from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
daemon book
n.
The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD UNIX Operating System, by
Samuel J. Leffler, Marshall Kirk McKusick, Michael J. Karels, and John
S. Quarterman (Addison-Wesley Publishers, 1989, ISBN 0-201-06196-1);
or The Design and Implementation of the 4.4 BSD Operating System by
Marshall Kirk McKusick, Keith Bostic, Michael J. Karels and John S.
Quarterman (Addison-Wesley Longman, 1996, ISBN 0-201-54979-4) Either
of the standard reference books on the internals of {BSD} Unix. So
called because the covers have a picture depicting a little demon (a
visual play on {daemon}) in sneakers, holding a pitchfork (referring
to one of the characteristic features of Unix, the fork(2) system
call).