Library
Computing
Art of SQL
This book will not teach you SQL, nor will it provide you with ready-to-run implementations to various problems. It will however, provide you with the knowledge to be able to handle large datasets and complicated queries as efficiently as possibly. If you have a reasonably knowledge of SQL and are looking to take your game to the next level, this is the book for you.
Don’t Make Me Think
An introduction to useability on the Web. Not only is it fun and easy to read, it also practises what it preaches. If you’re looking for detailed knowledge on the subject of useability, this is not the book for you. However, if you build websites and the term useability is alien to you, you need this book.
Peopleware
Fantastic book about the people side of software development. If you are team leader or manager (or aspire to be) then this is the must-read book for.
Linux in a Nutshell
This is the most-used book in my collection. An excellent quick reference for all things Linux. Commands, boot loaders, shells, package managers, text editors, regular expressions, CVS, Gnome, KDE and more.
Windows Graphics Programming
Made somewhat obsolete in the world of .Net and web applications, this book is still an essential read for people developing desktop applications for which require custom graphics programming. Every aspect of the Win32 GDI is covered, architecture, display drivers, printing, pens, brushes, bitmaps,regions, fonts. There’s even a chapter on DirectDraw and Direct3D.
General Interest
Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World
A tour of ancient wonders and how they were built. In addition to the Seven Wonders there’s also structures such as the Parthenon, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China and teh Nazca Lines. Not a very in-depth book but a fanatastic introduction to ancient architecture and building techniques, with excellent illustrations.
Seventy Architectual Wonders of Our World
A similar book to the Ancient Wonders only covering more up-to-date structures such as St Peter’s Basilica, the Houses of Parliament, the Pentagon, the Channel Tunnel and the Three Gorges Dam. Again, not very in-depth, but superbly illustrated.
The Corporation
If corporations were people they would be psychopaths, sounds extreme but after reading this you’ll see why. A great book on the power of corporations, how they achieved such power and how they wield it.
The End of Poverty
An excellent book on how poverty can be eliminated and the economics behind how to achieve it. We can change the world, we just lack the collective will to do so.
The God Delusion
This book looks at all the various reasons and arguments for religion and then picks them apart one by one using logic and reasoning. It’s the literary equivalent of Marmite, you’ll love it or hate it.
Introduction to Britsh Politics
A look at the various aspects of UK politics, such as the constitution, political parties, voting, the civil service, the armed forces, the Bank of England, regional and local government, the economy, the welfare state, globalisation and the EU. If you’re interested in finding out how Britain is run then this is the book for you.
The Dangerous Book for Boys
From Paper aeroplanes, catapults and treehouses to Shakespeare, Latin and poetry; this book is full of projects, articles and advice that every man should know. Younger ones can be encouraged away from the TV and older one can relive their youth. Apparently you can make a battery from a bunch of 2p coins, kitchen foil, blotting paper, vinegar and salt; cool!
Schott’s Original Miscellany
If you’re one of those people who love facts and figures and general trivia, then this book is for you. Full of information such as Kings and Queens of Britain, poker hands, plays of Shakespeare, clothing washing symbols, Beatles hits and umpteen similar entries. This is the book you can pick up and put down whenever you like. Open it at a random page and learn something new and intersesting.
Symbol of Courage
A history of the Victoria Cross, including a narrative of every conflict in which the VC has been awarded and a complete listing of every recipient and details of the action for which the medal was awarded. Such as Sergeant James Ward (RNZAF) who, returning from a bombing raid on 8th July 1941, climbed out onto the wing of his Wellington bomber to extinquish a fire in one of the engines.