Okay, If you are right about these mythical AMI-BIOS reference books, then I would buy them tommorrow, and refuse the copy of the source code.
Alternatively I could buy the AMI-BIOS source code, but that is a Bill-Gates trick, and I dont have the sufficient capital.
Better get yourself an IEEE-1275-1994 specification - you'll be amazed how nice the concept is compared to what you know about the official ia32 firmware apis. Look at how easy Linux can communicate with OpenFirmware on Suns or Apples. It has a clear API, is completely enhancable and due to the fcode backend, "binary" drivers are completely CPU independant without recompile. The big chance for complete interoperability and transparency.
Best regards, Stefan