REXX Bibliography

This is a somewhat incomplete bibliography of printed and electronic REXX textural materials, for more currently available electronic materials see the main REXX page.

Classic REXX
By Michael F. Cowlishaw
 * A Practical Approach to Programming the Rexx Language
 * aka The REXX Language: A Practical Approach to Programming
 * Publisher: Prentice-Hall 1985
 * Format: Hardcover
 * ISBN 0-13-780735-X

Abstract/introduction available here: A Practical Approach to Programming the Rexx Language


 * The REXX Language - A Practical Approach to Programming
 * Second Edition of the above
 * Format: Softcover
 * Publisher: Prentice-Hall 1990
 * ISBN 0-13-780651-5

Updated version of the above book and pretty much used as a reference to the language.


 * REXX言語入門―プログラミングへの実践的アプローチ
 * aka Rekkusu gengo nyumon: puroguraminguhe no jissenteki apurochi
 * Japanese translation of the first edition of the above book
 * Translators: Yoichi Muraoka and Koji Shibano
 * Publisher: 近代科学社 1987
 * ISBN 4-7649-0136-6


 * Die Programmiersprache REXX
 * German translation of the first edition of the above book
 * Publisher:Hanser 1988
 * ISBN 3-446-15195-8

by Howard Fosdick
 * Rexx Programmer's Reference
 * Publisher: Wrox 2005
 * Format: Paperback, 720 pages
 * ISBN 0-7645-7996-7

This book has now been made available as a free download from the REXX Language Association. Note that although the first seven or so chapters of the book contain a REXX tutorial it is unstructured and while a beginner might be able to learn the language from it, it is less than ideal. An intermediate user will get more from this book than a beginner, unless he has another REXX tutorial to go with it.

By Gabriel F. Gargiulo
 * Mastering OS/2 Rexx
 * Format: Paperback, 430 pages
 * Publisher: Tarquin Publications 1993
 * ISBN 0894354493


 * Mastering OS/2 Rexx (Revised edition)
 * Publisher: Wiley/QED
 * Format: Paperback, 440 pages
 * Date of publication: 16 Feb 1994
 * ISBN 0-471-51901-4

By Gabriel F. Gargiulo
 * REXX with OS/2, TSO & CMS Features
 * Full title:Rexx With OS/2, TSO & CMS Features - Quick Reference Guide (Mainframe Technical Series)
 * Publisher: Mvs Training 1999
 * ISBN 1-892559-03-X

''By William F. Schindler & Esther Schindler
 * Teach Yourself REXX in 21 Days
 * Publisher: Sams, 1994
 * Format: Paperback, 600 pages
 * ISBN 0-672-30529-1

''By William F. Schindler
 * Down to Earth REXX
 * Publisher: Poisoned Pen/Perfect Niche Publishing 2000
 * Format: Paperback, 528 pages
 * ISBN 0-9677590-0-5

"Down to Earth REXX" is an updated version of "Teach Yourself REXX in 21 Days" above.

By Merrill Callaway
 * The REXX Cookbook
 * Full title: The Rexx Cookbook: A Tutorial Guide to the Rexx Language in OS/2 Warp on the IBM Personal Computer
 * Publisher: Whitestone 1995
 * Format: Paperback
 * ISBN 0-9632773-4-0

One of the few OS/2 specific REXX books out there, it appears that the publisher never got a distributors agreement outside of the USA, so only turned up in specialist shops as an expensive import, making it hard to come by and expensive when it shows up on the second hand market.

''By Robert P. O'Hara and David Ross Gomberg
 * Modern Programming Using REXX
 * Publisher: Prentice Hall 1985
 * Format: Hardcover, 194 pages
 * ISBN 0-13-597311-2


 * Modern Programming Using REXX (Revised edition)
 * Publisher: Prentice Hall 1988
 * Format: Paperback, 240 pages
 * ISBN 0-13-597329-5

Updated version of the above

''By Anthony S. Rudd
 * Application Development Using OS/2 REXX
 * Publisher: Wiley/QED 1994
 * Format: Paperback, 416 pages
 * ISBN 0-471-60691-X

''By Anthony S. Rudd
 * Practical Usage of REXX
 * Full title: 'Practical Usage of REXX'' (Ellis Horwood Series in Computers and Their Applications)
 * Publisher: Ellis Horwood Ltd. 1990
 * Format: Hardcover, 204 pages
 * ISBN 0-13-682790-X

Updated version specifically covering mainframe REXX is available as

By Ronny Richardson
 * Writing OS/2 REXX Programs
 * Full title: IBM McGraw-Hill Series: Writing OS/2 REXX Programs
 * Publisher: McGraw-Hill 1994
 * Format: Paperback, 400 pages, came with examples on a floppy.
 * ISBN 0-07-052372-X

