Here are 57 books that The Nature of Code fans have personally recommended if you like
The Nature of Code.
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I’ve been making web pages since the World Wide Web began in the mid-1990s. Back then, the web was visually quite sparse. It wasn’t until the late 2000s that new browser capabilities let the web getvisually interestingand an exciting place for interactive graphics. Graphics are great: they can be informational (like charts and maps) or purely aesthetic. My personal journey of learning to code interactive graphics has been so rewarding that I’ve shared the love with others through teaching creative coding workshops and undergraduate courses. If you’re new to coding or computer graphics, I hope you’ll give one of these books a try!
If I were getting started with coding graphics today, I would start with this book, hands down. Learning p5 is the easiest way to create interactive graphics that run in a web browser, and this book is a very friendly, accessible, and beautifully illustrated introduction to coding graphics with p5.js—no prior experience needed. You might be wondering about the name “p5.js”. It’s a JavaScript library (that’s the “.js” part) based on Processing, the open-source programming language created for artists and designers. (More on Processing in a moment.) I have taught college courses with this book, and students love it. Plus, all the skills you learn here with p5 are applicable to JavaScript—the world’s most popular programming language—more generally.
Processing opened up the world of programming to artists, designers, educators, and beginners. The p5.js JavaScript implementation of Processing reinterprets it for today's web. This short book gently introduces the core concepts of computer programming and working with Processing. Written by the co-founders of the Processing project, Reas and Fry, along with Lauren McCarthy, one of the minds behind p5.js, Getting Started with Processing gets you in on the fun!
I’ve been making web pages since the World Wide Web began in the mid-1990s. Back then, the web was visually quite sparse. It wasn’t until the late 2000s that new browser capabilities let the web getvisually interestingand an exciting place for interactive graphics. Graphics are great: they can be informational (like charts and maps) or purely aesthetic. My personal journey of learning to code interactive graphics has been so rewarding that I’ve shared the love with others through teaching creative coding workshops and undergraduate courses. If you’re new to coding or computer graphics, I hope you’ll give one of these books a try!
I love this book so much. It is a bit less “how-to” and a bit more “why in the world are we interested in programming and what does that mean for us as individuals and also for society at large?” That is to say, you can learn to code from this book—in JavaScript with p5.js, specifically—but Aesthetic Programmingis not merelyabout learning to code; it’s also a provocative, critical exploration of code as a medium for thought, communication, and creative expression. When you code, you’re participating in the creation of “computational culture.” With this book by your side, you will be a more self-aware cultural citizen. (Also, this book is visually so, so beautiful. Just leafing through the pages inspires me.)
The book explores the technical as well as cultural imaginaries of programming from its insides. It follows the principle that the growing importance of software requires a new kind of cultural thinking - and curriculum - that can account for, and with which to better understand the politics and aesthetics of algorithmic procedures, data processing and abstraction. It takes a particular interest in power relations that are relatively under-acknowledged in technical subjects, concerning class and capitalism, gender and sexuality, as well as race and the legacies of colonialism. This is not only related to the politics of representation but also…
I’ve been making web pages since the World Wide Web began in the mid-1990s. Back then, the web was visually quite sparse. It wasn’t until the late 2000s that new browser capabilities let the web getvisually interestingand an exciting place for interactive graphics. Graphics are great: they can be informational (like charts and maps) or purely aesthetic. My personal journey of learning to code interactive graphics has been so rewarding that I’ve shared the love with others through teaching creative coding workshops and undergraduate courses. If you’re new to coding or computer graphics, I hope you’ll give one of these books a try!
This book changed my life. Known simply as “the blue book” in creative coding circles, I discovered this in a bookstore in Cambridge, Mass., just blocks from where Casey and Ben had created Processing at MIT (and then wrote this book). It opened me up to Processing—their programming language for artists and designers—but also to code as a creative medium. Until then, I saw code as a dry, tedious way to fight with computers. Now I know that code can be just as expressive, engaging, and emotional as prose and poetry.
While the syntax in this book is for Processing (which you can download and run on your computer for free), the concepts are equally applicable to p5.js (which runs in a web browser, also for free).
The new edition of an introduction to computer programming within the context of the visual arts, using the open-source programming language Processing; thoroughly updated throughout.
