AZM Books
One core assembler manual and two teaching books for working with AZM, the assembler used by the Debug80 environment. Start with the manual when you want the AZM language rules directly. Start with Book 1 when you want a guided introduction to Z80 programming before using the reference.
Introduction
Why assembly language, why AZM, why the Z80 — and what you’ll be able to do after each book.
AZM Book 0 — Assembler Manual
The definitive reference for the AZM assembler format and tooling. Covers AZM syntax, directives, expressions, labels, enums, storage, layout types, register contracts, op declarations, aliases, diagnostics, listings, output formats, ASM80-compatible output, porting, and source style.
This is the direct route into the assembler itself.
AZM Book 1 — Z80 Fundamentals
No prior knowledge assumed. Learn the machine from first principles: memory, registers, instructions, flags, loops, subroutines, I/O, and the AZM features that make assembly practical and safe.
Fourteen chapters from bare machine code through ops, layout types, and register contracts.
AZM Book 2 — Algorithms and Data Structures
For readers who know the Z80 basics. Works through real algorithms — sorting, searching, strings, bit manipulation, recursion, composition, pointer structures — using the full AZM surface as each construct appears naturally.
Ten chapters from foundations to a complete eight-queens capstone.
Appendices
Quick-reference material for the whole series: number systems and ASCII, registers and flags, addressing modes, and a searchable Z80 instruction table.
Mermaid diagrams — These books are Mermaid-ready. All `
`mermaid`` fenced blocks render as live diagrams. Future chapters will use sequence diagrams, flowcharts, and state machines to illustrate hardware flow, algorithm structure, and memory layouts.