petercooper

Programming Pearls by Joe Bentley. And its followup.

Eloquent JavaScript (mentioned elsewhere) is fantastic.

I'd also recommend The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk

Michael Kerrisk's The Linux Programming Interface is the best technical book I've read in many years

It's extremely short and to the point on how best to spend one's life

Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic

Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic

My recommendation for people who are new to both Ruby and Rails is Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda

Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic

Ready, Fire Aim by Michael Masterson.

I'd recommend Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson.

The Rails Way kicks ass once you already know Rails to a certain extent - it's definitely not a first book.

Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications. An excellent hobbyist book. I suspect pro developers might find some issues with it though