Browse all books

Books published by publisher No Starch Press, 2009

  • Learn to Program with Minecraft: Transform Your World with the Power of Python

    Craig Richardson

    eBook (No Starch Press, Dec. 1, 2015)
    You’ve bested creepers, traveled deep into caves, and maybe even gone to The End and back—but have you ever transformed a sword into a magic wand? Built a palace in the blink of an eye? Designed your own color-changing disco dance floor?In Learn to Program with Minecraft®, you’ll do all this and more with the power of Python, a free language used by millions of professional and first-time programmers!Begin with some short, simple Python lessons and then use your new skills to modify Minecraft to produce instant and totally awesome results. Learn how to customize Minecraft to make mini-games, duplicate entire buildings, and turn boring blocks into gold.You’ll also write programs that:–Take you on an automated teleportation tour around your Minecraft world–Build massive monuments, pyramids, forests, and more in a snap!–Make secret passageways that open when you activate a hidden switch–Create a spooky ghost town that vanishes and reappears elsewhere–Show exactly where to dig for rare blocks–Cast a spell so that a cascade of flowers (or dynamite if you’re daring!) follows your every move–Make mischief with dastardly lava traps and watery curses that cause huge floodsWhether you’re a Minecraft megafan or a newbie, you’ll see Minecraft in a whole new light while learning the basics of programming. Sure, you could spend all day mining for precious resources or building your mansion by hand, but with the power of Python, those days are over!Requires: Windows 7 or later; OS X 10.10 or later; or a Raspberry Pi. Uses Python 3
  • Beautiful LEGO 3: Wild!

    Mike Doyle

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Sept. 1, 2015)
    Scenes from nature spring to life in Mike Doyle's latest curated collection of LEGO art, Beautiful LEGO: Wild! From botanical marvels to adorable critters—such as a sea otter family made from 3,500 LEGO pieces—every page is sure to delight the artist and naturalist in all of us.Interviews with LEGO masters from around the world give you a glimpse into the inspiration behind these incredible works of art. Discover amazing landscapes, insects, mythical creatures, and more, all within the enchanting pages of Beautiful LEGO: Wild!
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  • Mission Python: Code a Space Adventure Game!

    Sean McManus

    eBook (No Starch Press, Oct. 16, 2018)
    Program a graphical adventure game in this hands-on, beginner-friendly introduction to coding in the Python language.Launch into coding with Mission Python, a space-themed guide to building a complete computer game in Python. You'll learn programming fundamentals like loops, strings, and lists as you build Escape!, an exciting game with a map to explore, items to collect, and tricky logic puzzles to solve. As you work through the book, you'll build exercises and mini-projects, like making a spacewalk simulator and creating an astronaut's safety checklist that will put your new Python skills to the test. You'll learn how to use Pygame Zero, a free resource that lets you add graphics and sound effects to your creations, and you'll get useful game-making tips, such as how to design fun puzzles and intriguing maps. Before you know it, you'll have a working, awesome game to stump your friends with (and some nifty coding skills, too!). You can follow this book using a Raspberry Pi or a Microsoft Windows PC, and the 3D graphics and sound effects you need are provided as a download.
  • The Incredible Plate Tectonics Comic: The Adventures of Geo, Vol. 1

    Kanani K. M. Lee, Adam Wallenta

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Sept. 14, 2014)
    The Incredible Plate Tectonics Comic is a wild adventure in earth science. Follow Geo and his robot dog, Rocky, as they travel back in time to Pangea, surf a tsunami, and escape an erupting volcano—all in time for Geo’s first-period science test!The journey starts 200 million years ago and takes you to modern-day Hawai’i, the ocean floor, and deep inside the Earth.You’ll learn:–How scientists developed the theory of plate tectonics–Why the Earth shakes–What’s in the center of the Earth–How volcanoes can form islandsThe Incredible Plate Tectonics Comic will teach you about geology in a fun, lively, and visual way.Ages 8+. Recommended for grade 6 and up
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  • Learn to Program with Scratch: A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math

    Majed Marji

    eBook (No Starch Press, Feb. 14, 2014)
    Scratch is a fun, free, beginner-friendly programming environment where you connect blocks of code to build programs. While most famously used to introduce kids to programming, Scratch can make computer science approachable for people of any age. Rather than type countless lines of code in a cryptic programming language, why not use colorful command blocks and cartoon sprites to create powerful scripts?In Learn to Program with Scratch, author Majed Marji uses Scratch to explain the concepts essential to solving real-world programming problems. The labeled, color-coded blocks plainly show each logical step in a given script, and with a single click, you can even test any part of your script to check your logic. You'll learn how to:–Harness the power of repeat loops and recursion–Use if/else statements and logical operators to make decisions–Store data in variables and lists to use later in your program–Read, store, and manipulate user input–Implement key computer science algorithms like a linear search and bubble sortHands-on projects will challenge you to create an Ohm's law simulator, draw intricate patterns, program sprites to mimic line-following robots, create arcade-style games, and more! Each chapter is packed with detailed explanations, annotated illustrations, guided examples, lots of color, and plenty of exercises to help the lessons stick. Learn to Program with Scratch is the perfect place to start your computer science journey, painlessly.Uses Scratch 2
  • The LEGO Adventure Book, Vol. 3: Robots, Planes, Cities & More!

