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Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series

The Unified Modeling Language User Guide

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The "Unified Modeling Language User Guide" is the first of two UML works written by the creators of UML. This book will introduce the core 80% of UML, approaching it in a layered fashion and providing numerous examples of its application. The title is suitable for developers unfamiliar with UML or with modeling in general.

482 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 1998

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About the author

Grady Booch

35 books62 followers
Grady Booch is an American software engineer, best known for developing the Unified Modeling Language (UML) with Ivar Jacobson and James Rumbaugh. He is recognized internationally for his innovative work in software architecture, software engineering, and collaborative development environments.

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Eric.
108 reviews18 followers
March 15, 2012
UML is just about the driest of all dry topics, even for technical people. It shouldn't really be a surprise that this isn't a real page-turner.

I picked up this book because it was recommended in another book on design patterns and I wanted a deeper understanding of UML. It is a good reference and I'd recommend as such it to anyone who needs to add more formality to a software design process. I particularly like the fact that the author focuses on providing the appropriate level of detail (not too much, not too little) where other UML books seem to treat UML as the Universal Answer To All Design Problems.

The book is very structured and almost all the chapters have the same sub-sections, which would make it more useful as a reference tool. On the other hand there are a couple of chapters (on state machines and state diagrams) which are almost the same and I have to wonder why there are two different chapters.

Overall, I'd say this is a useful reference, but I'll not recommend anyone read it straight through.
Profile Image for Hồ Vinh.
112 reviews12 followers
April 3, 2026
The approach of the book feels a bit outdated. It mostly provides “recipes” for everything, assuming readers will look up the details and variations when needed. Still, it does remind us why modeling matters: you wouldn’t build a house for your family without detailed planning. A model is simply a simplification of reality, focusing on one aspect at a time. We build models so we can better understand the system we’re developing.

For my own use, I treat this book as a reference. I can review the core concepts, see what suits my needs, and look up the specifics when necessary. Regardless of its age, I appreciate the effort that went into writing it.

The book organizes UML into three main kinds of building blocks:
- Things: structural things, behavioral things, grouping things, and annotational things
- Relationships: dependency, association, generalization, realization
- Diagrams: class, object, use case, sequence, collaboration, statechart, activity, component, and deployment diagrams

This structure is still useful today, even if the tooling and practices around UML have evolved.
Profile Image for Jenny.
133 reviews
May 6, 2026
Structural Organization The book is divided into logical parts that complement each other effectively. Each section serves a specific purpose in the overall context of the work. The introduction and the conclusion frame the main content in a traditional way. Look at the table of contents and internal layout via the link. >>> https://script.google.com/macros/s/AK...
Profile Image for Christophe Addinquy.
390 reviews20 followers
September 28, 2013
1er volet de la trilogie UML. Cet ouvrage de bonne facture (couverture rigide, impression bicolore !) présente les différents concepts d'UML, ainsi que les diagrammes associés. Les éléments les plus importants de la notations (tels que les classes) sont partagés en 2 chapitres : Notions de bases et concepts avancés. Lecture agréable, aussi bien par le style que grâce au partitionnement en de nombreux chapitres de taille raisonnable. Ce n'est pas un manuel d'initiation destiné aux néophytes en modélisation. Pour ceux ci, le livre pourra paraître trop complexe du fait de son exhaustivité, dans ce cas un ouvrage tel que celui de Pierre-Alain Muller sera plus approprié.
1 review
May 7, 2010
No es bueno este libro para "aprender" UML. No está muy explicado. Pero es muy bueno como soporte para el trabajo diario :P. Aclarar dudas concretas.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews