Top 100 Best Software Engineering Books.

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Top 100 Best Software Engineering Books, Ever

The Full List

This article contains a top 100 of the best software engineering books.

The Top 100 List

 

#

Author(s) / Title

Year

ISBN13

Jolt

sum

avg

1

Steve McConnell
Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction (2nd Edition)

2004

978-0735619678

**

243

4.72

2

Elisabeth Freeman, etc.
Head First Design Patterns

2004

978-0596007126

**

237

4.63

3

Steve McConnell
Rapid Development

2003

978-0072850604

**

112

4.74

4

Erich Gamma
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

1994

978-0201633610

*

244

4.55

5

Bruce Schneier
Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code (2nd Edition)

1995

978-0471128458

*

99

4.61

6

Robert C. Martin
Agile Software Development: Principles, Patterns and Practices

2002

978-0135974445

**

31

4.77

7

Joel Spolsky
Joel on Software

2004

978-1590593899

*

48

4.71

8

Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (2nd Edition)

1999

978-0932633439

76

4.79

9

Frederick P. Brooks
The Mythical Man-Month, Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition)

1995

978-0201835953

124

4.54

10

Martin Fowler
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code

1999

978-0201485677

138

4.54

11

Mike Cohn
Agile Estimating and Planning

2005

978-0131479418

43

4.74

12

Alistair Cockburn
Writing Effective Use Cases

2000

978-0201702255

*

45

4.62

13

Bertrand Meyer
Object-Oriented Software Construction (2nd Edition)

2000

978-0136291558

**

43

4.47

14

Steve McConnell
Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art

2006

978-0735605350

*

31

4.74

15

Mike Cohn
User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development

2004

978-0321205681

37

4.76

16

Donald E. Knuth
The Art of Computer Programming, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set (2nd Edition)

1998

978-0201485417

109

4.39

17

Martin Fowler
Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture

2002

978-0321127426

*

54

4.46

18

Jeffrey Friedl
Mastering Regular Expressions

2006

978-0596528126

122

4.48

19

Andrew Hunt, David Thomas
The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

1999

978-0201616224

127

4.42

20

Karl E. Wiegers
Software Requirements (2nd Edition)

2003

978-0735618794

*

44

4.48

21

Craig Larman
Applying UML and Patterns (3rd Edition)

2004

978-0131489066

178

4.37

22

Alistair Cockburn
Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game (2nd Edition)

2006

978-0321482754

**

28

4.46

23

Gary McGraw
Software Security: Building Security In

2006

978-0321356703

19

4.95

24

Gregor Hohpe, Bobby Woolf
Enterprise Integration Patterns: Designing, Building, and Deploying Messaging Solutions

2003

978-0321200686

31

4.74

25

Tom DeMarco
The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management

1997

978-0932633392

*

52

4.42

26

Craig Larman
Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager's Guide

2003

978-0131111554

46

4.52

27

Eric A. Marks, Michael Bell
Service-Oriented Architecture: A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology

2006

978-0471768944

33

4.45

28

Thomas H. Cormen, etc.
Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition

2001

978-0070131514

167

4.08

29

Thomas Erl
Service-Oriented Architecture: A Field Guide to Integrating XML and Web Services

2004

978-0131428980

32

4.59

30

Martin Fowler
UML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Standard Object Modeling Language (3rd Edition)

2003

978-0321193681

*

139

3.95

31

Kent Beck
Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change (2nd Edition)

2004

978-0321278654

*

126

3.98

32

Alan Shalloway, James Trott
Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design (2nd Edition)

2004

978-0321247148

109

4.33

33

Grady Booch, etc.
Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications (3rd Edition)

2007

978-0201895513

**

37

3.95

34

Jim Highsmith
Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products

2004

978-0321219770

20

4.80

35

Scott Berkun
Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

2008

978-0596517717

55

4.53

36

Jon Bentley
Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)

1999

978-0201657883

28

4.50

37

Paul Duvall, etc.
Continuous Integration: Improving Software Quality and Reducing Risk

2007

978-0321336385

**

13

4.85

38

Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene
Applied Software Project Management

2005

978-0596009489

15

5.00

39

Clemens Szyperski
Component Software: Beyond Object-Oriented Programming

1997

978-0201178883

**

13

4.69

40

Arthur J. Riel
Object-Oriented Design Heuristics

1996

978-0201633856

27

4.78

41

Thomas Erl
SOA Principles of Service Design

2007

978-0132344821

24

4.58

42

Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck
Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit

