A glut of very affordable, yet relevant, books from days of yore--many scanned, some still retained as physical treasures--marks the nascent field of computer s

A glut of very affordable, yet relevant, books from days of yore--many scanned, some still retained as physical treasures--marks the nascent field of computer science. I read and re-read parts of "Principles of Program Design" (1975) and type little C programs from King's "Modern C" (1996). The new wonders may come from familiarity with bare metal, algorithms, and the desire to build the "virtual machine" to solve each problem. It's a slow process. I draw out the boxes and stare blearily at COBOL examples. M.A. Jackson is the invisible guide, silent but for his proclamations. Each (non-UML) schematic logic accompanied by a single anxious thought: Am I doing this right?