Great Book, Great Deal
2008-05-05 22:09 - Programming
Some time late last year, a perfect storm of "books for programmers" books found its way into my attention stream. I ended up building a list of programming books I was interested in. I put Code Complete on my xmas list, and got it, and giddily devoured it. Though the form factor (big pages, floppy softcover) was a pain on the subway.
One of the other ones on the list was Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. There's glowing reviews of it on Amazon, including i.e. "I bought my first copy 15 years ago, and I still don't feel I have learned everything the book has to teach." It's an old book, in the computer world: nearing a quarter century. But I've heard that it's so good that it transcends that age. The lessons are so important that they're still truly valuable.
This one cost over $70, though, so I held off. On a whim the other week, I searched some used book sites, and found it for three dollars. I felt it was possible if not likely that it was really some sort of addendum or teacher's answer guide or some such, but figured I'd give it a shot anyway. It arrived today, it's the real thing, it's hardcover, and I can't wait to learn for myself what makes it such a great book. Time to start reading on the subway again, instead of just playing video games.
