I remember doing MIPS assembler in the computer hardware class in college. We used the book "Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface" (aka "Patterson and Hennessy") [1]. At the time it was an enlightening experience because until then I hadn't fully internalized how computers were implemented at the hardware level.<p>[1] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Organization-Design-Fifth-Architecture/dp/0124077269/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Organization-Design-Fifth-Arc...</a>
Another fantastic MIPS resource is a book by David and Sarah Harris' book "Digital Design and Computer Architecture".<p>It is a great book that covers digital logic, computer architecture, HDL design (both Verilog and VHDL) and the MIPS architecture.<p><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Design-Computer-Architecture-Harris/dp/0123944244/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Design-Computer-Architecture...</a>