The visual arts are rapidly changing as media moves into the web, mobile devices, and architecture. When designers and artists learn the basics of writing software, they develop a new form of literacy that enables them to create new media for the present, and to imagine future media that are beyond the capacities of current software tools. This book introduces this new literacy by teaching computer programming within the context of the visual arts. It…
I’ve been making web pages since the World Wide Web began in the mid-1990s. Back then, the web was visually quite sparse. It wasn’t until the late 2000s that new browser capabilities let the web getvisually interestingand an exciting place for interactive graphics. Graphics are great: they can be informational (like charts and maps) or purely aesthetic. My personal journey of learning to code interactive graphics has been so rewarding that I’ve shared the love with others through teaching creative coding workshops and undergraduate courses. If you’re new to coding or computer graphics, I hope you’ll give one of these books a try!
Okay, hear me out. Yes, this book was published in 2007. Yes, it’s ostensibly about ActionScript, the coding language in Flash, which no one uses anymore. But you won’t use this book to learn ActionScript or Flash: You’ll use it to learn how to make things move with code, in any language. You’ll skip over the ActionScript-specific parts in favor of the lucid explanations and helpful illustrations. Your visual brain will appreciate seeinghow sines, cosines, and tangents are relevant—and necessary!—to make digital things move. (Your heart will wish your brain had paid better attention in trigonometry class years earlier, but hey, no regrets!) The chapters “Trigonometry for Animation” and “Velocity and Acceleration” alone are worth the purchase price.
This is the first definitive and authoritative book available on ActionScript 3 animation techniques. ActionScript animation is a very popular discipline for Flash developers to learn. The essential skill set has been learned by many Flash developers through the first edition of this book. This has now been updated to ActionScript 3, Adobe's new and improved scripting language. All of the code has been updated, and some new techniques have been added to take advantage of ActionScript 3's new features, including the display list and new event architecture. The code can be used with the Flash 9 IDE, Flex Builder…
I’ve always enjoyed mentoring folks whether new or experienced in programming. Whether it is teaching an intern or a high school robotics student, or onboarding an experienced Java developer, it brings me joy to see people learn. I also love to read. Being able to recommend some of my favorite books can help even more people absorb all of this information.
By contrast to my previous 20-year-old book recommendation, this one is brand new.
When I was learning Java, we used the (now classic) “Gang of Four” book for Patterns. For design patterns, language syntax does matter. Miro covers the Gang of Four patterns and new ones using the same categories – creational, structural, and behavioral.
Miro also adds concurrency and anti-patterns which weren’t in the original GoF. I like that he includes review questions. This is very key info to know and mastering it with a modern book is very useful. Plus Miro includes examples of that pattern in the JDK itself.
Unravel the power of Java design patterns by learning where to apply them effectively to solve specific software design and development problems
Key Features
Decouple logic across objects with dependency injection by creating various vehicles with features
Finalize vehicle construction by chaining handlers using the Chain of Responsibility Pattern
Plan and execute an advanced vehicle sensor initiation with the Scheduler PatternBook Description
Design patterns are proven solutions to standard problems in software design and development, allowing you to create reusable, flexible, and maintainable code. This book enables you to upskill by understanding popular patterns to evolve into a proficient software…
With over a decade of experience in web development using Clojure and active involvement in the Clojure open source community, I have gathered invaluable insights into effective use of the language. I am eager to share some of the experience and knowledge I have acquired with those new to the language.
This book is an excellent choice for experienced developers who are looking to learn functional programming style. The book introduces Clojure concepts and guides the reader through a series of problems where these concepts are applied in real-world scenarios making it an essential resource for learning the language.
If you're an experienced programmer looking for a thorough but gentle introduction to Clojure, this is the perfect guide for you. Author Carin Meier not only provides a practical overview of this JVM language and its functional programming concepts, but also includes a complete hands-on training course to help you learn Clojure in a structured way. The first half of the book takes you through Clojure's unique design and lets you try your hand at two Clojure projects, including a web app. The holistic course in second half provides you with critical tools and resources, including ways to plug into…
I’ve always enjoyed mentoring folks whether new or experienced in programming. Whether it is teaching an intern or a high school robotics student, or onboarding an experienced Java developer, it brings me joy to see people learn. I also love to read. Being able to recommend some of my favorite books can help even more people absorb all of this information.
When trying to become a better Java developer, there is so much to learn.
97 Things covers, well 97, of them in a series of brief essays. What’s cool is that the essays were written by different people so you get lots of points of view on what is important. Topics range from language (comments, fat jars) to the ecosystem (benchmarking, frequent releases) to the language-agnostic (definition of done and breaking down problems.)
Note that two of these are mine. The book is thin at just over 200 pieces. And since each “thing” is short, it’s easy to read on the go.
