4 ms·
Ask HN: What are the 'classical' papers worth reading?
Good evening folks,
I've recently grown an interest in classical literature and read some rather old books (like the works of Dostoyevsky for example.)
I found these so great that I figured it might also be worth it to look at some classical papers. Having read Shannon's 'A mathematical theory of communication', which I found very accessible, I've grown to wonder what other 'classical', and perhaps influential papers I haven't read yet. I just never got around to do it as older works often feel 'stale' to me.
So I'm wondering, what papers can you guys recommend as a 'must-read' for the curious mind? I'm not even just asking about computer science in particular, anything that seems interesting might qualify.
I'd love to get some recommendations.
I'm also open to book recommendations.
- newprint 2y agoEvery Nobel prize is a result of research paper(s). Here is your answer.
- sva_ 2y agoClaude Shannon, whose paper is the only example I named, never got a nobel prize. So I'm unsure what point you're making.
- sargstuff 2y agoPerference for short pointer over long pointer. Obviously stack over flow reference problem could have been avoided with standard int. via look up on web. Leap seconds to fleeting a solution.
- newprint 2y agoYour question is very broad. I don't know if you are asking about classic paper Molecular Structure for Nucleic Acid(1953) or you want to read classic proof of Vinogradov's theorem. By definition, whoever gets the Nobel prize, put out classic paper and it doesn't mean that people who didn't get the Nobel prize, didn't put out classic papers.
- sargstuff 2y agoFollw-ups to "considered harmful"[1] as a way to see how classic perceptions change over time. [1] : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Considered_harmful https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Considered_harmful
- FrankWilhoit 2y agoMiller, "The Magic Number 7" (Bell Labs)
- syndicatedjelly 2y agoCheck out Harry Lewis’s “Ideas that Created the Future”
- undopamine 2y agoThis list might be of interest: https://x.com/curiouswavefn/status/1749647212811084061?s=20 https://x.com/curiouswavefn/status/1749647212811084061?s=20
- cpach 2y agoRecursive Functions of Symbolic Expressions and their Computation by Machine (Part I). The original paper on Lisp. It’s a joy to read. 'pg wrote a very good companion: The Roots of Lisp. http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/recursive.html http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/recursive.html https://www.paulgraham.com/rootsoflisp.html https://www.paulgraham.com/rootsoflisp.html
- admissionsguy 2y agoThe origin of continents by Alfred Wegener (1912) and Spreading of the Ocean Floor by Vine (1966)