If you could go back in time and tell yourself to read a specific book at the beginning of your career as a developer, which book would it be?
I expect this list to be varied and to cover a wide range of things. For me, the book would be Code Complete. After reading that book, I was able to get out of the immediate task mindset and begin to think about the bigger picture, quality and maintainability.
+1 for Code Complete
Also: What books would you recommend for a beginning Software Developer?
I recommend CODE by Charles Petzold. In this age of tools and IDEs that abstract a lot of complexity away from the programmers, this one is an eye opener.
@John, NotMyself
+1 for Brooks' MMM
Its a classic book with many lessons regarding software projects that, though written over 30 years ago, are still relevant today. Brooks' writing style is easy to read and very friendly, and though there are parts where I find myself rolling my eyes at the datedness, there are many more times when I find my self nodding in agreement to the fact that what he is saying is still very relevant.
I personally think Design Patterns by the Gang of Four is a very useful book. It's not about the "meta" aspects of programming like so many of the other suggestions, but it emphasises encapsulating good programming techniques as patterns, and has since encouraged others to come up with new patterns and antipatterns to use in programming dialogue.
Now for a rider....
@kevin, @modesty: Great answers! If I could place a 3-vote like on uservoice, I'd gladly use it here.
To the naysayers who downmodded them, I say: please, grow a sense of humour! :-)
I have a different answer -- I really liked Joel's Best Software Writing I.
Maybe that's just me... but that collection opened my eyes to the "bigger picture" and inspired me to think of my programming as an art/craft.
@Peter Coulton -- you don't read Knuth, you study it.
For me, and my work... Purely Functional Data Structures is great for thinking and developing with functional languages in mind.
The Pragmatic Programmer after 12 months programming (when you can code as easy as you write). Code Complete after ~6 months industry experience.
Code Complete is the number one choice, but I'd also cite Gang of Four's Design Patterns and Craig Larman's Applying UML and Patterns.
The Timeless Way of Building, by Christopher Alexander, is another great one. Even though it's about archtecture, it's included in the bibliography of many great programming books I have already read.
Another one, from which I'm learning lots of new things, is Data Access Patterns, by Clifton Nock.
It depends on exactly what purpose you're aiming for - I like Code Complete for pure programming, and Don't Make Me Think is a great book on UI design.
The Inmates Are Running The Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity, or any of Alan Cooper's books.
Because most programmers produce more WTFs/minute in the user interface than they do in the source code.
I know that Design Patterns by the Gang of Four is a standard text, but rather than try and read that brick of a book start with the easier Head-First Design Patterns, and once you have got your head around the basic principles, progress to the great GoF bible...
Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications by Grady Booch.
@NotMyself,
The Mythical Man Month tells a great story about the common themes of delivering software: what works, what doesn't, etc. It's amazing that the book is 30 years old and is still highly relevant.
The Bible, followed by How to win friends and influence people. Neither are specific to any field but they are the two books that have had the biggest (good) impact on my life.
I can't believe no one's mentioned Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP). It's not a beginner's (as in it shouldn't be the first programming book you read) but it's been quite influential to me. This book explains why concepts like design patterns, high cohesion and low coupling are good things. On top of that you will learn why being able to pass around functions as arguments and return values is a great asset. You'll never program the same way after you grasp this concept.
Code Complete is a great book, but I would say it's a secondary book. You can't be a great programmer if you don't know how to program and Code Complete doesn't teach you that. Once you know the important concepts you can start applying the lessons in Code Complete. SICP and Code Complete are completely different books. In fact, reading both is probably the biggest one-two punch I can suggest to programmers.
I used SICP in my college course so I'm not sure how it would be as teach-yourself book, but I've read it since college and it's written very clearly and should be accessible to anyone with some knowledge of programming.
I'm going to go a different route than the other answers so far...
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. It's an informal history of computers that really gives you an amazing feel for how this whole "computer culture" formed. It had a very powerful effect on me when I read it, oh, sometime around 1988.
The first edition of Code Complete was hugely influential in its time. The second edition was somehow, well, annoying. From his initial assertion that he had not expected to have to update the book at all, through his (dubious) claim to have pretty much invented Extreme Programming, the book just didn't deliver a real update to the original. Or maybe it's just that I was a decade older?
I don't think MMM would carry as much weight at the outset of one's career as it does when one has some personal experience to provide context. And the same, but in a different way, applies to another favourite, Refactoring.
I think if I had to choose one book to make the most beneficial difference in someone else's programming career, it would be The Pragmatic Programmer.
I've been arounda while, so most books that I have found influential don't necessarily apply today. I do believe it is universally important to understand the platform that you are developing for (both hardware and OS). I also think it's important to learn from other peoples mistakes. So two books I would recommend are:
Computing Calamities and In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty Years of High Tech Marketing Disasters
I recommend Writing Solid Code. Old, but still very much worth a read.
Getting Real by 37 Signals. It doesn't matter if you don't "ship" something at the end of the day.
I found The Practice of Programming by Kernighan and Pike is a very good read.
For programming, without question, the "correct" answer is Code Complete. This book is really unparallelled in setting a framework of thought around a disciplined approach to the actual construction of code. McConnell was able to do this in a way that was largely agnostic to language of implementation and even in the types of systems the programmer is working on...useful stuff to anyone who spends any part of their day actually writing code.
Code Complete is also noteworthy in that this book was really the first to tackle only the construction aspects coding completely and while followed with other books by other authors, I believe Code Complete still stands as the most ambitious and successful in convincing you the practices that Steve advocates are paramount to successful programming.
To throw in another book by Steve McConnell, I think the book Rapid Development is equally important. While this book is somewhat less unique in the subject matter of running successful development teams, it is equally fun to read as Code Complete and no less important to programming project team leaders.
Code Complete for the good of the individual. Rapid Development for the good of the team.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Best programmers have read the book!
I'm going old school with this: I think the most influential book on programming ever written is The Art of Computer Programming.
I think I would have to recommend Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code.
Introduction to algorithms (Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, Stein) - Code Complete teaches you how to program correctly, The Mythical Man-Month teaches you how to manage correctly, Design Patterns teaches you how to design correctly...
This book teaches you how to write think about algorithms.
In my mind, code is just a tool, not the essence. The main part of developing software (IMO) is creating new algorithms or re-implementing existing ones. Other than that it's just assembling Lego bricks or creating "management" layers. I still dream about the workplace that would allow me to invest most (>50%) of my time in writing algorithms, leaving the management details to other people...
Not the most influential, but certainly a good read and absent so far is My Job Went To India by Chad Fowler. It consists of 52 chapters/mini essays giving guidance on how to differentiate yourself as a developer rather than a code monkey (whose work could easily be outsourced).
Edit by different person: This is now called "The Passionate Programmer".
I though Jurgen did a decent job with his Top 100 Best Software Engineering Books, Ever.
Books are great, on the free time, on vacation, but relevent, up to the minut "save the day" information is from blogs/forums and internet stuff.
Since you didn't say you wanted programming books specifically, I can be a little more creative.
Every programmer should have read Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland.
Slightly more down-to-earth - every programmer should read Getting Things Done - especially the ones that I work with, because once you 'get it' you will be annoyed at how unorganized other people can be :)
Framework Design Guidelines will give you a very good start on how to organize code.
I second the recommendations for The Pragmatic Programmer and the Gang of Four's Design Patterns.
I also think that Joshua Bloch's Effective Java is first rate, even for those working in other languages. It's presented in an easy-to-digest, point-by-point style. I learned a lot from it about things like implementing hashCode() methods and so on.
I'll second the Little Schemer and the Seasoned Schemer. Not necessarily because you want to write Scheme, but actually, reading and understanding these has changed the way I think even about my Java code at my day job.
I think that "The Art of Unix Programming" is an excellent book, by an excellent hacker/brilliant mind as Eric S. Raymond, who tries to make us understand a few principles of software design (simplicity mainly). This book is a must for every programming who is about to start a project under Unix platform.
Personally, Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs is by far the most influential programming book I have ever read.
Some classics like Code Complete, Refactoring and Design Patterns teach you the effective working habits and the painstaking details of the trade. Others, like Peopleware, Psychology of Computer Programming and The Mythical Man-Month delve into the psychosocial aspects of software development. Numerous others deal with algorithms. These books all have their place.
