Rating:  - It's about time.
I'm a HUGE fan of "How stuff works" kinda books. This is THE book I have been looking for. It's written in such an interesting way. Personally, I feel pictures and diagrams are ESSENTIAL to understanding something thoroughly, and this book delivers and executes on that matter. If you are a visual, hands-on kinda person, then chose this book over others. It's second only to a real hands-on experience and live teacher.
Rating: - Great book for beginners - High Level Overviews
I use this book whenever I am explaining to a class a general overview of computer technology. The artwork and graphics are a fantastic talk point to depict how things are working inside the machine.
Secondly, the terminology is accurate and well organized / defined.
I'm a big fan of "For Dummies" books when giving someone a first pass of any topic. These are just a step up in complexity, in my opinion.
Rating: - Make your own call
Rather than add to endless "This sucks!" "No it doesn't!" arguments, my review is simple - if you need an understanding of how computers work, give this book a try. THEN, and only then, make your own decision. Other people's opinions are great, but only you can determine a book's worth to you.
Rating:  - Rife with typos, but helpful for a general understanding
(My copy did not come with a CD, so I can only comment on the book itself.)
My edition (Ninth Edition) was clearly assembled and edited in a hurry. A couple of quick examples: the diagram on p. 12 shows a computer with numbered parts, and the accompanying text refers to the numbers and describes the respective parts. The diagram in my book has no #6 -- the text is there, but unless you already know where the part is, it's not helpful. Other little typos include the following text from p. 26: "See how a transistor works, p. XXX" (They forgot to replace the XXX with the actual page number).
Neither of these errors is a deal-breaker, of course, but it makes me wonder if I am unwittingly being misinformed by other typos. Much of the book, though -- because of the illustrations and simply worded text -- is quite helpful to a beginner.
Having said that, I would not pay full price for this. As I write this review, there is a used edition for $6.99, and that sounds about right.
Rating: - How Computers Work Book Review
If you want to know the ins and outs of how computers work, beginning with the foundation, this is the book for you!
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