By Ronny Richardson
 * Writing VX-REXX Programs
 * Publisher: McGraw-Hill 1994
 * Format: Paperback, 336 pages + CD-ROM
 * ISBN 0-07-911911-5

By Richard K. Goran
 * REXX Reference Summary Handbook
 * Publisher: CFS Nevada 1993
 * Format: Ring-bound
 * ISBN 0-9639854-0-X

Reviews: Carsten Whimster: REXX Reference Summary Handbook Book Review


 * REXX Reference Summary Handbook - Second Edition
 * Publisher: CFS Nevada 1994
 * Format: Paperback
 * ISBN 0-9639854-1-8

Updated version of the above book. The fourth edition of the book is available as a free download, see REXX Reference Summary Handbook.


 * REXX Reference Summary Handbook (3rd edition, for Warp)
 * Publisher: CFS Nevada 1995
 * ISBN 0-9639854-2-6


 * REXX Reference Summary Handbook (4th edition, for Warp 4)
 * Publisher: CFS Nevada 1997
 * ISBN 0-9639854-3-4

By William Mansfield
 * Rexx Language: Special Edition
 * Publisher: Prentice Hall 1990
 * Format: Paperback
 * ISBN 0-13-779067-8

By Hallett German
 * OS/2 2.1 REXX Handbook
 * Full title: OS/2 2.1 REXX Handbook: Basics, Applications and Tips
 * Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold 1993
 * ISBN 0-442-01734-0


 * OS/2 2.1 REXX Handbook (New edition)
 * Publisher: John Wiley & Sons 1995
 * Format: Paperback, 352 pages
 * ISBN 0-471-13132-6

'' By Peter C. Kiesel
 * REXX: Advanced Techniques for Programmers
 * Full title: REXX: Advanced Techniques for Programmers (J. Ranade IBM Series)
 * Publisher: McGraw-Hill 1992
 * Format: Hardcover, 239 pages
 * ISBN 0-07-034600-3

By Charles Daney
 * Programming in REXX
 * Full title:Programming in REXX (J. Ranade IBM Series)
 * Publisher: McGraw-Hill 1990
 * Format: Hardcover: 299 pages
 * ISBN 0-07-015305-1

This books leaves out most system specifics so it is suitable for any "Classic" REXX environment.

By Gabriel Goldberg and Philip H. Smith
 * The Rexx Handbook
 * Full title:The Rexx Handbook (J. Ranade IBM Series)
 * Publisher: McGraw-Hill 1992
 * Format: Hardcover, 646 pages
 * ISBN 0-07-023682-8

By Ilari Rönnberg and Richard Rogers
 * OS/2 REXX: From Bark to Byte
 * Publisher: IBM ITSO 1993
 * Format: Paperback, 358 pages
 * ISBN 0-7384-0572-8
 * IBM Document No.: GG24-4199-00

Available as download from R-5.org

Classic REXX books in German
See also:
 * Wolek: Das Rexx-Buch für OS/2 - Markt & Technik 1996, ISBN 3-87791-785-2
 * Karlheinz Wittemann; Stefan Gerten: REXX unter OS/2 – Hanser 1996, ISBN 3-446-18508-9
 * Gerhard Leibrock: Das REXX-Lexikon: Begriffe, Anweisungen, Funktionen - Oldenbourg 1996, ISBN 3-486-23672-5

Classic REXX papers, articles and presentations

 * Rick McGuire: IBM SAA REXX for OS/2 - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 101 (page 105 in the PDF version)
 * Introduction to the OS/2 1.2EE version of REXX, the published paper contains only the slides shown during the talk and not notes or transcript of the talk


 * Michael F. Cowlishaw: REXX 4.0 - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 1
 * Details the basic outline of the history of REXX and provides some details on REXX 4, which is basically the same level as is included with the OS/2 REXX.


 * Michael F. Cowlishaw: The Design of REXX - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 8-9,1991, page 1
 * Introductinary article rather than a history one as the title might suggest


 * Kevin J. Kearney and Charles Daney: The Astonishment Factor - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 59 (page 62 in the PDF version).
 * Discusses a few plusses and minuses in the OS/2 1.3 version of REXX.


 * Neil Milstead: REXX for UNIX - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 112 (page 116 in the PDF version).
 * Robert P. O'Hara: Why REXX Died (a retrospective) - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 124 (page 128 in the PDF version).
 * The published paper contains only the slides shown during the talk and not notes or transcript of the talk.


 * Mason Kelsey: REXX in three different environments - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 172 (page 176 in the PDF version).
 * Discusses REXX on OS/2 1.2EE, MVS and VM and the differences between them and the different tasks they handle.


