Perdita Stevens is a professor at the University of Edinburgh and has taught programming and software engineering in many languages to students ranging from first-year undergraduates to established professional software developers. She previously co-authored Using UML: Software Engineering with Objects and Components (1998) and received a 10-year Most Influential Paper award and a Best Paper award at the MODELS conference in 2017 for her work on bidirectional transformations.
'Perdita Stevens' book How to Write Good Programs provides a wealth of excellent advice tailored to beginning students of programming. It is language-agnostic, well structured, and delivered in an accessible manner. It might as well have the words 'Don't Panic' in large, friendly letters on the cover.' Jeremy Gibbons, University of Oxford 'This is the book I wish had existed during my time at university and at the beginning of my career! It explains fundamental concepts independently of a concrete programming language and contains many practical observations and tips to overcome situations where novice programmers tend to get stuck.' Jennifer Tenzer, Senior Developer 'This is a unique book that feels like a conversation over a coffee with an experienced expert in computer programing. It is full of practical tips, insights, and folklore that will be of great benefit to anyone who wants to learn how to program well.' Professor Tom Ward, University of Leeds