SICP, however, is in a different league. It is a book that will enlighten you. It will evoke in you a passion for writing beautiful programs. Moreover, it will teach you to recognize and appreciate that very beauty. It will leave you with a state of awe and an unquenchable thirst to learn more. Other books may make you a better programmer; this book will make you a programmer.
And in the meanwhile, you will learn a thing or two about functional programming (side effects won't be introduced until chapter three), lazy evaluation, metaprogramming (well, metalinguistic abstraction), virtual machines, interpreters, and compilers.
Some think that SICP is not a beginner's book. Personally, I probably wouldn't have appreciated the book in full without having some programming experience under my belt, but I would definitely recommend it for a beginner. The book is, after all, written for the famous 6.001, the introductory programming course at MIT. It may require an intellectual effort (especially if you do the exercises - and you should), but the reward is well worth the price.
Not convinced? Read the Foreword or the Preface to the First Edition. The full text is freely available on the web.
It's available online for free, and there are even video lectures to go along with it.
Ooh, a toss-up between Bentley's "Programming Pearls" and Kernighan and Ritchie's "The C Programming Language".
I know so many others have had the same answer but needed to add my 2 cents:
Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has a little section near the end about Gumption Traps. That's the best advice I've ever read on how to debug code or solve problems in general. The rest of the book is pretty good, too.
I have a few good books that strongly influenced me that I've not seen on this list so far:
The Psychology of Everyday Things by Donald Norman. The general principles of design for other people. This may seem to be mostly good for UI but if you think about it, it has applications almost anywhere there is an interface that someone besides the original developer has to work with; e. g. an API and designing the interface in such a way that other developers form the correct mental model and get appropriate feedback from the API itself.
The Art of Software Testing by Glen Myers. A good, general introduction to testing software; good for programmers to read to help them think like a tester i. e. think of what may go wrong and prepare for it.
By the way, I realize the question was the "Single Most Influential Book" but the discussion seems to have changed to listing good books for developers to read so I hope I can be forgiven for listing two good books rather than just one.
To answer the first question I would be original and say Code Complete;) And Pragmatic Programmer in a close second. But to answer the rephrased question:
If you could go back in time and tell yourself to read a specific book at the beginning of your career as a developer, what book would it be?
I´m not quite sure. I do not think Code Complete would be as valuable in the beginning of my career. I´t is a harder question. Maybe "Object Oriented Analysis and Design" should top the list then.
While I agree that many of the books above are must-reads (Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man-Month, Art of Computer Programming, and SICP come to mind immediately), I'd like to go in a slightly different direction and recommend A Discipline of Programming by Edsger Dijkstra. Even though it's 32 years old, the emphasis on "design for verifiability" is highly relevant (even if "verifiability" means "proof" instead "unit tests").
+1 for "The Mythical Man Month" - it's fascinating that the same issues exist in software projects after 30-40 years.
Another +1 for "Programming Pearls" (and a more hesitant recommendation for later books in the series); PP encourages you to think rationally about problems.
There are a lot of votes for Steve McConnell's Code Complete, but what about his Software Project Survival Guide book? I think they're both required reading but for different reasons.
I recently read Dreaming in Code and found it to be an interesting read. Perhaps more so since the day I started reading it Chandler 1.0 was released. Reading about the growing pains and mistakes of a project team of talented people trying to "change the world" gives you a lot to learn from. Also Scott brings up a lot of programmer lore and wisdom in between that's just an entertaining read.
Beautiful Code had one or two things that made me think differently, particularly the chapter on top down operator precedence.
The Design of Everyday Things
and Things that Make Us Smart - both by Donald Norman
These apply to so much more than just user interface design... Make things that work as others would expect - even if the others are developers using code that you've created.
The Timeless Way of Building - Christopher Alexander
The original "patterns" book. Helps to understand why some software design just "feels" right and some does not.
Great question!
After some consideration, I would have to say The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Not a programming book, but makes you think about what you want out of your work at a higher level.
The only software design type of book I have read is The C Programming Language by K&R. I read it the first time when I was 12 and I asked my dad for a book to teach me how to program. I keep going back to it time and again when ever I get a urge to program. Since I don't yet program for a living I don't have it all internalized.
Joel on Software is something worth reading even if you aren't a manager or team lead. If you are just starting out in the software industry it will give you an idea of what a software company should look like and have in place ie. The Joel Test.
Hey, my favorite book, Alice in Wonderland, has been mentioned :D
Other than that... I was blown away when I read Javascript: The Definitive Guide, because at the time it was the only JS book I'd read that wasn't talking about crappy rollovers or things like that.
It may be the first time I learned the OO side of javascript, and the book was by far the most complete on the language (core, and browser-side).
I wish I'd read it before getting bad habits and a false image of JS.
Of course the situation is much different now, with many books by JS gurus who have written stylish and robust JS like jQuery and the like...
A great follow on to Code Complete - indispensable once you start working on projects of any decent size & need to communicate to your stakeholders about project delivery dates, etc.
Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art by Steve McConnel
Effective Java 2ed will teach you how to write beautiful and effective code. It's a Java book, but there are many cross-language concepts.
I'm backing the Mythical Man-Month as well, with all those before me. Other books have great insights on how to code, the practical knowledge of the craft, Brooks' work however so clearly illustrates those human failures that arise in any real software engineering project. It's almost a crime for young programmers to be sent out into the corporate world without having this in their back pocket.
Code is Law - you are doing all this writing, editing, and thinking in [language of your choice] but WHY? What does you code MEAN? What will does it actually DO?
(I could have recommended a book on QA, but I didn't...)
Pro Spring is a superb introduction to the world of Inversion of Control and Dependency Injection. If you're not aware of these practices and their implications - the balance of topics and technical detail in Pro Spring is excellent. It builds a great case and consequent personal foundation.
Another book I'd suggest would be Robert Martin's Agile Software Development (ASD). Code smells, agile techniques, test driven dev, principles ... a well-written balance of many different programming facets.
More traditional classics would include the infamous GoF Design Patterns, Bertrand Meyer's Object Oriented Software Construction, Booch's Object Oriented Analysis and Design, Scott Meyer's "Effective C++'" series and a lesser known book I enjoyed by Gunderloy, Coder to Developer.
And while books are nice ... don't forget radio!
... let me add one more thing. If you haven't already discovered safari - take a look. It is more addictive than stack overflow :-) I've found that with my google type habits - I need the more expensive subscription so I can look at any book at any time - but I'd recommend the trial to anyone even remotely interested.
(ah yes, a little obj-C today, cocoa tomorrow, patterns? soa? what was that example in that cookbook? What did Steve say in the second edition? Should I buy this book? ... a subscription like this is great if you'd like some continuity and context to what you're googling ...)
"Debugging the Development Process: Practical Strategies for Staying Focused, Hitting Ship Dates, and Building Solid Teams" by Steve Maguire.
No-non-sense, down-to-earth, entertaining, profound.
Since you've asked for the single most influential book, I recommend Deitel's "C++ How to Program. This is the one I kept referencing throughout University.
I actually enjoyed reading Head First Design Patterns and Joel On Software more, but they came along after I'd learned the basics
I think I grew up in a different generation than most here....
One of the most influential books I read, was APUE.
Or pretty much anything by W. Richard Stevens.
My development odyssey began with the venerable Camel book, followed by Cay Horstmann's and Gary Cornell's excellent Core Java series. In retrospect this was a reasonable start, though far heavier on practice than principles and concepts.
As a few have said, most influential and most influential in the context of beginning a development career may be very different. I didn't appreciate many of the stellar recommendations here such as SICP, Code Complete, Mythical Man Month, the Pragmatic Programmer, and Peopleware until I'd had a few years and a few projects under my belt.
Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas put it best - continually invest in your knowledge portfolio - read a new book every quarter.
Roger S. Pressman - Software Engineering (A Practitioners Approach). It has got a lot of usefull information.
Books are great, on the free time, on vacation, but relevent, up to the minut "save the day" information is from blogs/forums and internet stuff.
I have to respond to this. Clearly for answers to specific questions and probelms, sites like this and the methods described above are obviously the best. For cutting-edge newest technology, the lead time for books obviously is going to leave you no choice but use the internet. And perhaps my age (46) is a bias here.
But one of the things that troubles me greatly has been the decline of Technical Publishing. A lot of tech writers are moving away for it because it doesn't "pay the bills' (Petzold for example) and as I mentioned - there is likely a generational thing (I'll just have to "get-over") I don't like doing extensive reading on a laptop screen...
