From the Foreword by Susan L. Graham:

This book takes on the challenges of contemporary languages and
architectures, and prepares the reader for the new compiling problems that
will inevitably arise in the future.

The definitive book on advanced compiler design

This comprehensive, up-to-date work examines advanced issues in the design
and implementation of compilers for modern processors. Written for
professionals and graduate students, the book guides readers in designing
and implementing efficient structures for highly optimizing compilers for
real-world languages. Covering advanced issues in fundamental areas of
compiler design, this book discusses a wide array of possible code
optimizations, determining the relative importance of optimizations, and
selecting the most effective methods of implementation.

* Lays the foundation for understanding the major issues of advanced
compiler design

* Treats optimization in-depth

* Uses four case studies of commercial compiling suites to illustrate
different approaches to compiler structure, intermediate-code design, and
optimizationthese include Sun Microsystems's compiler for SPARC, IBM's for
POWER and PowerPC, DEC's for Alpha, and Intel's for Pentium an related
processors

* Presents numerous clearly defined algorithms based on actual cases

* Introduces Informal Compiler Algorithm Notation (ICAN), a language devised
by the author to communicate algorithms effectively to people