TeX and LaTeX References

TeX is a typesetting system that was developed by the computer scientist Donald Knuth of Stanford. To make it easier to use, a very extensive set of TeX macros, known as LaTeX, have been developed. Versions of it are used widely, if not exclusively, for word processing in math and physics. In part, this stems from the ease in which one can type equations. In addition, LaTeX has an interesting philosophy: you design the logical structure of the document, and LaTex handles the physical output. This makes a number of things easier. For instance, if you wish to add a section, you don't have to retype all the other section numbers; LaTeX handles this automatically. Or, if you decide to change the presentation style of equations, you can make the change in one place, rather than equation by equation.

For TeX, let me cite two references. The first one is the classic, while the second one contains information on the huge number of macros and ancillary programs for TeX.

The TeXbook, Donald Knuth, Addison Wesley, 1984, ISBN 0-201-13447-0, paperback 0-201-13448-9

Making TeX Work, Norman Walsh, O'Reilly and Associates, 1994, ISBN 1-56592-051-1.

For LaTex, let me also give two references. The first is the second edition of the classic LaTeX reference. It covers the new version of LaTeX, LaTeX2e. To be honest, I often find its technical appendix to be of more use than the chapters. The second reference is designed as a very detailed companion for the first.

LaTeX, a Document Preparation System, 2nd ed., Leslie Lamport, Addison Wesley, 1994, ISBN 0-201-52983-1

The LaTeX Companion, Michel Gossens, Frank Mittelbach, and Alexander Samarin, Addison-Wesley, 1994, ISBN 0-201-54199-8.

Finally, the following URL is for the "TeX Users Group" (TUG), which offers a wealth of information on TeX and LaTeX.

http://www.tug.org/