But I think to truly get a "Deep Understanding" of a broad topic - the effort necessary to write a book allows the writer to focus his or her thoughts in a way that otherwise I don't belief lets the reader truly "Grok" a deep concept.
Yes if you want a "how-to" - a good web post might be more than sufficient. But if I REALLY need to understand something, I want a good book.
Furthermore, when I need to go back to something, I always know where that darn book is on my bookshelf. But how many times have you pulled your hair out trying to find that link you know you say several months ago?
Please everyone here - support tech writers (who derserve it) by BUYING the book!
I prefer Stroustrup's The C++ Programming Language (3rd edition) - it's the C++ book. C++ may be out of fashion these days, but this book takes you from the basics to OO to templates (STL) and even covers things like improving compile and link time. I still learn something every time I pick it up, and it's never, ever bad to know C++.
I don't know if it was because I read the Pragmatic Programmer first, but I thought Code Complete was the biggest book I've ever read that didn't really ever say anything. I mean there is a lot of text there, but no substance in my opinion. You get a lot more out of the 300 pages of the Pragmatic Programmer than you will ever get out of the 800 pages of Code Complete.
I also have to second Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. It is definitely is the most influential book on programming that I have ever read.
Do users ever touch your code? If you're not doing solely back-end work, I recommend About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design — now in its third edition (linked). I used to think my users were stupid because they didn't "get" my interfaces. I was, of course, wrong. About Face turned me around.
I'd recommend The Dilbert Principle: A Cubicle's-Eye View of Bosses, Meetings, Management Fads & Other Workplace Afflictions for a good cry. Too close to home to be funny though..
Not a programming book, but still a very important book every programmer should read:
The Unix Programming Environment by Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike. After reading this I 'got' Unix. I understood the philosophy behind it and everything suddenly started making much more sense.
It's also a brilliant introduction to the Bourne shell and C programming.
Code Complete has been mentioned numerous times - and is definitely a great book and I agree with Introduction to algorithms. To add one to the list - as a good primer for algorithms - Concrete Mathematics by Knuth - this book explains the underlying math used in higher levels of compsci.
Software Tools by by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger
It had a profound influence on how I write software.
Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case studies in Common Lisp
to get advanced in prolog i like these two books:
really opens the mind for logic programming and recursion schemes.
Here are two I haven't seen mentioned:
I wish I had read "Ruminations on C++" by Koenig and Moo much sooner. That was the book that made OO concepts really click for me.
And I recommend Michael Abrash's "Zen of Code Optimization" for anyone else planning on starting a programming career in the mid 90s.
"The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman.
Excellence in programming demands an investment of mental energy and a dedication to continued learning comparable to the professions of medicine or law. It pays a fraction of what those professions pay, much less the wages paid to the mathematically savvy who head into the finance sector. And wages for constructing code are eroding because it's a profession that is relatively easy for the intelligent and self-disciplined in most economies to enter.
Programming has already eroded to the point of paying less than, say, plumbing. Plumbing can't be "offshored." You don't need to pay $2395 to attend the Professional Plumber's Conference every other year for the privilege of receiving an entirely new set of plumbing technologies that will take you a year to learn.
If you live in North America or Europe, are young, and are smart, programming is not a rational career choice. Businesses that involve programming, absolutely. Study business, know enough about programming to refine your BS detector: brilliant. But dedicating the lion's share of your mental energy to the mastery of libraries, data structures, and algorithms? That only makes sense if programming is something more to you than an economic choice.
If you love programming and for that reason intend to make it your career, then it behooves you to develop a cold-eyed understanding of the forces that are, and will continue, to make it a harder and harder profession in which to make a living. "The World is Flat" won't teach you what to name your variables, but it will immerse you for 6 or 8 hours in economic realities that have already arrived. If you can read it, and not get scared, then go out and buy "Code Complete."
Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp by Peter Norvig
Code Complete by Steven McConnell 1993 version of Code Complete
I really should buy the updated version!
It's not strictly a development book and I believe that I've mentioned it in another answer somewhere but it's a book I really believe all developers should read, from php to Java to assembly developers.
It really brings together what's under the hood in a computer, why memory shouldn't be wasted and some of the more interesting parts of the history of computing. It's an introduction to the computer and what it is. It gave me my ultimate passion for low level programming and helped me understand pointers and memory more than any other computer.
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, by the GoF
I think code complete is going to be a hugely popular one for this question, for me it corrected many of my bad habits and re-affirmed my good practices.
Also for my Perl background I really like Perl Best Practices from Damian Conway. Perl can be a nasty language if you don't use style and best practices, which is what I was seeing in the scripts I was reading ( and sometimes writing ) .
I like the Head First Series, they are quite good and easy to read when your are not in the mood for more serious style books.
"Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications" by Grady Booch. I read this a long time ago and it showed me that there could be a methodology to developing Object Oriented Software. Since then many other books have had an impact on me but this one got me started.
The Interpretation of Object-Oriented Programming Languages by Ian Craig
Because it showed me how much more there was to OO than standard C++/Java idioms
Close call: Extreme Programming Explained, Kent Beck, or Refactoring, Martin Fowler.
The Mythical Man-Month here as well. Despite being an old book, a lot of the stuff in there is still true and only new development methods like agile, xp, tdd may change some of this finally. It explains in detail why adding new developers to a late project will make the project even later. It will not improve your coding skills, but after being a developer for a few years, this will open your eyes for sure and explain a lot of the problems you have faced before.
Lean Software Development by Mary and Tom Poppendieck is definitely one for every developers bookshelf
It's a toss up between Head First Design Patterns, for many of the reasons cited above, and Perl Testing: A Developer's Notebook, which should be one of the bibles for any Perl programmer wanting to write maintainable code.
This will probably date me, but the "dragon book" on compilers. It was from the depths of groking that book that I started my first real project, and launched my career.
Pragmatic Unit Testing in C# with NUnit by by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas with Matt Hargett. It made me really understand unit testing and that affects my code in so many ways. It pushed me towards becoming better at understanding Object Orientation.
This one started me off into true OOA&D.
Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and Iterative Development - Craig Larman
These would be up there as well:
PHP objects, patterns and practice. http://www.apress.com/book/view/9781590599099
'How to be a Programmer: A Short, Comprehensive, and Personal Summary' by Robert L Read
Not exactly a book but an essay, but this one was definitely an inspiration for me when I got into coding. Loved the notion of entering a tribe. Worth a read.
Development books:
Non-development:
Second for Domain Driven Design
Second for Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, by the GoF
I suppose we could ask the same top rated question every couple of weeks and upmod all those who mention code complete or The Pragmatic Programmer.
Not that there is anythng wrong with it :-)
The Career Programmer: Guerilla Tactics for an Imperfect World by Christopher Duncan
About Face - The Essentials of Interaction Design (now in third edition)
This book opened my eyes to a very different viewpoint of development, focused on the interactions of the end user. It also helped me realize that creating great software is about more than just patterns and architecture, it's about helping people achieve their goals.
In terms of income - Petzold's Programming Win95
In terms of career - Pragmatic Programmer
"The Design and Evolution of C++" by Bjarne Stroustrup
Besides giving much background on C++, it is also a lengthy study on the trade-offs and design concerns involved in a large scale program.
The Little Schemer. I've never learned as much about programming than from this book. Teaches you how to solve a problem by decomposing the problem into a step and recursively applying it.
Programing Pearls by Jon Bentley, a collection of essays that originally appeared Communications of the ACM
Kernighan and Richie's "The C Programming Language" - The only C book you'll ever need.
Mine was The C Programming Language--the original "K&R" book. What fierce simplicity!
Very recently, I'm getting a lot out of Kent Beck's work.
Learning C# 2005, by Jesse Liberty & Brian MacDonald (O'Reilly).
ISBN 10: 0-596-10209-7.
When I first made the jump from ASP classic procedural code to object-oriented C# code in VS2005, this book set me on the right path.
C++ How to Program, was very good for me as my first programing book.
While not strictly a software development book, I would highly recommend that Don't Make me Think! be considered in this list.
I enjoy the "blog Book" -- The Best Software Writing - by Joel Spoksky
I'm going to cheat and answer with a short list:
The Pragmatic Programmer...less about the technical details that Code Complete covers well, and more about thinking at a higher level about programming.
PP and CC, and the Mythical Man-Month should be on everyone's shelves. But they should read them before they put them on the shelf. Just saying.
Software Tools by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger by a wide margin had the most effect on me.
