The expert judging panel, made up of librarians, academics and working publishers, selected Professor Thimbleby's book, Press On, as winner in the Computer and Information Sciences category.

Press On, published by MIT Press, is the leading book on the problems and solutions of designing interactive systems, including mobile phones and fax machines.

Professor Thimbleby said: "It’s really nice to have the book recognised by the Publishing Awards.

"Press On is in three parts: anybody would enjoy reading the first part, and identify with it where I explore the awful problems we face with computers and complexity every day. The second part is really an introduction to the way computers should be programmed, and any student interested in computing should read that part. Finally, the third part admits the world is a complex place, and humans are central: finding out what people really want to do must take first place.

"And the award must partly be in recognition of all the people who helped me: the book has very nice photographs and illustrations."

The Professional and Scholarly Publishing Awards for Excellence awards are organised by the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers.

For more information about Press On: Principles of Interaction Programming, visit the MIT Press website, and for more information about the Department of Computer Science at Swansea University visit the Department's website.