Understanding Programming Languages

“This book is much more than a textbook … . Overall, the book is very well written and organised. … this book is a very good tour of the history and development of mainstream programming languages from a formal methods perspective. It is both technically sound and a well-structured narrative. I would consider this a must-read for anyone in the discipline of formal methods.” (Andrew Butterfield, Formal Aspects of Computing, Vol. 34 (3-4), November, 2022)

“One of the great strengths of this book … is the continual reference to the research culture, both contemporary and historical. There are voluminous references, copious footnotes and a light-touch set of asides on the history of ideas in this field which I think will strongly motivate the best students to read and fully engage with the topic,and to understand that there are open questions and opportunities to make their own future contributions.” (Adrian Johnstone, bcs.org, July, 2021)

“This well-written textbook focuses on a precise description of programming language semantics in a relatively easily understood manner, utilizing a notation derived from a subset of the Vienna development method (VDM). … The author developed both the formalism and textbook over an extended period, using ten years of classes to refine the content. The resultant book is easy to read, well organized, and appropriate for an upper-level undergraduate or graduate class.” (Michael Oudshoorn, Computing Reviews, June 29, 2021)