Inside the C++ Object Model by Stan Lippman. It made C++ finally "click" for me, before it was all "magic". This book gave me a different frame of mind when approaching a new programming language.
Practical C Programming by Steve Oualline, if for no other reason than that it was the first programming book that I read cover to cover, then started over with again. I might've gotten into programming eventually anyway, but it definitely kickstarted what has since become a life long interest, matter of study and career.
The user's manual for Robert Uiterwyk's BASIC for the SWTPC 6800. This was in high school in 1976. (You youngsters have no idea...)
None! Books are old school, most info on the web is more current and relevant.
For learning how to program: The C Programming Language by Kernigahan and Ritchie although that probably has more to do with my age. For changing my worldview with respect to developing software: Agile Software Development by Alistair Cockburn and Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck. More recently books on Test Driven Development.
Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Feathers
I actually ordered this book one afternoon because I saw it laying in the back seat of someone's car in the parking lot at lunch. The title grabbed me because I was, at the time, trying to figure out how to deal with making a lot of small modifications to a huge code base that had been developed a decade ago and "tweaked" numerous times by people long gone since then. "Working effectively with legacy code" seemed like exactly what I needed to figure out how to do...
The book didn't disappoint.
The Pragmatic Programmer is the best book I've read in years. I've read most of the other books mentioned in the answers here, but The PP (hereafter) steps back from specific languages and technologies, and focuses on practices that will make you more effective, regardless of technologies you're using now, or may encounter later on.
In that sense it's similar to (say) Design Patterns, in that it's agnostic with respect to your language etc. However it goes further into software development practices and looks at how you should be designing / writing / testing etc. I reference and recommend it in conversations with every client I deal with.
I hate to be a suck-up, but I'm new to this profession and for me the most influential book so far has been More Joel on Software.
Refactoring, Chapter 3. This will teach an intermediate/advanced programmer more about OOD than any other source I've seen.
Design patterns is good for a beginner, but by the time you are intermediate/advanced, you should be using these all anyway--so I always thought the best thing about the design patterns book was providing names so that we could discuss the things we already did.
A collection it was, and stunning. Edsger Dijkstra's (with some help from C.A.R. Hoare) little black book Structured Programming and particlarly the essay titled "On Our Inability To Do Much".
My high school math teacher lent me a copy of http://www.amazon.com/Are-Your-Lights-Figure-Problem/dp/0932633161 that I have re-read many times. It has been invaluable, as a developer, and in life generally.
It is not a book, seriously it was a blog www.codinghorror.com that introduced me to the world of good book and ideas
As with others, yes, Code Complete, Bertrand Myers, and so on, are part of my SW dev foundation today. but way back the very first programming "book" was more of a booklet on the Intel 8008. Mail ordered from an ad in an electronics magazine. This had all the opcodes, programmer's model of the chip architecture, etc. No guidance on structuring code, commenting, compiling or linking, algorithms or any of that high level stuff! Now, in my career, i have a deep understanding of register-level programming, bits, pixels, interrupt handlers and all that, but am relatively an idiot at databases, networks, GUI apps, large business systems.
An interesting follow up question: has the way you started in programming been a benefit or hindrance to your career and an influence today, or was it so long ago it doesn't matter? What books helped you expand beyond your initial skills into broad new areas?
The question is, "What book really made an impact of how you work as a developer?" Without any doubt, Programming Windows with MFC, by Jeff Prosise, is the book that had the greatest impact on HOW I work as a developer. It did not teach me the fundamentals of "programming" but it opened the world of Windows platform development to me and many thousands of other developers.
I had written a little Windows code previously in the "Petzold style" before MFC was developed. I quickly decided the Windows platform we just not worth the trouble as a developer. When Prosise came out with his MFC book, I realized (along with thousands of other non-Windows programmers) that I could create an easy to use interface that users would not just understand, but actually enjoy using. I devoured the book, making so many notes in it and turning down so many corners, I eventually bought a second copy.
Prosise, Jeff. Programming Windows with MFC 2nd Ed. Microsoft Press 1999 ISBN: 1-57231-695-0
Most impact? K&R C second edition when I read it at college. It's effectively what started my career.
The Productive Programmer by Ford
I'm not quite through this one yet, but I'm already thrilled by some of the tips/tricks I've picked up to become more...well...productive.
Sure, there's plenty of the stuff we all already know (use the keyboard shortcuts, DRY, etc). But there's plenty of new stuff to go with it. And careful readers will quickly start to see how things can be combined for even greater effect.
Managing Gigabytes is an instant classic for thinking about the heavy lifting of information.
Years ago, Bruce Eckel's Thinking in C++ taught me a great deal about C++ but also the importance of isolating an issue to a small 'sandbox' for study/analysis. This technique has greatly impacted my career and routinely helps me troubleshoot problems both for myself and others.
These days, I refer to Thinking in Java, which is written in the same style. Somehow, the style is beyond mere, simple 'examples' and profoundly gets at the heart of the issue.
I am so grateful that I will buy virtually anything by Eckel, sight unseen.
The Mythical Man-Month required reading for any developer. The very fact it is as old as it is and still relevant makes it necessary reading.
Actually the book that had a biggest influence on me is often not liked by the programmers: I am talking about Cooper's "Inmates are running the asylum". However this book forever changed the way I look and think about the things I am building.
When I first started, there was "Mastering Turbo Pascal" by Tom Swan. There is nothing terribly profound about this book. It was clear and concise with usable examples. Based on this knowledge, I spawned a software development career now 15+ years in.
So far it would be Joel on Software as it has guided me here (by finding his blog) and found many more good books to read.
Donald Norman, 'The Design of Everyday Things'
Not about programming, per se, but about how things in the world should work -- kind of the psychology of usability.
It's been invaluable for me in designing both end-user interfaces and APIs.
Mastering C++ from Tom Swan. It was the best kind of book, it had examples which were simple enough to teach concepts but useful enough to solve other problems. It was very readable, it was the first book I read when got to college, and it only needed to be read once.
"Algorithms in C" (1st edition) by Sedgewick taught me all about algorithms as well as teaching me all about the pitfalls of documentation and copy/pasting code as all the example code in this version was taken from the "Algorithms in Pascal" version and were simply passed through a simple code translator which did not adjust for the different indexing schemes.
Most of the books listed here are rather old, for example: The Mythical Man-Month (1995) Code Complete (1993) Effective C++ by Scott Meyers (1998)
Isn't there any recent classic out there, let's say from 2007-2008 ?
Dreaming in Code Has probably had the most profound impact in the last 6 months.
Actually, two books stand out. The first was Code Complete. Despite its age, this is still a very useful book, and the chapter on the dangers of premature optimisation is worth the price of the book on its own.
The second one was The Psychology of Everyday Things (now called The Design of Everyday Things, I think), which changed the way I think about user interfaces when designing applications. It made me more user-focused.
As a C++ programmer I liked Scott Meyer's but, despite of lesser production value of presented solutions, much bigger impact made "Modern C++ Design" by Andrei Alexandrescu. Very good book.
As a theoretical cs hobbyist the most important for me were Don Knuth's books, especially Concrete Mathematics, which showed me a wide range of interesting tricks.
Few days ago I finished reading Beautfiful Code (Andy Oram & Greg Wilson) and I found many interesting ideas there.
I looked in the bookstore at Head First series, metioned by posters before me and didn't like the series at all. I don't know why. The best book about patterns is, in my opinion, Design Patterns by the Gang of Four.
The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth.
I had to read this at University and I bitched and moaned, like everyone else. But by the end of the course I praised the book, simply for the fact that it shows you why you can't create inefficient loops (conditionals, etc) in code.
On the lighter side, The Pragmatic Programmer is a close runner-up.
Code Complete. I realize I am the 900th person to say it, but it deserves the statement.
Additionally, The Art of Computer Programming might be a close second for me personally.
Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley
There is nothing like writing your own quicksort implementation to get you thinking about datastructures and algorithms.
The Art of Computer Programming, by Donald Knuth, especially volumes I and II. (Oops, is that two books?)
Inside the c++ object model by Stanley Lippman http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Object-Model-Stanley-Lippman/dp/0201834545
How to think like a computer scientist: learning with python
May not be the most advanced book on the world but it made me understand programming concepts that I couldn't, especially object oriented topics.
This might not count as a "development book" but I have to throw it in anyway: Hackers by Stephen Levy. I found that it spoke to the emotional side of programming.
"Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs (Microsoft Programming Series)" by Steve MacGuire.
