Programming is said to be an applied discipline, and the emphasis in its study should be on practice. Especially in comparison to other digital professions, such as design or marketing.
After all, a designer is not only expected to have a mechanical knowledge of Photoshop or Figma, but also to have taste, which is trained through observation. A marketer is expected to strike a balance between creativity and metrics control. So books in these fields are more about inspiring the reader, teaching variation in how to solve their problems.
With programmers this balance works to a lesser extent – know how to write a functional from the TOR, and you are already good. If you can offer several variants of implementation, that’s great. But there are important hard- and soft-skills for a coder, which you cannot read in manuals or on StackOverflow.
Head First Design Patterns by Eric Freeman, Elizabeth Freeman
The book will be useful both for experienced developers (if you have encountered various patterns in practice, but didn’t know it was them) and for beginners, because it gives a wide range of comprehensive and very clear explanations and examples. The accessible and interesting way of presentation is a hallmark of O’Reilly’s Head First series, so it won’t be a boring read. What’s important to know: The book is Java-oriented, but almost all users on the web point out that this is not a big problem for PHP programmers.
Clean Code by Robert Martin
This book is about how to write code without too many comments, so that it is understandable to others, simple and concise. The publication teaches you how to write maintainable and well-structured code, and how to continually improve the quality of your code. There are a large number of topical tips, from the length and expressiveness of names to the content of features. There are many good reviews of the book online, but there are also some criticisms: experienced developers point out that there are points to argue with. But if you are a beginner and need the basics, this book will be very useful.
The Perfect Code. Masterclass by Steve McConnell
A book about programming in the broad sense of the word. It is about the development process, the quality of program code and the traits of the programmer himself. Many progers consider it a classic and a must read in their specialty. Not only general information, but also details, so even experienced professionals will find it useful. All the examples here are mostly in C++ and Visual Basic. If you’re a front-end developer, it’s easy to grasp the general idea, but the syntax details will take more time.
Algorithms: Construction and Analysis by Thomas Cormen, Charles Lazerson
Another must have. A well-structured and very large reference book on all basic algorithms with detailed and clear examples. It is useful for understanding algorithms built into programming languages, as well as for designing your own algorithms. The book has been republished at least three times: the last edition removed chapters on sorting nets and binomial heaps, and made some changes in pseudocode syntax. So it is better to choose later editions, as they are much more up-to-date.
The Art of Programming by Donald Knuth
A fundamental work that has been developed over several decades, about mathematics, the deep aspects of different algorithms and data structures. Bill Gates said of this book: “If you think you’re a really good programmer, read the Art of Programming [Knuth]… If you can read the whole thing, you should definitely send me a resume.
How Much Does a Software Project Cost by Steve McConnell
This is the second book by this author in our collection. A very detailed guide on how to calculate software development deadlines. A modern version of Frederick Brooks’ classic The Mythical Man-Month, written in 1975. Will help you learn how to be realistic about estimating product development costs.
The Fine Art of Ignorance by Mark Manson
A bestseller you’ve probably heard of. A book that allows you to make sense of yourself, your values, ambitions and motives. For many, it even replaces a psychoanalyst, helping them to understand the essence of and solutions to various internal conflicts. If you dig deeper, the principles of positive thinking, which are set out in the book, may seem familiar and simple truths. But do we always remember them in the daily flow of business and programming codes?