Deville presents a methodology for the systematic construction of correct and efficient logic programs from informal specifications. He assumes that the reader has a knowledge of Prolog.

A logic program is produced in three steps: the elaboration of a specification, the construction of a logic description, and the development of a program in a logic programming language. The book is divided into three major parts that deal with these three steps. Part 1 (consisting of chapter 2) deals with the elaboration of a specification. Part 2 (chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6) deals with the construction of a logic description. Part 3 (chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10) deals with the derivation of a correct and efficient logic program from a logic description. Chapter 1 stresses the need for a methodology and points out the differences between Prolog and programming in logic. The methodology is evaluated in chapter 11.

The book is based on the author’s research for the master’s and doctoral degrees. The book contains a large number of exercises (without solutions), an extensive bibliography, and a detailed index. Except for the description of Prolog, the book is self-contained. It can be used as the main textbook or as a supplementary book for courses on logic programming, Prolog programming, or programming methodology.

The book is a valuable contribution. Whereas several books (for example, Gries [1] and Backhouse [2]) address the development of correct and efficient imperative programs from specifications, this book is one of the few to address the derivation of correct and efficient logic programs from specifications (another is Hogger [3]).