenbaum's Structured Computer Organization was my intro into the 'levels' of computers. It's quite logical, approaching each level built on the previous.

I've often thought of doing a similar one, stretching from quantum physics through classical physics, electronics, integrated circuits, microcode, machine code, compilers, interpreters, VMs and so on, but I fear that would be about as possible as Knuth's 12-volume series. I hope he has a child to carry on the work :-).