"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" by Charles Petzold does an excellent job of explaining everything (from logic gates to CPU archite

"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" by Charles Petzold does an excellent job of explaining everything (from logic gates to CPU architecture to graphics) to the layperson. If any nontechnical person (my dad, for example :p) asked me how computers worked, I would tell him/her to read this book. Even for a technical reader it's still an enjoyable book. It inspired me to design and make a computer of my own.