An Introduction to Programming Using Swift
Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2025 1:55 am
I’ve just released a beta version of a new book I’m working on:
An Introduction to Programming Using Swift.
Because of its size (2,600+ pages) and the fact that the Swift language evolves so rapidly that any printed book would become obsolete almost immediately, I’ve chosen to self-publish this book exclusively in electronic form.
My long-term plan is to make the book available in three formats:
By far, PDF is the preferred format. It has the fewest formatting issues, since I control the layout directly using FrameMaker.
EPUB3 (for example, Apple Books) is a reasonable distribution format, but like HTML compared to PDF, some layout compromises are unavoidable.
AZW3 is the least-preferred format. The Kindle rendering engine is fairly limited, and it’s impossible to tightly control layout and formatting.
That said, I’ve worked hard to ensure that source code listings remain readable—even on smaller devices such as a 7" Kindle Paperwhite—and I’ve done extensive post-processing to clean up the EPUB output produced by FrameMaker (which is, frankly, terrible). Still, unless you absolutely must read the book on a Kindle or another EPUB-only device, you’ll likely find the PDF version the most readable.
For the beta release, I’m providing the book only in PDF and EPUB3 formats. The main reason is that Amazon does not appear to allow free updates to beta products during a beta test period. If you absolutely must read the book on a Kindle, contact me and I can arrange something.
You can learn more about the book here:
https://introtoswift.randallhyde.com
During the beta period, the book is available for $5. Beta testers will be able to download updated versions of the book throughout the beta test period.
An Introduction to Programming Using Swift.
Because of its size (2,600+ pages) and the fact that the Swift language evolves so rapidly that any printed book would become obsolete almost immediately, I’ve chosen to self-publish this book exclusively in electronic form.
My long-term plan is to make the book available in three formats:
- EPUB3 (Apple Books)
- AZW3 (Kindle/Amazon — after the beta period)
By far, PDF is the preferred format. It has the fewest formatting issues, since I control the layout directly using FrameMaker.
EPUB3 (for example, Apple Books) is a reasonable distribution format, but like HTML compared to PDF, some layout compromises are unavoidable.
AZW3 is the least-preferred format. The Kindle rendering engine is fairly limited, and it’s impossible to tightly control layout and formatting.
That said, I’ve worked hard to ensure that source code listings remain readable—even on smaller devices such as a 7" Kindle Paperwhite—and I’ve done extensive post-processing to clean up the EPUB output produced by FrameMaker (which is, frankly, terrible). Still, unless you absolutely must read the book on a Kindle or another EPUB-only device, you’ll likely find the PDF version the most readable.
For the beta release, I’m providing the book only in PDF and EPUB3 formats. The main reason is that Amazon does not appear to allow free updates to beta products during a beta test period. If you absolutely must read the book on a Kindle, contact me and I can arrange something.
You can learn more about the book here:
https://introtoswift.randallhyde.com
During the beta period, the book is available for $5. Beta testers will be able to download updated versions of the book throughout the beta test period.