Ada 95 Rationale: The Language, The Standard Libraries
ed. by John Barnes
The Rationale is a good introduction to the purpose and use of the new mechanisms introduced by Ada 95, with many helpful examples; however, it is not an adequate introduction to the language as a whole. An excellent companion to the Ada 95 reference manual and language standard, it explains clearly the rationale behind most of Ada's new features. Ideal for study in parallel with the reference manual, it is of value for all serious users of Ada. For lasting value, this book is printed on acid-free paper. (544 pages, 1997)
See also: Ada Home book review (July 1997) and DocAda
Prices & orders: softcover ** ($49.95)

Winter 1996-97 Spotlight
Ada 95: The Craft of Object-Oriented Programming
by John English
This book introduces Ada-as-a-first-language, using an example-driven approach that gradually develops small programs into large case studies. Even for one who already knows Ada, it is a pleasure to read, especially as it emphasizes an object-oriented perspective on the development of Ada applications. The reader is quickly introduced to "high-level" mechanisms, such as exception handling and the hierarchical library (interestingly, the author systematically creates his examples in a namespace hierarchy rooted at a package aptly named "JE"). The book is very well-written and appropriately stresses many software engineering concerns throughout the 20 chapters; for instance, maintenance scenarios are used to underscore the essential design choices faced at various stages of development. Four annexes summarize the syntax of the language and essential predefined entities. Tasking is described, but not in detail. (486 pages, 1996)
See also: Ada 95 book reviews
Prices & orders: softcover ** ($38.80)

Ada 95: Problem Solving and Program Design
by Michael Feldman and Elliot Koffman
The first parts of the book cover traditional CS1 topics, while the last chapters cover language mechanisms necessary to a course in algorithms and data structures. The book contains many examples, available in electronic format on the Internet. It is now shipping with a CD-ROM containing a special version of the Aonix ObjectAda compiler for Windows (useable for student projects). (814 pages,1996)
See also: Ada 95 book reviews
Prices & orders: paperback+cd-rom *** ($50.52)

Ada from the Beginning, 3/e
by Jan Skansholm
This is a very good introduction to Ada 95. The structure of the text is logical and easy to follow, and the presentation of object-based and object-oriented programming is excellent. Assumes no previous knowledge of programming techniques. The author has managed both to teach fundamental principles of good programming and to provide an accessible introduction to Ada. Tasking is not covered. The 3rd edition fully takes into account the Ada 95 standard. (655 pages, 1997)
See also: Ada 95 book reviews
Prices & orders: softcover ** ($39.80)

Ada 95 for C and C++ Programmers
by Simon Johnston
This excellent book will provide the skills and motivation needed by professional C and/or C++ programmers who are interested in learning about Ada 95 and who want a quick conversion path. This book shows everything needed to program in Ada 95, taking into account not only differences in syntax but also conceptual differences in how the languages solve a variety of software problems. Johnston helps C and C++ programmers to understand Ada 95 and shows where it will benefit them as software engineers. The correspondences between C/C++ idioms and Ada 95 ones are described, and many advantages of Ada 95 are underscored. Both the core language and the annexes are presented. Built around a case study, the text is filled with practical advice and real-life examples that will appeal to the serious programmer. Includes a CD-ROM containing examples of the code used in the text, excerpts from the text in HTML, and a special version of the Aonix ObjectAda compiler for Windows NT/95. (364 pages, 1997)
See also: Ada 95 book reviews and online Ada 95 guide for C/C++ programmers
Prices & orders: softcover ** ($39.76)

Ada 95: The Lovelace Tutorial
by David A. Wheeler
This book, based on a very successful world-wide web tutorial, introduces the basic elements of Ada 95 to those who already know another programming language (e.g. Pascal, C, C++, Fortran, or Basic). It is divided into a large number of small sections (most of which end in a question) to improve understanding. (292 pages, 1997)
See also: Ada 95 book reviews and the online Lovelace tutorial
Prices & orders: hardcover ** ($49.95)

Ada: A Developmental Approach, 2/e
by Fintan Culwin
This book, intended for novice programmers as an introduction to software development, has a major virtue: it stresses the importance of design and does not pretend that software engineering issues can be ignored while one is learning to create programs. The book covers most major issues of software development: modularity, component-based programming, levels of abstractions, ADTs, design tools (Booch and JSP), user interface aspects, white/black box testing, debugging, documentation, object-oriented programming, programming by contract and formal specifications, and metrics. Simultaneously, the reader is introduced to the mechanisms of Ada 95, thus learning in context about program structure, selection, iteration, and recursion; data types, structures, and files; algorithms and complexity; polymorphism, heterogeneous data structures, and generics.

Due to the number of topics found in the book, the software engineering issues are not dealt with in details, but the novice programmer will be armed with a general understanding of what skills he needs to master in order to become a professional software developer. There are five section, with a total of 34 chapters. A few exercises are proposed at the end of the chapters; no solutions are provided in the book. Concurrency is not covered.

Unfortunately there are distracting typographical errors in the text, WWW resources are often inaccurately cited, and formatting of the code examples is awkward --which can make them difficult to read. The LAW project (Learning Ada on the Web) contains a collection of resources directly supporting the book, including a draft of the complete text, the source code and more. (778 pages, 1997)
See also: Ada 95 book reviews and The LAW Project
Prices & orders: softcover ** ($48.00)