 * George Crane: Oracle REXX Interface - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 8-9,1991, page 15
 * Discusses using Pro*REXX with the Oracle Database


 * Charles Daney: Issues in the specification of REXX - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 8-9,1991, page 24 (page 28 in the PDF version).
 * Discusses problems and inconsistencies in the REXX 4 specification Mr Daney found when he was developing Personal REXX


 * Bob Flores: REXXLIB - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 8-9,1991, page 29 (page 33 in the PDF version).
 * Very short (one page) presentation slides to introduce REXXLIB, the paper does not feature notes or transcript of the talk given.


 * Raja Thiagarajan: Six Rules of Thumb for Rexx - 1993 - A collection of tips for OS/2 REXX
 * Cathie Burke Dager: REXX: The Universal Macro and Scripting Language - Feb 1993 - In PDF format - Originally presented at the SHARE 80 conference in San Francisco, California, USA. 1 ~ 5th March 1993
 * Michael F. Cowlishaw: REXX - The Future - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 18-20, 1993, page 8 (page 13 in the PDF version).
 * Charles Daney: REXX Extensions for OS/2 - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 18-20, 1993, page 30 (page 35 in the PDF version)
 * Presentation of the extensions offered in Personal REXX and some of the functions that turned up in Quercus Systems REXLIB


 * Linda Suskind Green: REXX Bits - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 18-20, 1993, page 44 (page 50 in the PDF version)
 * A short historical presentation with some usage statistics and some irrelevant bits


 * Michael Johnson: Design of the Emerging REXX Standard - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 18-20, 1993, page 146 (page 151 in the PDF version)
 * Discusses the ANSI REXX standardisation process


 * VX-REXX
 * Eric Giguère: Watcom VX REXX for OS/2 - published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 18-20, 1993, page 34 (page 40 of PDF)
 * REXX on Android
 * Julian Reindorf: Rexxoid: Running Rexx on Android Systems (2014-12-25) PDF

Object REXX
By Tom Ender
 * Object-oriented Programming with REXX
 * Publisher: John Wiley & Sons 1997
 * Format: Paperback with an accompanying diskette, 272 pages.
 * ISBN 0-471-11844-3

By Ueli Wahli, Trevor Turton, Eddie Griborn & Norio Furukawa
 * Object REXX for OS/2 Warp
 * Publisher: Prentice Hall 1996
 * Format: Paperback, 350 pages
 * ISBN 0-13-273467-2


 * Open Object REXX for Windows NT and Windows 95
 * Object REXX for Windows NT and Windows 95 With OODialog: Windows Dialog Interface - IBM RedBook - (30 December 1996)

See also, but it contains quite a lot of Object REXX info.

Object REXX papers, presentations and articles

 * Simon C. Nash: Object Oriented REXX - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 76 (page 80 in the PDF version).
 * Contains only the slides shown during the talk and not notes or transcript of the talk, but they are interesting as they show an early version of Object REXX.


 * Howard Fosdick; Jon Wolfers System Administration with ooRexx - 2006 - OnLamp.com
 * Howard Fosdick; Jon Wolfers: An Easy Way to Manage SQL Queries - Jan 2008 - BitWise Magazine

Mainframe REXX
By Gabriel F. Gargiulo
 * The REXX Language on TSO
 * Publisher: Gabriel F. Gargiulo 2012
 * Format: Paperback, 210 pages
 * ISBN 1479104779

More info on the book from the author can be ''found here

By Gabriel F. Gargiulo
 * The REXX Language on TSO:REXX Functions
 * Publisher: Gabriel F. Gargiulo 2013
 * Format: Paperback, 124 pages
 * ISBN 1490536078

A companion to the above book, describes available functions on TSO/E REXX.

By Anthony S. Rudd
 * Practical Usage of TSO REXX
 * Full title: Practical Usage of TSO REXX; Third revised edition.
 * Publisher: Springer-Verlag 2000
 * Format: Paperback, 360 pages
 * ISBN 1852332611

Updated version of Practical Usage of MVS REXX below.

By Anthony S. Rudd
 * Practical Usage of MVS REXX
 * Full title: Practical Usage of MVS REXX; Second revised edition.
 * Publisher: Springer-Verlag 1996
 * Format: Paperback, 328 pages
 * ISBN 3540199527

Updated version of Practical Usage of REXX.

By Doug Lowe
 * MVS TSO PART2: Commands, CLIST, and REXX
 * Full title: MVS TSO PART2: Commands, CLIST, and REXX: Commands and Procedures Part 2; 2Rev Ed edition
 * Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates/Murach Books 1991
 * Format: Paperback, 450 pages
 * ISBN 0911625577

More info can be had from the publisher here.

