Reviewed by Clyf Flynt

Craig Larman's Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design may not be the best book on object-oriented design ever written, but it's the most useful book I've found for the practicing programmer. I've been studying and doing OO analysis and design for 10 years, and I found a new insight or a statement that crystallized my gut-level understanding on almost every page.

Larman explains the theory of object-oriented analysis and design (compared and contrasted to the structured-design methods that most of us are already familiar with). He discusses the mechanics of diagramming systems with UML and he offers the iterative-development process to follow when developing an OO project.

The book uses a very nuts-and-bolts approach to OO design. The text intermingles introducing the concepts of OO analysis and design with a sample OO design for a point-of-sale terminal. There are several tables of items to consider when defining objects and classes during the different phases of developing a project, many short examples of design details, and lots of practical advice.

The book is well-written. Larman expertly treads the fine line between wasted words and being too terse. The text and diagrams complement each other well and make the abstract concepts easy to apply. At over 500 pages, this book delivers a lot of information while still being short enough to comprehend.