    Megan H. Rothrock

    Hardcover (No Starch Press, Sept. 15, 2015)
    In this volume of the LEGO Adventure Book series, Megs and Brickbot face their toughest challenge yet. The Destructor is on the loose again, demolishing LEGO models and shaking things up! Join Megs as she rebuilds the models and meets some of the world’s best builders. Learn to create a Renaissance house, a classic movie theater, sushi, Miniland-scale marvels, an ice cream truck, street lamps, and even a chicken coop. With 40 step-by-step breakdowns and nearly 150 example models, The LEGO Adventure Book will surely inspire you and keep you building!
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  • Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture

    Jon Stokes

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Dec. 1, 2006)
    Computers perform countless tasks ranging from the business critical to the recreational, but regardless of how differently they may look and behave, they're all amazingly similar in basic function. Once you understand how the microprocessor—or central processing unit (CPU)—works, you'll have a firm grasp of the fundamental concepts at the heart of all modern computing.Inside the Machine, from the co-founder of the highly respected Ars Technica website, explains how microprocessors operate—what they do and how they do it. The book uses analogies, full-color diagrams, and clear language to convey the ideas that form the basis of modern computing. After discussing computers in the abstract, the book examines specific microprocessors from Intel, IBM, and Motorola, from the original models up through today's leading processors. It contains the most comprehensive and up-to-date information available (online or in print) on Intel’s latest processors: the Pentium M, Core, and Core 2 Duo. Inside the Machine also explains technology terms and concepts that readers often hear but may not fully understand, such as "pipelining," "L1 cache," "main memory," "superscalar processing," and "out-of-order execution."Includes discussion of:–Parts of the computer and microprocessor–Programming fundamentals (arithmetic instructions, memory accesses, control flow instructions, and data types)–Intermediate and advanced microprocessor concepts (branch prediction and speculative execution)–Intermediate and advanced computing concepts (instruction set architectures, RISC and CISC, the memory hierarchy, and encoding and decoding machine language instructions)–64-bit computing vs. 32-bit computing–Caching and performanceInside the Machine is perfect for students of science and engineering, IT and business professionals, and the growing community of hardware tinkerers who like to dig into the guts of their machines.
  • The Manga Guide to the Universe

    Kenji Ishikawa, Kiyoshi Kawabata, Yutaka Hiiragi, Verte Corp Verte

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Aug. 1, 2011)
    Join Kanna, Kanta, Yamane, and Gloria in The Manga Guide to the Universe as they explore our solar system, the Milky Way, and faraway galaxies in search of the universe's greatest mysteries: dark matter, cosmic expansion, and the Big Bang itself. As you rocket across the night sky, you'll become acquainted with modern astronomy and astrophysics, as well as the classical discoveries and theories on which they're built. You'll even learn why some scientists believe finding extraterrestrial life is inevitable! You'll also learn about: Discoveries made by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Hubble, and other seminal astronomers Theories of the universe's origins, evolution, and geometry The ways you can measure and observe heavenly bodies with different telescopes, and how astronomers calculate distances in space Stellar classifications and how the temperature, size, and magnitude of a star are related Cosmic background radiation, what the WMAP satellite discovered, and scientists' predictions for the future of the universe So dust off your flight suit and take a fantastic voyage through the cosmos in The Manga Guide to the Universe.
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  • The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Volume 2: Cars and Contraptions

    Yoshihito Isogawa

    eBook (No Starch Press, Oct. 1, 2015)
    This second volume of The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Cars and Contraptions, showcases small projects to build with LEGO Technic gears, motors, gadgets, and other moving elements. You’ll find hundreds of clever, buildable mechanisms, each one demonstrating a key building technique or mechanical principle.You’ll learn to build four-wheel drive cars, adorable walking ‘bots, steerable tanks, robotic inchworms, and cars that can follow the edge of a table!Each model includes a list of required parts and colorful photographs that guide you through the build without the need for step-by-step instructions. As you build, you’ll explore the principles of gear systems, power translation, differentials, suspensions, and more.
  • The LEGO BOOST Idea Book: 95 Simple Robots and Hints for Making More!

    Yoshihito Isogawa

    eBook (No Starch Press, Sept. 25, 2018)
    The LEGO® BOOST® Idea Book contains dozens of ideas for building simple robots with the LEGO BOOST set.The LEGO® BOOST® Idea Book explores 95 creative ways to build simple robots with the LEGO BOOST set. Each model includes a parts list, minimal text, screenshots of programs, and colorful photographs from multiple angles so you can re-create it without step-by-step instructions.You'll learn to build robots that can walk and crawl, shoot and grab objects, and even draw using a pen! Each model demonstrates handy mechanical principles that you can use to come up with your own creations.Models come with building hints and ideas for putting your own spin on things. Best of all, every part you need to build these models comes in the LEGO BOOST Creative Toolbox (set #17101).
  • The Computer Science Activity Book: 24 Pen-and-Paper Projects to Explore the Wonderful World of Coding

    Christine Liu, Tera Johnson

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Nov. 13, 2018)
    A hands-on introduction to computer science concepts for non-technical readers. Activities include word searches, mazes, "Find the Bug!" hunts, matching games, "Color by Boolean" (a twist on the classic Paint by Numbers), and more.The Computer Science Activity Book is the perfect companion for curious youngsters -- or grown-ups who think they'll never understand some of the basics of how computers work. Work through this brief, coloring book-like collection of fun and innovative hands-on exercises and learn some basic programming concepts and computer terminology that form the foundation of a STEM education. You'll learn a bit about historical figures like Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, and Alan Turing; how computers store data and run programs; and how the parts of a computer work together (like the hard drive, RAM, and CPU). Draw a garden of flowers using loops, create creatures with conditional statements, and just have a bit of fun.
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  • The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox

    Evan Amos

    language (No Starch Press, Nov. 6, 2018)
    The Game Console is a tour through the evolution of video game hardware, with gorgeous full-color photos of 86 consoles. You’ll start your journey with legendary consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Commodore 64. The visual nostalgia trip continues with systems from the 1990s and 2000s, and ends on modern consoles like the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.Throughout the book, you’ll also discover many consoles you never knew existed, and even find a rare peek at the hardware inside several of history’s most iconic video game systems.