Let me start by highlighting that this is an even smaller book than might be suggested by the page count. The appendices start on page 111 and those are almost entirely source code that add nothing by being printed - they should have been on a CD. Having said that let me look at what is left. The authors intent seems to be to walk the reader through a number of very simple design problems and illustrate how patterns can help. I think the sub-title- Using Patterns for Enterprise Development- is grandiose to the point of deception. This is a simple little book that may help relatively inexperienced readers to get some understanding of what patterns are and how they can help. Unlike one of the reviewers on

www.amazon.co.uk

, I cannot agree that the price is cheap, even in comparison with other books on programming. Yes the author writes clearly and has produced a good introduction to the idea and gives examples in several languages but£22-99 is not cheap, and even the discounted price of£18-99 is rather expensive for a 110 page introduction padded out with 60 extra pages of source code. Pearson Educational really must address its pricing policy.