Breeding intended this book as an introductory text on digital design for sophomore engineering students. It is divided into the following chapters:

• Introduction to Digital Systems

• Number Systems

• Boolean and Switching Algebra

• Gates and the Design of Switching Circuits

• Sequential Circuits

• Asynchronous Sequential Circuits

• Pulse-Mode or Multiply Clocked Sequential Circuits

• Special Topics in Switching Theory

• Large-Scale System Design

The basic topics are covered sketchily even for an introductory text. For example, ROM and PLA design methods get three pages and two homework problems (as opposed to an entire chapter in most texts). The only mention of microprogramming and microprocessor-based design is in the preface. The chapters contain few worked-out examples and not enough homework problems, and the author gives no solutions to any of these problems. The chapter on “Special Topics” covers bilateral networks and threshold logic, but the emphasis is on the mathematical background; the material is not related to any practical applications in VLSI design. The book contains none of the usual information about chips, lab experiments, or simulators that would make it usable in a course with a lab component. The chapter on “Large-Scale System Design” presents only two examples, neither of which is really a large-scale system. The index contains only three references to specific integrated circuits, and otherwise consists mainly of cross references to the end-of-chapter bibliographies. These bibliographies do an excellent job of describing other texts on digital design. An appendix provides “An Introduction to IEEE Std. 91–1984.” This book contains some interesting things, including the chapter on “Pulse-Mode Design,” the use of mixed-logic notation, and the section on optimal placement of states in a flow chart. The lack of breadth and of supporting materials makes the book more useful as a reference to present alternative design methods than as a basic text for a digital design course, however. I do not recommend this book for its stated purpose.