Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers
Recommendations from 61 sampled comments out of 61 eligible comments. This page covers the sample, rather than the entire HN thread.
jerf · Apr 6, 2011If you actually finish that book you'll be ahead of the vast bulk of programmers
nikcub · Apr 6, 2011First is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs[1]
T-R · Apr 6, 2011Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman
wicknicks · Apr 6, 2011You should check out the book Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs -- I found it "enlightening"
dytrivedi · Apr 6, 2011Godel, Escher, Bach
arethuza · Apr 6, 2011GEB is an excellent books
samdalton · Apr 6, 2011The book is somewhat life changing, in the questions that it asks.
netaustin · Apr 6, 2011The Mythical Man Month was written in 1975, but it holds up remarkably well.
gharbad · Apr 6, 2011Knuth's Art of Computer Programming
dytrivedi · Apr 6, 2011Art of Computer Programming
charlieconroy · Apr 6, 2011This book like no other just makes me smile.
rshepherd · Apr 6, 2011If you feel you need a discrete math course, then this book is probably not a good place to start with algorithms.
T-R · Apr 6, 2011Introduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein
jollyjerry · Apr 6, 2011- Javascript, the Good Parts
nikcub · Apr 6, 2011UNIX (TAOUP[7])
jdj · Apr 6, 2011Bishop is much harder to read
deong · Apr 6, 2011Chris Bishop's Pattern Recognition book is also very good, but it's not the same sort of book.
iqster · Apr 6, 2011every professional programmer (and certainly every manager) should have read it
samdalton · Apr 6, 2011This book takes the point he was trying to make in the first book, and expands on it while adding clarification.