2003

978-0321150783

*

35

4.57

43

Ken Schwaber
Agile Project Management with Scrum

2004

978-0735619937

30

4.47

44

Ken Schwaber, Mike Beedle
Agile Software Development with Scrum

2001

978-0130676344

35

4.51

45

Joshua Kerievsky
Refactoring to Patterns

2004

978-0321213358

*

42

4.10

46

Alistair Cockburn
Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams

2004

978-0201699470

12

4.75

47

Steve McConnell
Software Project Survival Guide

1997

978-1572316218

63

4.33

48

Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister
Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects

2003

978-0932633606

**

23

4.52

49

Venkat Subramaniam, Andy Hunt
Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World

2005

978-0974514086

*

26

4.58

50

Kathy Schwalbe
Information Technology Project Management

2007

978-1423901457

27

4.63

51

Randall Hyde
Write Great Code: Volume 1: Understanding the Machine

2004

978-1593270032

17

4.82

52

Scott Rosenberg
Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software

2007

978-1400082476

59

3.78

53

Cem Kaner, etc.
Lessons Learned in Software Testing

2001

978-0471081128

35

4.54

54

Andy Oram, Greg Wilson
Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think

2007

978-0596510046

**

27

3.81

55

Luke Hohmann
Beyond Software Architecture: Creating and Sustaining Winning Solutions

2003

978-0201775945

27

4.56

56

Grady Booch
Unified Modeling Language User Guide, The (2nd Edition)

2005

978-0321267979

81

3.30

57

Karl Fogel
Producing Open Source Software: How to Run a Successful Free Software Project

2005

978-0596007591

*

13

4.85

58

Michael Feathers
Working Effectively with Legacy Code

2004

978-0131177055

21

4.86

59

Kent Beck
Test Driven Development: By Example

2002

978-0321146533

*

27

4.11

60

Per Kroll, Philippe Kruchten
The Rational Unified Process Made Easy: A Practitioner's Guide to the RUP

2003

978-0321166098

14

4.79

61

Thomas Erl
Service-Oriented Architecture: Concepts, Technology, and Design

2005

978-0131858589

60

4.15

62

Cem Kaner, etc.
Testing Computer Software (2nd Edition)

1999

978-0471358466

35

4.34

63

Frank Buschmann, etc.
Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture Volume 1: A System of Patterns

1996

978-0471958697

*

16

4.50

64

Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - 2nd Edition

1996

978-0262011532

157

3.44

65

Dan Pilone
UML 2.0 in a Nutshell

2005

978-0596007959

14

4.57

66

Brett D. McLaughlin, etc.
Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design

2006

978-0596008673

**

35

3.77

67

Johanna Rothman
Manage It!: Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management

2007

978-0978739249

*

7

5.00

68

James Shore, Shane Warden
The Art of Agile Development

2007

978-0596527679

11

4.64

69

Brian W. Kernighan, Rob Pike
The Practice of Programming

1999

978-0201615869

49

3.96

70

Ron Jeffries, etc.
Extreme Programming Installed

2000

978-0201708424

31

4.35

71

Scott W. Ambler, Pramodkumar J. Sadalage
Refactoring Databases: Evolutionary Database Design

2006

978-0321293534

*

19

4.42

72

Jared Richardson, William Gwaltney
Ship it! A Practical Guide to Successful Software Projects

2005

978-0974514048

24

4.46

73

Greg Hoglund, Gary McGraw
Exploiting Software: How to Break Code

2004

978-0201786958

27

4.41

74

Michael Nygard
Release It!: Design and Deploy Production-Ready Software

2007

978-0978739218

*

17

4.47

75

Edward Yourdon
Death March (2nd Edition)

2003

978-0131436350

68

3.82

76

Stephen P. Berczuk, etc.
Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration

2003

978-0201741179

23

4.57

77

Elfriede Dustin, etc.
Automated Software Testing: Introduction, Management, and Performance

1999

978-0201432879

40

4.55

78

Donald C. Gause, Gerald M. Weinberg
Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design

