Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software cover
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
by Charles Petzold
Description: Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software explains how computers function from the basic building blocks of bits and gates to the operation of the central processing unit in modern devices
ISBN: 0137909101
Found in 4 comments on Hacker News
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WillAdams · 2025-07-16 · Original thread
While not universal, I do recommend Charles Petzold's _Code_:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44882.Code

which covers things down to a quite low-level and was recently updated:

https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softw...

runjake · 2023-07-28 · Original thread
Maybe start by reading the book Code by Charles Petzold.

https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softw...

erichocean · 2023-01-26 · Original thread
This is written for young people, but still accurate: Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softw...

It's got a very slow, methodical onramp with a lot of diagrams and a light, breezy style. You end up building a (very simple) computer in the end, including instruction processing.