Wednesday, February 25, 2009

3 (or 7) Books every aspiring computer engineer must read

  1. The Art of Computer Programming : It is a series of 4 books written by Donald E. Knuth, a Stanford professor and a living legend in the field of computer engineering. He masterfully creates an interlink between mathematics and computer programming which is essential for anyone who wants to earn his bread from computers. The books are easy to understand and provide problems to cater to every level.
  2. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs : The book is written by MIT professors Herald Abelson and Gerald Sussman. I would like to quote my professor, who is Ph.D. from Harvard, who said "I learnt much from this book long after I had my Ph.D. in the field of compiler designs". It costs $110 on Amazon, but thanks to Creative Commons and the spirit of Open Source, it is available free at : http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html
  3. Artificial Intelligence - A Modern Approach : Don't want a career in AI, don't worry! This book covers some very fundamental topics of AI which I believe every computer programmer must be aware of, because at some point in your life you will be using those techniques at least for once!