Basic BASIC: An introduction to computer programming in BASIC language (Hayden c

Basic BASIC: An Introduction to Computer Programming in BASIC Language
by James S. Coan
Hayden Computer Programming Series
Hayden Book Company
1970
Approx. 256 pages

Early introductory programming text devoted to the BASIC programming language, published during the formative years of interactive and time-sharing computing.

James S. Coan’s Basic BASIC was designed to teach programming concepts through the BASIC language, with instruction covering topics such as:

• Writing simple programs

• Loops and lists

• Variables and data

• Program flow

• Mathematical handling

• Problem solving through programming

Published by Hayden as part of its Computer Programming Series, the book reflects the period when BASIC was becoming one of the most important introductory languages for students, educators, hobbyists, and new computer users.

Why It Matters:
BASIC played an enormous role in making computer programming accessible to ordinary users.

Originally developed at Dartmouth in the 1960s, the language was created specifically to make programming easier to learn than the more specialized languages used by professional programmers.

By 1970, books like Basic BASIC were helping introduce a new generation of students to interactive computing and program design—years before BASIC became strongly associated with home computers such as the Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore, and early IBM-compatible systems.

That makes this early Hayden text an interesting artifact from the transition between institutional computing and the personal-computer revolution that followed.

A strong addition for collectors of BASIC programming, early computer education, vintage programming books, time-sharing systems, and pre-microcomputer computing history.