I did a similar post ages ago[1], although less ambitious at only 7 books. I've since read the Turing Omnibus and The Little Schemer and I was glad to see them

I did a similar post ages ago[1], although less ambitious at only 7 books. I've since read the Turing Omnibus and The Little Schemer and I was glad to see them on the list. I wish I'd had them when I was much younger. In addition to Programming Pearls I would also add "Software Tools" by Kernighan and Plauger. I never read The Elements of Programming Style but very early in my career I chanced into the single-page excerpt "Brian Kernighan's Programming Style Tips"[2] which has probably been the single most influential document on practical programming I've ever read. Edit: Almost forgot, Programming Erlang by Joe Armstrong was also a landmark book for me, and if I were to redo my list I'd certainly add it. [1] http://www.youell.com/matt/writing/?p=4 http://www.youell.com/matt/writing/?p=4 [2] http://ellard.org/dan/www/libsq/ref/style.html http://ellard.org/dan/www/libsq/ref/style.html