Recommended Reading for Software Developers

Here is a list of some excellent books and documents which we’ve found useful for our students and client organizations, as well as in our own software development consulting practice. Click a title to learn more and order or download. If you’d like to be notified whenever we add new titles to this page, subscribe to our mailing list. (Bytellect LLC is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, and may earn commissions from qualifying purchases at Amazon.com.)

Some of the titles link to downloadable PDF files, which require Adobe Acrobat Reader 7 or later. If you need Acrobat Reader, you can find it here:

The C Programming Language

• The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition (K&R2)
• C Primer Plus (6th Edition)
• The CERT C Coding Standard, Second Edition: 98 Rules for Developing Safe, Reliable, and Secure Systems
• The CERT C Secure Coding Standard
• Mastering Algorithms with C
• GNU Coding Standards (PDF)
• ISO/IEC 9899:2011 (C11 Standard) (with a link to the C18 revision)
• C11 Draft – Working Paper before Standardization (PDF)

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The C++ Programming Language

Introductory (if C++ is your first programming language)

• C++ Primer Plus (6th Edition)
• Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++
• The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference (2nd Edition)

Introductory (if C++ is NOT your first programming language)

• A Tour of C++, 2nd Edition
• Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example
• The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference (2nd Edition)

Intermediate C++

• Exceptional C++: 47 Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions
• More Exceptional C++: 40 New Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions
• Exceptional C++ Style: 40 New Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions
• C++ Templates: The Complete Guide (2nd Edition)
• Discovering Modern C++: An Intensive Course for Scientists, Engineers, and Programmers

Advanced C++

• C++ Template Metaprogramming: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques from Boost and Beyond
• Modern C++ Design: Generic Programming and Design Patterns Applied
• C++ Concurrency in Action
• Advanced Metaprogramming in Classic C++

C++ Best Practices

• C++ Coding Standards: 101 Rules, Guidelines, and Best Practices
• Effective C++: 55 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs (3rd Edition)
• More Effective C++: 35 New Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs
• Effective Modern C++: 42 Specific Ways to Improve Your Use of C++11 and C++14
• Effective STL: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Use of the Standard Template Library

C++ Language References

• The C++ Programming Language, 4th Edition
• The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference (2nd Edition)
• Standard C++ IOStreams and Locales: Advanced Programmer’s Guide and Reference
• C++ Core Guidelines
• C++ Super FAQ
• CppReference.com Wiki

C++ Programming Language Standards

• ISO/IEC 14882:2017 (C++17 Standard)
• ISO/IEC 14882:2020 (C++20 Standard)
• C++17 – Final Working Draft before Standardization (PDF)
• C++14 – Final Working Draft before Standardization (PDF)
• C++11 – Post-Publication Draft after Standardization (PDF)
• The Design and Evolution of C++ (Historical)

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The C# Programming Language

• C# 6 for Programmers (6th Edition)
• Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C# (3rd Edition)
• More Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C# (2nd Edition)
• Framework Design Guidelines: Conventions, Idioms, and Patterns for Reusable .NET Libraries (2nd Edition)
• Standard ECMA-334 C# Language Specification, 7th Edition (PDF)
• Standard ECMA-334 C# Language Specification, Previous Editions

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Algorithms and Data Structures

• Mastering Algorithms with C
• Algorithms, Fourth Edition (Deluxe): Book and 24-Part Lecture Series

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Design Patterns

• Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
• Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide (Java-based)
• Design Patterns in C#

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Intel Assembly Language

• Assembly Language for x86 Processors (7th Edition)
• x86 Instruction Set Architecture
• Combined Volume Set of Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer’s Manuals (PDF)

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Operating System Architecture/Internals

• Windows Internals, Part 1: System architecture, processes, threads, memory management, and more (7th Edition)
• Windows Internals, Part 2 (7th Edition)
• The Design of the UNIX Operating System

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Compiler Design/Construction

• Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools
• Engineering a Compiler
• Compiler Design in C  (PDF and source code files)

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Software Engineering & Project Management

• The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Second (20th Anniversary) Edition
• The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
• Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, Second Edition
• Manifesto for Agile Software Development (Website)
• Detecting Agile BS (PDF)

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Ethics for Computing Professionals

• ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (PDF)
• ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct – Using the Code – Case Studies

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