Interesting what a large proportion the books mentioned here are C/C++ books.
For me "Memory as a programming concept in C and C++" really opened my eyes to how memory management really works. If you're a C or C++ developer I consider it a must read. You will defiantly learn something or remember things you might have forgotten along the way.
http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Programming-Concept-C/dp/0521520436
Code by Charles Petzold. I don't have a traditional CS background, so its a great book for helping people like me understand the machine and what goes on under all those layers of abstraction.
Fowlers Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. Code Complete was a good read but it simply confirmed my thought and practices rather than taught me a lot new material. It's a great book to give someone who needs a clue.
I'm really surprised that nobody has mentioned Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment by W. Richard Stevens. It's not necessarily the book that had the most impact on me, but it definitely deserves a place among many of the other greats mentioned here.
Even though I mostly did (and do) Perl programming, reading this book really helped me understand more about what's going on under the hood. It covers a ton of really critical low-level concepts like File IO, system files (passwd, group, etc), process control, signals, and so on.
Having some idea of how this stuff works at the C level is very useful, even if you never write any C code, because every language you use (on a Unix system) is using these APIs under the hood.
Separately, I'd mention The Third Manifesto by Hugh Darwen and CJ Date. If you're interested in understanding data (which seems uncommon among programmers) this book is a must-read. It will also make you sad when you realize just how badly broken SQL is, but it'll also help you cope with that brokenness. Knowing how a tool is broken lets you design with those deficits in mind.
Agile Software Development with Scrum by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle.
I used this book as the starting point to understanding Agile development.
The Pragmatic programmer was pretty good. However one that really made an impact when I was starting out was :
Windows 95 System Programming Secrets"
I know - it sounds and looks a bit cheesy on the outside and has probably dated a bit - but this was an awesome explanation of the internals of Win95 based on the Authors (Matt Pietrek) investigations using his own own tools - the code for which came with the book. Bear in mind this was before the whole open source thing and Microsoft was still pretty cagey about releasing documentation of internals - let alone source. There was some quote in there like "If you are working through some problem and hit some sticking point then you need to stop and really look deeply into that piece and really understand how it works". I've found this to be pretty good advice - particularly these days when you often have the source for a library and can go take a look. Its also inspired me to enjoy diving into the internals of how systems work, something that has proven invaluable over the course of my career.
Oh and I'd also throw in effective .net - great internals explanation of .Net from Don Box.
Schaum's Outline of Programming with C++ by John R Hubbard.
This was the first programming book I read, when I started out with C++. It was gifted to me by someone who saw my interest in programming. The book is very good for beginners - it started from the elementary concepts, went up to templates and vectors. The examples given were pretty relevant. The book made you ponder and ask more questions, and try out things for yourself.
Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software by Eric Evans
Many of the books listed could fit the bill. If restricted to one, I'd probably pick "UNIX Programming Environment" by Kernighan and Pike as THE most influential, though "Software Tools" and "The Elements of Programming Style" were also extremely influential on me when I started, a long time ago (80s). Slightly more recent influences would include "The C Programming Language" and both "Code Complete" and "Writing Solid Code" (90s). Current influences (00s) would include - not in order:
Code Complete because it was about the things that are most relevant when writing good code. It got an extra bonus when I realized none of those things was ever mentioned by my CS professors
Martin Fowler's Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code has already been listed. But I will detail why it has impacted me.
The essence of the whole book is about structuring code so that it is simpler to read and understand by humans. It teaches me strongly that the code that I write is meant for my colleagues and successors to consume and possibly learn something good out of it. It inspires me to consciously program in a manner that leaves people praising my name, and not cursing me to damnation for all eternity.
1) Programming .Net Components by Juval- "i am able to build a software architecture that has been used by the company since 2004 until now."
2) Code Complete - "its like looking into mirror every time i read it."
3) Coder to Developer by Mike Gunderloy
4) Joel on Software
Not to mention books that have already been mentioned MANY times, one of the best books on what NOT to do is AntiPatterns (Refactoring Software, Architectures and Projects in Crisis) from Wiley.
Another book that has not been mentioned yet, and SHOULD be required reading for EVERY programmer, newbies on up to gurus, in ANY programming language, is Michael Howard's Writing Secure Code (2nd Edition) from MSPress.
The first book that made a real impact on me was Mastering Turbo Assembler by Tom Swan.
Other books that have had an impact was Just For Fun by Linus Torvalds and David Diamond and of course The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas.
As so many people have listed Head First Design Patterns, which I agree is a very good book, I would like to see if so many people aware of a title called Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design.
This title deals with design patterns excellently. The first half of the book is very accessible and the remaining chapters require only a firm grasp of the content already covered The reason I feel the second half of the book is less accessible is that it covers patterns that I, as a young developer admittedly lacking in experience, have not used much.
This title also introduces the concept behind design patterns, covering Christopher Alexander's initial work in architecture to the GoF first implementing documenting patterns in SmallTalk.
I think that anyone who enjoyed Head First Design Patterns but still finds the GoF very dry, should look into Design Patterns Explained as a much more readable (although not quite as comprehensive) alternative.
Without a doubt GoF's Design Patterns mainly due to the fact that I discovered that I had in fact chosen to solve particular problems using two of the patterns mentioned without knowing about the patterns before.
WROX - Beginning ASP
I read it from and did all of the exercises in one week and taught myself programming. This was how I got into coding.
Probably "C for Dummies" vol 1, back in 1997 or so. Just an introduction really, but it was a good read after having picked up the taste for programming in GFA Basic on the Atari ST. The Coronado C tutorial around the same time helped too.
for low level entertainment i would suggest Michael Abrash's
i) -Zen of Code Optimization- and
ii) -Graphics Programming Black Book-
even if you dont do any graphics programming.
"Head First Design Patterns" helped me to understand objects oriented programming.
This book has opened my mind :-) I've tried GoF first.I was discouraged...
But now, GoF is my next step.
Code Complete 2nd edition is very good too.
Applying UML and Design Patterns.
It helped design patterns to click with me, and provided a justification for UML that made sense to me in the phrasing 'UML as Sketch'. Namely that UML should be used as a brief sketch of the system that has the additional benefit of you not having to explain the notation to others (they either already know UML or you give them a UML book to read)
If you are doing anything in Unix/Linux/MacOS etc, you must read Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment (also known by the acronym APUE), by the late W Richard Stevens. If you don't know how file descriptors work or what sessions are, or all the things you should do when you daemonize yourself (admit it, you don't), then this book will tell you.
You'll feel amatuerish for a bit afterwards, but if you want to consider yourself a professional programmer (in any language) in the Unix environment you need to read this.
If you are doing anything in Unix/Linux/MacOS etc, you must read Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment (also known by the acronym APUE), by the late W Richard Stevens. If you don't know how file descriptors work or what sessions are, or all the things you should do when you daemonize yourself (admit it, you don't), then this book will tell you.
You'll feel amatuerish for a bit afterwards, but if you want to consider yourself a professional programmer (in any language) in the Unix environment you need to read this.
There isn't a single book I can pinpoint as more influential than the rest. A lot of the books that I would consider as influential to my current knowledge also wouldn't have made sense to me when I started programming.
Keep in mind that I'm not a designer, but Tom Peter's "design" has really stuck with me. While it doesn't deal with coding, or development per se, the book is a fantastic read for anyone in the development field.
I would say that "Beyond Code - Learn to Distinguish Yourself in 9 Simple Steps" is quite a good and motivational book. I doesn't cover technical issues, but it describes ways of working with people, being professional, ... For me, this is a book you can read again and again if you are in need of some pep talk. Besides that, it is cheap and very easy and enjoyable to read in 3 to 4 hours.
There is a little review over at my blog: http://www.herrodius.com/blog/54
Whether you are coding in Smalltalk or not Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns is a great read. Full of small observations that will change the way you code; for the better.
Even though I had been programming rofessionally for years, Rocky Lhotka's "Business Objects" series about his CSLA framework was the book that opened my eyes.
His ideas he got me excited about software development patterns and theory again. It set me on the path of a new interest in learning how to be a better developer, and not just learning about the latest gee-whiz control or library. (Don't get me wrong, I still love a good technical book too - you gotta keep up!)
I am surprised there is no mention yet of this book: "Starting Forth", by Leo Brodie. After all Forth, being a stack-based language, should fit the audience on this site...
