[ale] OT -- yard sale gold mine?

[Cade Thacker]

Evening folks,
Today I was yard sale shopping with my older sister
up in Swannee(sp?) georgia, and low and behold one of the houses had a box
of computer books. So I wanted to see what you guys/gals thought of my
bounty for the day...

1) One of the books was "Black Art of 3D Game Programming",
copyright 1995, which sounded familar. I looked on the web and did not see
any newer version. Damage was 50 cents(yeah haw). Is this still a useful
title?  Cover price $49.95

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1571690042/qid=1019362524/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-8836725-2295810

2) For $2.00 I also bought a text book on Electrical Engineering copyright
1961, is this trash, or are the concepts still good? Has EE changed a
bunch since then, I know technology has, but have the underlying concepts
changed? Electricity still hurts if you touch it, right? ;)

This one was especially interesting because the origianal price tag is
still in the book, a whooping $9.95 Fall 1966. Considering what the price
of that book would be today, >$70, I thought that was interesting!


3) Access 97 Developer's Handbook, never know when you are going to need
one of these puppies, cost $.50. Amazon listing this for ~$54. Cover price
(get this!) $59.95!!!!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0782119417/qid=1019363140/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-8836725-2295810


4) And finally, also for $.50, "C with Assembly Language" copyright 1989.
When did ANSI C emerge? If this was geared toward 286, does that make a
big difference, if I am just reading for knowledge? Cover price $29.95.

Considering I did not start coding really until about 1996(I am 25 now),
this may be a really good look at what kind of (hellish) programming you
guys did back in the day!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130109681/qid%3D1019363314/ref%3Dsr_11_0_1/103-8836725-2295810




So all and all 4 books, for $3.50, which if I bought them today would have
cost $50 + $70(at least) + $60 + $30 = $210. not a bad ROI.

Thanks for your comments!!

--cade

On Linux vs Windows
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Remember, amateurs built the Ark, Professionals built the Titanic!
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