If you want to push your Java skills to the next level, this book provides expert advice from Java leaders and practitioners. You'll be encouraged to look at problems in new ways, take broader responsibility for your work, stretch yourself by learning new techniques, and become as good at the entire craft of development as you possibly can
Edited by Kevlin Henney and Trisha Gee, 97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know reflects lifetimes of experience writing Java software and living with the process of software development. Great programmers share their collected wisdom to help you rethink Java practices, whether…
I love computer programming books almost as much as I love computer programming. As a high school student in 1980 I remember typing in really frustrating source code from the book BASIC Computer Games. Was programming meant to be a black art? Was code supposed to be an impenetrable mess of buried intent? When I started getting paid to program, I was happy to see that the answer to both questions was "no." I began to seek and enjoy books that espoused the "right" way to code in a given language. Here is a handful of books that have helped me and countless others learn to produce correct, clear, and maintainable code.
When learning a new language, you'll want to avoid the mistake of assuming that you can adapt your old way of doing things to your new language (like I first tried many years ago). Even though Java and Ruby are both object-oriented languages, the "right" approach to implementing things is dramatically different between the two. Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby makes it easy to learn how to apply object-oriented design and to implement the code properly in Ruby, making your system easier to change as it grows.
The Complete Guide to Writing Maintainable, Manageable, Pleasing, and Powerful Object-Oriented Applications
Object-oriented programming languages exist to help you create beautiful, straightforward applications that are easy to change and simple to extend. Unfortunately, the world is awash with object-oriented (OO) applications that are difficult to understand and expensive to change. Practical Object-Oriented Design, Second Edition, immerses you in an OO mindset and teaches you powerful, real-world, object-oriented design techniques with simple and practical examples.
Sandi Metz demonstrates how to build new applications that can "survive success" and repair existing applications that have become impossible to change. Each technique is illustrated…
I love computer programming books almost as much as I love computer programming. As a high school student in 1980 I remember typing in really frustrating source code from the book BASIC Computer Games. Was programming meant to be a black art? Was code supposed to be an impenetrable mess of buried intent? When I started getting paid to program, I was happy to see that the answer to both questions was "no." I began to seek and enjoy books that espoused the "right" way to code in a given language. Here is a handful of books that have helped me and countless others learn to produce correct, clear, and maintainable code.
During my first few weeks of JavaScript coding, I encountered what seemed to be an endless number of head-scratching moments: "I'm slowly reading the few lines of code I just wrote, it seems fine, so why isn't it doing what it looks like it should be doing?" Even more insidious at times than C++, JavaScript contains a number of fairly clever constructs, including things like hoisting, duck typing, and a loosey-goosey argument passing mechanism. This concise tome of fewer than 175 pages helped get me past those first few months, and as an author-stated goal, it helped me "learn to think in JavaScript."
Most programming languages contain good and bad parts, but JavaScript has more than its share of the bad, having been developed and released in a hurry before it could be refined. This authoritative book scrapes away these bad features to reveal a subset of JavaScript that's more reliable, readable, and maintainable than the language as a whole-a subset you can use to create truly extensible and efficient code. Considered the JavaScript expert by many people in the development community, author Douglas Crockford identifies the abundance of good ideas that make JavaScript an outstanding object-oriented programming language-ideas such as functions, loose…
I am Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University, and have spent the past thirty years thinking/teaching/writing about algorithms. Algorithms are the really cool thing about computer science, for they form the ideas behind any interesting computer program. And algorithms turn out to be the ideas behind many interesting aspects of life that have nothing to do with computers. I have written six books on algorithms, programming, gambling, and history –including the ranking of the historical significance of all the people in Wikipedia.
Knuth’s unique mix of playfulness and rigor came to define computer science as an intellectual discipline: computer science didn’t really have anything to do with computers, but everything to do with a particular way of seeing the world. Just browse and wonder at the beauty and precision achieved in these books.
Volume 3 (Sorting and Searching) is my personal favorite, and I encourage you to start there. During the pandemic, I finally got around to reading Volume 4A (Combinatorial Algorithms), which was published thirty plus years after Volume 3. It was the same feeling I had watching the movie The Phantom Menace years after growing up with the original Star Wars trilogy. I had forgotten just how unique and distinctive Knuth’s Art of Computer Programming is.
The bible of all fundamental algorithms and the work that taught many of today's software developers most of what they know about computer programming.
-Byte, September 1995
I can't begin to tell you how many pleasurable hours of study and recreation they have afforded me! I have pored over them in cars, restaurants, at work, at home... and even at a Little League game when my son wasn't in the line-up.
-Charles Long
If you think you're a really good programmer... read [Knuth's] Art of Computer Programming... You should definitely send me a resume if you can read the whole…
