Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?

Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language.

I'd definitely read Pragmatic before Complete

- Code Complete - 1st Edition. I have both Editions 1 and 2. Edition 1 is very good and has a lot of stuff worth reading and practicing.

They're both good. I'd definitely read Pragmatic before Complete, and I wouldn't feel bad for not finishing Complete.

Peopleware.. to understand taeam dynamics

Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert Cecil Martin

"Endurance" about Sir Ernest Shackleton's incredible failed expedition to the South Pole has a lot of parallels to any software project.

I'd recommend Heinlein's Time Enough For Love, for the attitude.

Hackers and Painters

The Joy of Clojure It (kind of) enlightened me as to why OO programming is such a mess.

"Coders At Work" http://www.codersatwork.com/ It doesn't have either code or very specific recommendations.

Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment.

"HACKERS AND PAINTERS" Hands down one of the best books on software development(without any actual code).