title: GNU Make: A Program for Directed Compilation
author: Richard M. Stallman
description: Richard M. Stallman is the founder of the Free Software movement. He has also written the "Emacs Reference Manual" and Using and Porting GNU CC. Roland McGrath is the original author of the GNU Make Program.
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  ![The GNU Make Book](orm_front_cover.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # The GNU Make Book
  
  ### John Graham-Cumming
  
  Published by No Starch Press  
  
  
  
  
  
  # About the Author
  
  John Graham-Cumming is a longtime GNU `make` expert. He wrote the acclaimed
  machine learning–based POPFile email filter and successfully petitioned the
  British government to apologize for its treatment of Alan Turing. He holds a
  doctorate in computer security from Oxford University and works at CloudFlare.
  
  
  
  
  
  # About the Technical Reviewer
  
  Paul Smith has been the Free Software Foundation’s GNU `make` project
  maintainer since 1996. He’s been using and contributing to free software since
  the 1980s and to GNU/Linux since 1993. Professionally, he writes networking
  and database system software. Personally, he enjoys biking and scuba diving
  with his wife and kids.
  
  
  
  
  
  # Preface
  
  I can no longer remember when I first encountered a `make` program, but I
  imagine that, as with many programmers, I was trying to build someone else’s
  software