Admittedly, Forth is a weird language and not very popular these days. But this book is a joy to read. And it has cartoons! The book, as well as Brodie's other book, "Thinking Forth", are both available free on the web.
[http://home.iae.nl/users/mhx/sf.html][1] [http://thinking-forth.sourceforge.net/][2]
[1]: "Starting Forth" home page [2]: "Thinking Forth" home page
As a self taught programmer without any formal college classes, Code Complete (Vols. 1 and 2) and Rapid Development both made me think about the software development process in new ways. They solidified some ideas I had learned by trail and error, and provided new insights.
Steve MConnell's writing style is one of the most entertaining out there when it comes to programming books.
Anything by Edward Tufte: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information; Envisioning Information; Visual Explanations
The Pragmatic Programmer
And its best advice is to invest in your own knowledge by reading more books :-)
"clean code" by uncle bob is pretty good: http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/23/2243216&from=rss
Surprised that no one has mentioned Martin Fowler's Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture yet
One of the best books on what NOT to do is AntiPatterns (Refactoring Software, Architectures and Projects in Crisis) from Wiley.
George Polya's "How To Solve It"
It might seem dry, overly mathematical, and antiquated, but there are few better books on learning how to break a seemingly formidable problem into workable sub-problems and how to learn from previous problems.
Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert L. Glass is a really excellent book. I had been a professional hacker for almost 10 years before I read it, and a I still learned a ton of stuff.
The key word in the question is "career". Read "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Nothing I've read made me even close to as much money and advanced my career as much as that book.
To have a successful career, you will need to interact well with other people. You've probably been exposed to dozens of technical books in college. But how much did you study how to get along with your coworkers, bosses, customers, etc. in college? "How to Win Friends and Influence People" gives you a blueprint for that. Your career will be much much more successful and smoother.
I was so astonished by this book, that I've given away about 30 copies of it. Not a single person has failed to be impressed by it.
OK, so the question is not "what's the best programming book", but "if you could tell yourself what to read in the beginning of your career"...
Probably one of "On Lisp" and SICP, plus one of CLRS or "Algorithms: a creative approach" by Udi Manber.
The first two will teach lots of programming techniques, patterns, and really open up one's mind to his/her own creativity; the other two are different. They're more theoretical, but also very important, focusing on design of correct and efficient algorithms (and requiring substantially more math).
I see lots of people recommending the three first books when the subject of "good programming books" pops up, but the last one (by Manber) is a great book, and few people know it. It's a shame! Manber focuses on the incremental development of algorithms through theorem proving using induction.
If you write code in C then Expert C Programming is an eye opener. It has answers to all the things you wondered why it works this way. Peter Van Der Linden has a great writing style and makes arcane concepts very readable. A must read for all C developers
It should be Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist, because many programmers have low self-worth, narcissism disorders and are approval seeking. This means that they do what others tell them to do. And that they think that being programmer is worse than being a manager. Reading The Alchemist may discover them the truth: being engineer is a reason to be proud.
You may take a look at
I found thise books very valuable in the field of general software development.
Greetings
Mario
Masters of doom. As far as motivation and love for your profession go: it won't get any better than what's been described in this book, truthfully inspiring story!
Nobody seems to have mentioned Stroustup's The C++ Programming Language which is a great book that every C++ programmer should read.
I also think that Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change should be read by every programmer and manager. Many of the ideas in the book are common knowledge now but the book gives an intelligent and inspiring account of the pursuit of quality in software engineering.
I would second the recommendations for Knuth and Gang of Four which are classics.
Tao Te Ching - it transcends programming and will also help you deal with your own existence. Anyone unfamiliar with this text should find a copy and read through- as well as learn about the Tao. One easy way to learn is to read 'The Tao of poo' which walks through the main concepts of the Tao using Winnie the poo characters (not a childrens book).
It's an oldie, but still worth reading: Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs
Applying UML and Patterns by Craig Larman.
The title of the book is slightly misleading; it does deal with UML and patterns, but it covers so much more. The subtitle of the book tells you a bit more: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and Iterative Development.
Systemantics: How Systems Work and Especially How They Fail. Get it used cheap. But you might not get the humor until you've worked on a few failed projects.
The beauty of the book is the copyright year.
Probably the most profound takeaway "law" presented in the book:
The Fundamental Failure-Mode Theorem (F.F.T.): Complex systems usually operate in failure mode.
The idea being that there are failing parts in any given piece of software that are masked by failures in other parts or by validations in other parts. See a real-world example at the Therac-25 radiation machine, whose software flaws were masked by hardware failsafes. When the hardware failsafes were removed, the software race condition that had gone undetected all those years resulted in the machine killing 3 people.
Clean Code has a lot in common with Code Complete but it's more concise and practical with lots of clear examples.
After K&R, I'll second that vote for Programming Pearls.
Why is the Brooklyn Bridge still standing while Galloping Gertie self-destructed in weeks? Every engineer should be fluent in the skill of making "back of the envelope" calculations and mentally keeping an eye on both the "forest and the trees" of their projects. The author Bently emphasizes their importance in every essay. Standing in line at a restaurant? Estimate your wait using the same math used in data queue analysis. How much water flows out of the mouth of the Mississippi river? Four different people use four unrelated methods to estimate an answer, all applicable to CPU processing speed calculations. And so on.
These are vital, fundamental skills that, sadly, are going the way of the slide rule.
Writing Solid Code by Steve Maguire
Code Complete by Steve McConnell
Programming is a creative task, and there are a lot of great books about creative tasks in general. Here's one:
Whatever you think, think the opposite.
By Paul Arden.
This is a small book that helps you generate big ideas. Arden came from an advertising background, but he wrote for a general audience of creative individuals. If you don't think that's you, you should think some more.
Yes, there are great domain-specific books for programmers. But programmers, as creative professionals, should make more of an effort to tap into the broader world of books for "creatives."
Etudes for Programmers by Charles Wetherell, More Programming Pearls (Jon Bently),
Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment by Stevens and Rago (2005 Addison-Wesley Professional)
Hard to say, but the last programming book i found really interesting was "Beautiful Code" by O'Reilly
For me it was Design Patterns Explained it provided an 'Oh that's how it works' moment for me in regards to design patterns and has been very useful when teaching design patterns to others.
Head First Design Patterns is a great book! at first it seemed a bit controvertial but i quickly fell in love with it and carried it with me everywhere until i finished. i tried reading other head first books but none could compare. all the other books i've read were strictly technical and there was nothing fascinating about them.
The Scelbi-Byte Primer
I pored over the source code listings in this book many times until, one day, I suddenly grokked 8080 assembly language programming.
Object-Oriented Programming in Turbo C++. Not super popular, but it was the one that got me started, and was the first book that really helped me grok what an object was. Read this one waaaay back in high school. It sort of brings a tear to my eye...
Even though i've never programmed a game this book helped me understand a lot of things in a fun way.
I bough this when I was a complete newbie and took me from only knowing that Java existed to a reliable team member in a short time
The Tao Te Ching. Although it's a philosophy book and not a programming book, some of it's principles are very applicable to programming:
"Know when it's time to stop. If you don't know then stop when you are done."
Translation: Knowing your requirements means you know when to stop. If you don't know when to stop, you need to stop because the requirements have yet to be defined.
"The harder one tries, the more resistance one creates for oneself."
Translation: How many times have you worked on a problem for several hours, only to find the answer after taking a 15-minute break? The more you hammer at a problem, the harder it is going to be for you to solve it.
"One whose needs are simple can fulfill them easily."
Translation: Simple requirements lead to simple designs.
"When we lose the fundamentals, we supplant them with increasingly inferior values which we pretend are the true values."
Translation: Hubris is never a good substitute for good programming standards. If you get lax, no amount of design patterns will ever substitute for the lack of quality in your code.
Still a worthwhile classic is the Interface Hall of Shame. This website detailed a huge assortment of interface design faux pas that is quite entertaining. The original iarchitect.com no longer exists, but others have re-established the HOS on their own websites.
I'll add a couple that I haven't seen here that are influential for me:
Hands down Head First Design Patterns!
It not only teaches you about design patterns, but also gives you real world problems they solve. Most notable, it walks you through the wrong ways to solve the problems, and the common mistakes, which I think is most beneficial.
Has to be Code Complete. I had the good fortune of buying as I started my first steps as a programmer. I learned so much from it I immediately re-read it. I firmly believe it transformed by skills in a short space of time.
