BCPL and C

The primary purpose of this book, a title in the Computer Science Texts series, is to serve as a manual on the two popular system-programming languages BCPL and C. These languages are closely connected, both having descended from another language, never fully implemented, called CPL. The book is not intended as an introductory programming manual but does describe both languages fully, and include a system description of C under UNIX. A few simple programs, chosen to illustrate the major features of the two languages, are provided. There is a syntax for each language in the form of a set of 'railroad' diagrams. The second purpose of the book is to provide material for a study of the genealogy of the languages. To this end it gives a brief overview of CPL and of B, which was the precursor of C.

1. BCPL Structure and Declarations
2. BCPL Expressions and Commands
3. The BCPL Library
4. Programming Examples in BCPL
5. A Brief Look at B
6. C Declarations and Structure
7. C Expressions and Statements
8. The C Library
9. C and UNIX
10. Programming Examples in C

• Appendices
1. Syntax Diagram for BCPL
2. Syntax Diagram for C

If someone (except me) is interested in what BCPL and B (the predecessors to C) looked like, read this. If you're normal, you don't.