Parsers and Compilers for Dummies. Where to start?

Question

This is a good listing, but what is the best one for a complete newb in this area. One for someone coming from a higher level background (VB6,C#,Java,Python) - not to familiar with C or C++. I'm much more interested in hand-written parsing versus Lex/Yacc at this stage.

If I had just majored in Computer Science instead of Psychology I might have taken a class on this in college. Oh well.

Answer 1

If you're a complete n00b, the most accessible resource (in both senses of the term) is probably Jack Crenshaw's tutorial. It's nowhere near comprehensive but for getting started, I can't think of anything close except for books that are long out of print.