I have recommended it to various junior programmers and university students but sadly my advice always seems to fall on deaf ears. shame really its just so packed with lessons learned from practical experience. It really is a treasure trove of great advice.
Well, if I had to choose a single book it is definitely "Code Complete". To take the "righteous path" as a programmer - "Pragmatic Programmer" is also great.
A book that was an "eye-opener" for me, although I didn't expect it from such a book, is "The C++ Programming Language" by Bjarne Stroustrup.
And, finally, I would mention two Fowler's "classics" - "Patterns of Enterprise Architecture" and "Refactoring".
How to Solve It: A new aspect of mathematical method Although not directly related to computer programming but it does teach you the art of problem solving and that's what computer programming is all about.
Structure and Interpretation of Compunter Programs(SICP) of course. Such a good book.
And the book Functional Programming Using Standard ML, Prentice-Hall, 1987 by Åke Wikström. Åke's book taught me the importance to abstract, that the human brain can only handle like 4-6 concepts at the same time. Abstraction makes it possible to generalize and therefore handle more concepts at the same time.
I saw a review of Software Factories: Assembling Applications with Patterns, Models, Frameworks, and Tools on a blog talking also about XI-Factory, I read it and I must say this book is a must read. Altough not specifically targetted to programmers, it explains very clearly what is happening in the programming world right now with Model-Driven Architecture and so on..
Beginning C# 3.0: An Introduction to Object Oriented Programming
This is the book for those who want to understand the whys and hows of OOP using C# 3.0. You don't want to miss it.
I'm reading now Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns and Practices. For those interested in XP and Object-Oriented Design, this is a classic reading.
Here's an excellent book that is not as widely applauded, but is full of deep insight: Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game, by Alistair Cockburn.
What's so special about it? Well, clearly everyone has heard the term "Agile", and it seems most are believers these days. Whether you believe or not, though, there are some deep principles behind why the Agile movement exists. This book uncovers and articulates these principles in a precise, scientific way. Some of the principles are (btw, these are my words, not Alistair's):
There is so much more in there too. I'll shut up now, but I HIGHLY recommend this book!
I would not read a book. I would read someone else's code, then find a proper simple book for that language. That's what I did at the beginning of my passion. In my case, I dug into Commodore 64 BASIC code from journals (at that time, source was shared on dead-tree support, and it was up to you to type it). I then received a BASIC book as a gift (I was a child back then) and started tinkering, but this after I mindlessly typed in all the code, and checked what it did.
I did the same when I learned C. I first started with source code from a chat server, and then bought C for dummies (yep, fast and dirty, but I went somewhere). From there, I continued tinkering and at the same time getting additional knowledge from books.
Three books come to mind for me.
I also love the writing of Paul Graham.
An introduction to GW Basic. With out it I never would have learned how to program and any other books wouldn't have done me any good.
When I first started programming in a OOP languages, I found this book not only to be a comprehensive book about C++ and MFC, it was also has one of the best explanations of Object Oriented concepts I've seen.
When I talk to developers who are just starting out programming in an object oriented language, I tell them to read this book.
I have found that the first edition of The C++ programming language had a big influence on my programming. I also own the second and third version. There are other C++ books I really liked, such as The Design and Evolution of C++.
Algorithms in C++ was invaluable to me in learning Big O notation and the ins and outs of the various sort algorithms. This was published before Sedgewick decided he could make more money by dividing it into 5 different books.
C++ FAQs is an amazing book that really shows you what you should and shouldn't be doing in C++. The backward compatibility of C++ leaves a lot of landmines about and this book helps one carefully avoid them while at the same time being a good introduction into OO design and intent.
Kernighan & Plauger's Elements of Programming Style. It illustrates the difference between gimmicky-clever and elegant-clever.
Solid Code Optimizing the Software Development Life Cycle
Although the book is only 300 pages and favors Microsoft technologies it still offers some good language agnostic tidbits.
One of my personal favorites is Hacker's Delight, because it was as much fun to read as it was educational.
I hope the second edition will be released soon!
I read most of the books having an high score on this question - but not all of them (thanks God !) and I added the others one to my Amazon Wish List right away !
(Someone should create a list on Amazon for these books... Maybe a list named : "Stackoverflow best books ever" ? Anyone know how to do that ?)
To me, the best book ever has been Code Complete. It was a revelation. I bought the 2nd edition in english and then in French and I still think it should be a mandatory reading in any computer science school. Data structure is cool but Code complete, no joke, is much more important...
Then, my second best book was Writing Solid Code - having learn how to be understood, it was great to know how to write solid code.
Then a lot of very nice books but no one to mention here. Until 2001, I think : Framework Design Guidelines: Conventions, Idioms, and Patterns for Reusable .NET Libraries. A jewel ! I read this book many times and it's still on my desk, just beside my LCD, along with Code Complete (really !). I Love the way it has been written (love the comment that has been added here and there - books should all be written like that !)
But well, I forget the very first great books I've read ! The ones who make me love computer science, with passion :
Well, excellent question :o)
Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware by Andy Hunt.
Clean Code by Robert Martin.
This book completely changed the way I wrote code (for the better). The first couple of chapters are the best.
All the Thinking in... books.
Bruce Eckel is THE genious of pedagogy! It's so easy to understand the implementation of polymorphism in C++. It contains all that you should known about C++, basic and advanced concepts. Way better than the Stroustrup's. I learnt Java with him too.
And last but not the least:
The C++ one is free !
Adding to the great ones mentioned above:
Don't know if anyone mentioned it but I would recommend the book from Uncle Bob Martin.
First read the best books regarding your language of choice and then regarding you OS of choice.
Then once you get the grasp of the language, please go through these language agnostic books. 1) Code Complete - Steve McConnell http://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Construction/dp/0735619670
2)Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software - Erich Gamma Erich Gamma , Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John M. Vlissides http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Object-Oriented-Addison-Wesley-Professional/dp/0201633612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248974754&sr=8-1
3)The Pragmatic Programmer - Andrew Hunt and Dave Thomas http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248974843&sr=8-1
4)Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code - Martin Fowler, Kent Beck, John Brant, and William Opdyke http://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Improving-Existing-Addison-Wesley-Technology/dp/0201485672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248974905&sr=8-1
Rich Dad Poor Dad, to realize that programming is just another job, and one that can be outsourced at that, and to focus on "minding my own business" instead rather than trading dollars for hours.
Since I'm a C# programmer and most generic books already has been mentioned I'd like to recommend Bill Wagner's book "More Effective C#.
I think most people that develop composite WPF-applications also should have a look at Microsoft's Composite Application Guidance (also known as Prism):
This book really set up a fundemental view that a programmer need to know about computer.
Computer System - A programmer's perspective
The C Programming Language by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie. It is sometimes referred to as K&R, or the white bible, or K&R2 for the second edition.
Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change by Kent Beck. While I don't advocate a hardcore XP-or-the-highway take on software development, I wish I had been introduced to the principles in this book much earlier in my career. Unit testing, refactoring, simplicity, continuous integration, cost/time/quality/scope - these changed the way I looked at development. Before Agile, it was all about the debugger and fear of change requests. After Agile, those demons did not loom as large.
Personally, I like the handwritten notes by Edsger W. Dijkstra. A lot.
The Annotated Turing was enlightening. It defines the box programmers work in.
Apart from all the great books already recommended, there is one more book I would like to recommend.
This may be relatively unknown, however I use it every so often.
The book teaches computer architecture and how C code gets compiled to assembly code. It has great sections about the program stack, talks about low level operating system constructs and about various parts of the architecture from a programmer's perspective.
It has a great section on memory allocation and garbage collection. It also discusses network programming, profiling and much more.
One of my favorite books.
Dijkstra's A Discipline of Programming is a true classic. It will change the readers' way of reasoning about programs - it certainly has changed mine.
An easier read would be Gries' Science of Programming - it is along the same lines, but easier to read.
As an aside, I must mention that we are still struggling to come up with a scheme that these books propose for concurrent programs.
It seems most people have already touched on the some very good books. One which really helped me out was Effective C#: 50 Ways to Improve your C#. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Tao of Pooh. Philosophy books can be good for the soul, and the code.
It's a brand new book and I've only just skimmed it but Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests right now is THE book on TDD. It really concentrates on the "design" part of software development and how it is closely related to how you develop code writing tests first. I've enjoyed other books on TDD and unit testing but this takes it to a higher level, I'm pretty sure this one is destined to be a classic.
