How can I read Hands-On Large Language Models or access its code?

Updated

llm-book.com is the official site for Hands-On Large Language Models, and it gives you two direct routes: a Read the Book! entry point for the text itself, and a GitHub link for the companion code. The page also exposes the Table of Contents, About the Authors, and Reviews, so you can evaluate the book before committing to a full read.

What you can access on the site

Section What it gives you Best for
Read the Book! Entry point to the book content Starting the actual reading
GitHub Companion code repository Running and adapting the examples
Table of Contents Chapter-level structure Checking whether your topic is covered
About the Authors Background on Jay and Maarten Judging the authors' credentials
Reviews Endorsements from named practitioners Deciding whether the book fits your level

How to get to the book and the code

  1. Open llm-book.com.
  2. Use the Read the Book! link to reach the book content.
  3. Use the GitHub link to reach the companion code.
  4. If you are still deciding, scan Table of Contents first, then Reviews, then About the Authors.

Expected result: you either land in the book text, or in the code repository, without needing to search elsewhere.

What the book covers, based on the page

The site's own description and reviews point to these areas:

  • Generative, representational, and retrieval applications of language models (from Nils Reimers' review).
  • Transformer models, tokenizers, semantic search, and RAG (from Luis Serrano's review).
  • Fine-tuning and building your own large language models, reached by the final chapters (from Leland McInnes' review).
  • Over 275 custom-made figures, per the page's own heading text.

Who the reviews suggest it is for

  • Beginners to intermediate practitioners: Luis Serrano describes it as taking readers "from zero to expert," and Leland McInnes notes it "starts with simple introductory beginnings, and steadily builds in scope."
  • People who want working code, not just theory: Andrew Ng highlights that it is "bolstered with working code, timelines, and references to key papers."
  • Readers who prefer visual explanations: multiple reviewers emphasize the diagrams and illustrations.

Common sticking points

  • The site is a hub, not the full text. Expect to follow the Read the Book! link rather than read everything on the landing page.
  • Code lives on GitHub. If you want to run examples, go through the GitHub link; the site itself is not the code host.
  • No pricing or login details are stated on the page. Do not assume the book is free or that no account is needed — check the destination the links take you to.

A quick decision path

  • Want to start reading now → use Read the Book!
  • Want to run the examples → use GitHub
  • Want to check coverage first → read Table of Contents
  • Want to judge quality first → read Reviews and About the Authors