By Barry K. Nirmal
 * REXX Tools and Techniques
 * Full Title: REXX Tools and Techniques:QED IBM Mainframe Series
 * Publisher: Wiley/QED 1993
 * Format: Paperback, 264 pages
 * ISBN 0-471-58559-9

By Barry K. Nirmal
 * Mastering Rexx Execs and Utilities for MVS and Other Systems
 * Full Title: Mastering Rexx Execs and Utilities for MVS and Other Systems:QED IBM Mainframe Series: Second edition
 * Publisher: QED 1992
 * Format: Paperback, 324 pages
 * ISBN 0894354175

IBM Manuals
Note some of these manuals have REXX content but are not REXX manuals per se.
 * VSE/ESA REXX/VSE Reference, SC33-6642
 * VSE/ESA REXX/VSE User's Guide, SC33-6641
 * VSE/ESA System Control Statements, SC33-6613
 * VSE/POWER Administration and Operation, SC33-6633
 * VSE/ESA Guide to System Functions, SC33-6611
 * VSE/ESA Library Guide, GC33-6619
 * VSE/ESA Messages and Codes, SC33-6607
 * VSE/ESA Guide for Solving Problems, SC33-6610
 * VSE/ESA Diagnosis Tools, SC33-6614
 * SAA Common Programming Interface REXX Level 2 Reference, SC24-5549
 * VM/IS: Writing Simple Programs with REXX, SC24-5357
 * Intended for users with little or no experience in computer programming or programming in REXX


 * TSO/E Version 2 REXX/MVS: User's Guide, SC28-1882
 * TSO/E Version 2 Procedures Language MVS/REXX, SC28-1883
 * VM/SP System Product Interpreter: User's Guide, SC24-5238
 * VM/SP System Product Interpreter: Reference, SC24-5239
 * VM/XASP Interpreter: User's Guide, SC23-0375
 * VM/XASP Interpreter: Reference, SC23-0374
 * VM/ESA REXX/VM: User's Guide, SC24-5465
 * VM/ESA REXX/VM: Reference, SC24-5466
 * IBM VSE/Enterprise Systems Architecture REXX/VSE Reference, SC33-6529
 * "For experienced programmers, particularly those who have used a structured high-level language. It lists the REXX messages and describes instructions, functions, debugging aids, and parsing".


 * Systems Application Architecture Common Programming Interface: REXX Level 2 Reference, SC24-5549
 * Describes the SAA REXX interface.


 * IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2
 * IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2: Introducing the Next Step in REXX Programming, G511-1430
 * An introduction to the system for "managers and data processing professionals" to help them evaluate the "IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370" rather than a manual per se. "Provides general information about the features and benefits of the IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 and the system resources required to run it".


 * IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2 User's Guide and Reference, SH19-8160
 * IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX 370 Release 2 Diagnosis Guide, SH19-8179.
 * Intended for system programmers rather than normal end users."It explains how to diagnose suspected errors in the product and how to report them to the appropriate IBM personnel".

All or most of the "IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2" publications listed above were also available on the following CD-ROM's:
 * IBM Online Library MVS Collection CD-ROM, SK2T-0710
 * IBM Online Library MVS Collection CD-ROM, SK2T-2067
 * IBM Online Library MVS Collection CD-ROM, SK2T-0060

Mainframe REXX papers, articles and presentations

 * Walter Pachl: CMS REXX Compiler & Library - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 33.
 * Discusses the background then new CMS REXX Compiler and where and when to deploy it.


 * Keith Watts: I/O and Environment Challenges - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 65 (Page 68 in the PDF version).
 * Discusses problematic issues that face the language when it comes to input/output and interfacing with its environment.


 * Tony Johnson: SLAC use of REXX on VM and VMS - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 132 (Page 136 in the PDF version).
 * Larry Oppenheim: Developing fullscreen REXX applications - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 152 (Page 156 in the PDF version).
 * Mason Kelsey: REXX in three different environments - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users June 11,1990, page 172 (page 176 in the PDF version).
 * Discusses REXX on OS/2 1.2EE, MVS and VM and the differences between them and the different tasks they handle.


 * Gary Brodock: REXX I/O on VM - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 18-20, 1993
 * Eric Giguère & Doug Mulholland: Exploiting VM/CMS REXX With Waterloo C - Published as part of Proceeding of The REXX Symposium for Developer and Users May 18-20, 1993, page 38 (page 43 in the PDF version).

Additional publications

 * For texts relating to REXX/Curses see the main REXX/Curses page.
 * For texts relating to REXX/SQL see the main REXX/SQL page.
 * For texts relating to REXX/DW see the main REXX/DW page.