One I didn't already see on here was xUnit Test Patterns: Refactoring Test Code by Gerard Meszaros. This book really helped me see unit testing from a fresh perspective.
"The Practice of programming" by Brian W.Kerninghan & Rob Pike.
The language is easy and also the subject matter is interesting.
I'm late to this question but apparently still have something unique to offer... Software Engineering Economics by Barry Boehm which, to summarize, says that if you want to really improve software productivity get better people since better tools, hardware, languages, methods, etc. will all have a marginal impact. Only better people drive up productivity by significant amounts. I emphasize, this is better engineers, not more engineers!
Not the kind of book you'd take to bed with you, like you might do with Coders At Work but the kind of book that drives home a lesson that our industry has struggled mightily to take to heart. Witness off-shoring, a false economy that Boehm's model predicts will have only a marginal positive effect, if any at all. Check it out.
Getting Things Done (GTD) teaches you how to deal with the thousands of small tasks you need to accomplish in your day-to-day job as a software developer. Although it is not specifically geared towards developers, it is definitely an invaluable aid, as software development typically involves a very lare number of small tasks that need to be done in a prioritized fashion. For example: implementing new features, fixing bugs, refactoring parts of the code, testing or retesting code, etc...
It has been suggested in response to another "Greatest books" question, but not here:
Guns, Germs, and Steel - The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Highly interesting read which powerfully increases one's understanding of the different developments of human societies. Asks questions such as "Why did the Spanish sail to South America and conquer the Inkas, and not the other way round?" that tickle one's curiosity. I think every programmer should read this book because I think every person should.
Essential reading for any mentor/team leader/manager or anyone who reports to the aforementioned.
Excellent book on getting up to speed with JavaScript, highly reccommend.
Code by Microsoft.
Granted, it does NOT teach you about programming but it explains so well how computers work and how humans have learned to translate their thoughts into math and how computers operate.
I never understood Boolean algebra til I read CODE. I consider it a must read book for all beginners in programming.
hackers, by Steven Levy.
The personality and way of life must come first. Everything else can be learned.
Advanced Programming in the UNIX environment - W. Richard Stevens
Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavich
It's a hypertext book; it comes in two versions - a male version and a female version; and it is excellent.
What happened to 'Expert C Programming - Deep C Secrets' by Peter Van Der Linden - a classical and enjoyable read. Should have read that immediately after learning C years ago but got it about after 3 years into learning C! A recommended book which answers the most common SO questions on pointers (a favourite subject of mine). Live it, eat it, breathe it! 10/10!
Looks like we have the same taste in books. I have to admit that I really enjoyed some of the books listed above. Another book that I found outstanding this year due to its fresh and unique approach was 'is: The Phenomenon of the Facebook Status' by Patrick Hamilton Walsh. Did you read this one during the year? I think it will be huge in 2010. Its a book that... never mind it is Monday morning, so here is the review that sold it to me:
Patrick Hamilton Walsh shows remarkable ingenuity with this unique concept designed to offer an insight into life in today's world via the medium of social networking sites. 'Is' presents an insight into everyday life in the 21st century through the compilation of Facebook status updates, highlighting the joys and pressures of today's world with its 'warts and all' collection of laugh-out-loud, witty, poignant, crude and downright rude updates.
Each individual status update listed within 'is' allows the watching world to look into the updating person's soul as they share their thoughts and feelings of the day in a manner that has never before existed, giving a glance of what the person is made of, if not the image they are attempting to portray!
Taken as a whole, this compilation helps to unmask the population of Western society who, as individuals, are becoming more willing to share their thoughts with the world.
These individuals take full advantage of the opportunity afforded to them by the fact they can hide behind their computer screens and share thoughts they probably would never dare to on a face-to-face basis!
I got it for £5.49 on Amazon so its a bargain as well. Its also good for 'borrowing' good Facebook updates ;-)
Check it out and thank me later.
Good work people, I look forward to reading more of your stuff in 2010. Happy Christmas everyone.
This is a must read book for every programmer: Database system concepts by Abraham Silberschatz.
This is a very rich and useful compilation, however, I am a bit surprised I have not encountered Andrew S. Tanenbaum among the authors. IMO he is one of the best CS professors, and his genius has to do mainly with his extraordinary ability in making rather difficult material accessible to the CS undergraduates. His books (Modern Operating Systems, or Computer Networks might ring a bell) did a wonderful job in providing me with a solid foundation in CS while doing my BS and I highly recommend them. Some other interesting stuff on Tanenbaum, proving his skills go beyond teaching: author of an OS called MINIX - Linus had his fare share of inspiration from it when implementing Linux; Amoeba - distributed OS; Turtle - free anonymous p2p network.
Really good book. Has a high-level taste of the most important areas of computer science. Yes, CS != programming, but this is still useful to every programmer.
The before mentioned "The C Programming Language, Second Edition" and "The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" are excellent books I would just like to add C++ How to Program by Deitel and Deitel. This book helped me a lot in school and provides many well explained and easy to use examples.
The first programming book I read was C++ for dummies. Needless to say, I still detest C++.
The one that changed me the most as a developer was probably php|architect's Guide to PHP Design Patterns. Not so much that it is great at explaining stuff (which it is), but that it was the one book that took me up a level or two as a programmer, just by reading it (because I was shitty before). Before I used to write lines of code (as long as it works, etc). After reading the book, I started writing apps, considering the whole structure and the flow.
The Art of Game Design - A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell
Jesse Schell has taught Game Design and led research projects at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center since 2002.
Nuff said.
PS: Sorry If I am double posting, I couldn't find this book in the answers - either because the title was not exact or there was no image. Let me know and I'll delete it if so.
What Every Programmer Should Know About Memory
by Ulrich Drepper - explains the structure of modern memory subsystems and suggests how to utilize them efficiently.
PS: Sorry If I am double posting.
97 Things Every Programmer Should Know
This book pools together the collective experiences of some of the world's best programmers. It is a must read.
My vote is "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning With Python" It's available both as a book ( http://www.amazon.com/How-Think-Like-Computer-Scientist/dp/0971677506 ) and as a free e-book ( http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkCSpy/thinkCSpy.pdf )
It really helped me to understand the basics of not just Python but programming in general. Although it uses Python to demonstrate concepts, they apply to most, if not all, programming languages. Also: IT'S FREE!
Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC. The Pink Shirt book.
...well, someone had to say it.
You.Next(): Move Your Software Development Career to the Leadership Track ~ Michael C. Finley (Author), Honza Fedák (Author) link text
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, you need to relax sometimes too if you really want to be a good programmer...
Wow I am kind of shocked that no Domain Driven Design books were mentioned on the first couple of pages?
Rework by Jason Freid and DHH of 37 signals is interesting - http://37signals.com/rework/
Not really a programming book, but aimed at programmers and business start-ups
Maverick!: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace
Will make you realise what a workplace should be like.
currently reading : the inmates are running the asylum - really good read... i felt like quoting every line of it and save it for further reference
Most fun to read: The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick (one of world's most famous hackers)
Really shows that how secure your software may be, the weakest link is always the human controlling it, with entertaining examples.
Clean code is a fairly new book that gives good of lots of good examples on working with refactoring and complexity, recommended!
Types and Programming Languages by Benjamin C Pierce for a thorough understanding of the underpinnings of programming languages.
Design Concepts in Programming Languages by FA Turbak produces detailed implementations of many programming concepts and is very useful for understanding what's going on underneath the hood.
The Back of the Napkin, by Dan Roam.
A great book about visual thinking techniques. There is also an expanded edition now. I can't speak to that version, as I do not own it; yet.
Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment, by George Leonard
It's about about what mindsets are required to reach mastery in any skill, and why. It's just awesome, and an easy read too.
I keep these 3 books on my shelf. As a reminder of the complex and exciting craft we do. I only recommend to read them if you happen to encounter with something that not even the entire Stackoverflow comunity can help you solve as I have:
=)
Godel Escher Bach wins hands down for me, but that's already been mentioned elsewhere. One book that motivated me highly that isn't already in an answer AFAIK is Tracy Kidder's Pulitzer prize winning book The Soul of a New Machine (amazon). Which charts the trials and tribulations of an engineering team trying to bring a new machine to market. It made me feel proud to be an engineer.
Another one is the "C Complete Reference" book by Herbert Schildt, a bit of a brick but very informative nonetheless.
The Python language was very influential to me, I wish I would have read these book years ago. The beauty and simplicity of the Python language really affected how I wrote code in other languages.
