What's a good book for learning BCPL?

Question

A long time ago, I worked on some BCPL code (very similar to C although even more basic, difficult though that is to imagine).

Now, as part of a compiler course, we're going to be setting assignments for building some of the parts of the compiler (lexical and semantic analysis) and I'd like to know what the community thinks is the best book for learning about the language (and concrete why you think it's the best). Not how to write compilers for it, just on how to program in it. It'll be up to the students themselves to figure out how best to develop a compiler.

We're using BCPL since the chance of people being able to plagiarise code for a compiler is very slim.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

The only book I've ever read (or heard of) on BCPL is BCPL - The Language and its Compiler - see http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4423967.BCPL_The_Language_and_its_Compiler. As its name suggests, there is a lot about the compiler in the book, including the source for an interpreter, if I remember correctly, so there is a source for plagiarism right there! I must say, I think choosing a language for its obscurity is a bizarre idea.