I'm moving soon, and because books are heavy, I'm trying to decide which ones are worth keeping (if any are, it's motivated by nostalgia-- the physical book is on its last legs). This got me thinking about what my favorite programming books were and the impact they had on me. I've got a ton of books that describe how to use framework X or language Y, but they're pretty much read, set aside, and forgotten. These aren't those kinds of books.
Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C# by Robert C. Martin http://www.amazon.com/Agile-Principles-Patterns-Practices-C/dp/0131857258/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296412493&sr=1-1 When this was released, I picked it up on a whim. It was exactly what I needed at the time. I think the great value of this book is the way it takes such a broad base of topics and provides an effective introduction to each. Impact: changed the way I think about writing software. Pushed me to up my game. Motivated interest in classic Alt.Net projects. To Mock a Mockingbird by Raymond Smullyan http://www.amazon.com/Mock-Mockingbird-Other-Logic-Puzzles/dp/0394534913 It's a puzzle book and an introduction to combinatory logic. Picked this up when I was first learning functional programming. Impact: appreciation for the power of metaphor in learning. Land of Lisp by Conrad Barski, M.D. http://www.amazon.com/Land-Lisp-Learn-Program-Game/dp/1593272812/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296412550&sr=8-1 This book is very fun and genuinely entertaining. This is the book I wish I'd had when I was first learning to program (rather than a terrible Pascal textbook and the Turbo Pascal manuals I was stuck with as a kid). Impact: an effective reminder of how important creativity is in my own problem solving process. What are your favorite programming books? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seattle area Alt.Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/altnetseattle?hl=en.