1989

978-0932633132

25

4.72

79

Tom Gilb
Competitive Engineering

2005

978-0750665070

13

4.92

80

David J. Agans
Debugging

2006

978-0814474570

15

4.80

81

Eldad Eilam
Reversing: Secrets of Reverse Engineering

2005

978-0764574818

14

4.64

82

Robert L. Glass
Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering

2002

978-0321117427

23

4.30

83

Martin Fowler
Analysis Patterns: Reusable Object Models

1996

978-0201895421

15

4.40

84

Matt Weisfeld
The Object-Oriented Thought Process (2nd Edition)

2003

978-0672326110

42

4.07

85

John M. Vlissides
Pattern Hatching: Design Patterns Applied

1998

978-0201432930

25

4.68

86

Johanna Rothman
Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management

2005

978-0976694021

24

4.38

87

Robert K. Wysocki
Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme

2006

978-0470042618

26

4.35

88

Ellen Gottesdiener
Requirements by Collaboration: Workshops for Defining Needs

2002

978-0201786064

14

5.00

89

Eric Evans
Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software

2003

978-0321125217

42

4.24

90

Nick Rozanski, Eóin Woods
Software Systems Architecture: Working With Stakeholders Using Viewpoints and Perspectives

2005

978-0321112293

12

5.00

91

Peter Rob, Carlos Coronel
Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management (8th Edition)

2006

978-1418835934

27

3.37

92

Robert Orfali, etc.
Client/Server Survival Guide (3rd Edition)

1999

978-0471316152

43

4.40

93

Douglas Schmidt, etc.
Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture Volume 2: Patterns for Concurrent and Networked Objects

2000

978-0471606956

21

4.33

94

Michael Lopp
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

2007

978-1590598443

21

4.29

95

Paul Graham
Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age

2004

978-0596006624

55

4.07

96

Philippe Kruchten
The Rational Unified Process: An Introduction (3rd Edition)

2003

978-0321197702

34

3.91

97

Joel Spolsky
The Best Software Writing I: Selected and Introduced by Joel Spolsky

2005

978-1590595008

22

4.14

98

James O. Coplien, Neil B. Harrison
Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development

2004

978-0131467408

13

5.00

99

Esther Derby, etc.
Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great

2006

978-0977616640

17

4.53

100

Henry S. Warren
Hacker's Delight

2002

978-0201914658

13

5.00

Legend

Year

= Year of Publication

Jolt **

= Jolt Winner

Jolt *

= Jolt Productivity Award

sum

= Number of reviews on Amazon

avg

= Average rating on Amazon

Scope of this List

For this Top 100 list I have included only books covering subjects found in the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge(SWEBOK). This means that I have left out books with main topics suchas web design, computer science, business management and systemadministration. The main reason for this is that I had to limit thescope (or I would never be able to finish it).

I also excludedall books that dealt with specific technologies, such as Java, .NET,Ruby and PHP. I was only interested in the potentially timelesssoftware engineering classics. In my opinion, technology books do notfall into that category. I did include books on project management (asproject management is one of the competences in SWEBOK) but only whenthose books explicitly dealt with managing software development.(That's why there is no generic PMP-related material on the list.)

Finding the Books

To find all these potentially timeless classics, I checked the best-selling books in these five Amazon categories:

Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Software Engineering
Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > System Analysis & Design
Books > Computers & Internet > Programming > Algorithms
Books > Computers & Internet > Programming > Software Design, Testing & Engineering
Books > Computers & Internet > Project Management

AfterI found all best-selling software engineering books, I subsequentlyfound many other books through the "Customers Who Bought This Item AlsoBought" cross-reference feature. And that's how I finally ended up witha list of 250 books.

Note: in case of multiple editions ofthe same book, only the most recent edition is listed on the chart,though reviews and ratings were combined for all available editions.

Doing the Calculations

When it was time to do the calculations, I checked the number of customer reviews on Amazon,and I ranked the books according to these numbers (= a measure ofquantity). I also calculated the average Amazon ratings, and I rankedthe books according to these ratings (= a measure of quality). I thenchecked the number of Google hits for each of the books, and I rankedthem accordingly (= a measure of popularity). Finally, I took the threerankings, added extra points for all winners of Jolt awards, and thenre-calculated it into a final ranking. This resulted in the list younow have before you.

Note: this little project was performedin the first week of June, 2008. Current Amazon reviews and ratingsmight have changed since then.

I admit that the system Iused has no scientific basis. Nevertheless, I think the results arequite interesting, and I'm sure the list can be of great help if youwant to broaden your knowledge of the field of software engineering, inall its exciting dimensions. I suggest you start with number 1, andthen slowly work your way down. It shouldn't take you more than acouple of years…

Comments

Let's walk down the list and see what entries are worth pointing out...

First of all, it is obvious that Steve McConnell is the biggest hero among software engineers. (Well, at least among the reading part of the software engineering population...) Steve has no less than four entries on the list: Rapid Development (#3), Software Estimation (#14), Software Project Survival Guide (#47), and of course the Best Software Engineering Book Ever... Code Complete (#1). Congratulations to Steve for this stellar achievement!

There's only one other author with four entries on the Top 100 list. It's Martin Fowler, with Refactoring (#10), Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (#17), UML Distilled (#30) and Analysis Patterns (#83). And next in line is Alistair Cockburn, with three titles: Writing Effective Use Cases (#12), Agile Software Development (#22) and Crystal Clear (#46). It seems you cannot go wrong reading just about any of the books these guys are delivering!

After creating the top 100 list, one thing that immediately grabbed my attention was the #2 position for Head First Design Patterns, by Elisabeth Freeman, etc. The book ended two notches higher than the original (and more famous) Design Patterns (#4) by the Gang of Four(Erick Gamma, etc.) Several people had already informed me thatFreeman's book is actually more readable than the classic one by theGoF. And now the Top 100 list seems to indicate that this is indeed thegeneral public opinion. Freeman's book has a higher average rating onAmazon, and it was a Jolt Winner on top of that.

The best agile software development book is Agile Software Development: Principles, Patterns and Practices (#6), by Robert C. Martin. There are no less than 20 books onagile software development on the Top 100 list. It's obvious that noother topic has been so hot as the "agile" meme in the last decennium.

I would like to mention that I had a tough time deciding whether or not Mastering Regular Expressions (#18), by Jeffrey Friedl,actually belonged on the Top 100 list. I told you before that the listis about software engineering topics, and not about specifictechnologies. However, the book simply kept popping up in numeroussearches and references. And I considered that regular expressions areactually not a technology but an (interpreted or compiled) technique ornotation, just like UML, and useful for any software engineer,regardless of the type of application. So I relented, and Jeffrey gothis #18 slot on the list.

For books with different editions Isimply added the reviews and ratings for each edition, and used thelast edition as the only Top 100 entry. Scott Berkun, the author of Making Things Happen (#35) was lucky that I knew that the previous edition of his book had a different name: The Art of Project Management. He wouldn't have ended so high if I had not been able to catch that essential piece of information.

One book that deserves a special treatment is Dreaming in Code (#52), by Scott Rosenberg. It was released in 2007 (first edition) and it has already scored Amazon 59 reviews.

And another newcomer that's worth point out is Manage It! (#67), by Johanna Rothman.Johanna's relatively new book still had only seven reviews on Amazon(at the time of calculation), but she scored a perfect 5.0 rating, andshe added a Jolt award on top of that! Her book is the highest on thelist with such a small crowd of enthusiastic supporters, and an almostperfect score for quality.

Speaking of Jolt awards, the top 7 books on the list all have received such an award. The highest entry on the list that did not receive a Jolt award is Peopleware (#8), by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister.The book is one of the highest rated books ever, and I'm sure that theJolt jury regrets not having awarded Tom and Tim for their little (butvisionary) masterpiece.

At the other side of the scale we find The Unified Modeling Language User Guide (#56), by Grady Booch.Of all the books on the Top 100 list, this one has the lowest averageAmazon rating (3.30). But it is compensated by a large number ofreviews (81) and a huge number of Google hits. It's a nice example of abook having popularity winning over quality.

Last of all, I think there's no better way of ending this post than including a reference to Hacker's Delight (#100), by Henry S. Warren.It seems like a nice book to close the list at the bottom. I had neverheard of the book myself, but seeing that it has a perfect Amazonrating of 5.0 I'm sure that it's worth checking out.

Happy reading!

p.s. If you want to receive a nicely formatted Word-document of the list, you may email the author about it!

This article was originally published as a blog post at www.noop.nl. The original post will not be kept up-to-date. All future updates will be made in this Knol.