10 best coding books for beginners
When looking for the best books to learn programming, one question to ask yourself is: what are programmers reading right now now? These ten books are curated from a variety of Devmountain instructors and mentors, Amazon’s best sellers in their programming category, and are based on recommendations from popular coding blogs. some of these books are new, and others are tried-and-true favorites among novice and experienced programmers. enjoy our list of the top ten programming books for beginners.
- the self-taught programmer: the definitive guide to professional programming by cory althoff
- make your own neural network by tariq rashid
- managing humans: biting and humorous tales of a software engineering manager by michael lopp
- the pragmatic programmer: journeyman to master by andrew hunt and david thomas
- learning javascript design patterns by addy osmani
- the art of invisibility: the world’s most famous hacker teaches you how to be secure in the age of big brother and big data by kevin mitnick and robert vasi
- clean code: a craftsmanship manual of agile software by robert c. martin
- hacking: the art of exploitation, 2nd edition by jon erickson
- code: the hidden language of computer hardware and software by charles petzold
- javascript for kids : a fun introduction to programming by nick morgan
brief summaries of each of these books can be found below:
You are reading: Books on coding for beginners
10. javascript for kids: a fun introduction to programming
by nick morgan
Don’t let the title stop you. Whether you’re 10 or 110, this book can be a fun way to start learning to code. This book doesn’t speak ill of its audience, so no matter your age, if you’re looking for a relaxed and enjoyable introduction to JavaScript, this book is for you. learn the basics and start exciting projects, all accompanied by fun pictures and easy explanations.
9. code: the hidden language of computer hardware and software
by charles petzold
petzold is one of the seven pioneers of microsoft windows and has been writing about programming since 1984. first published in 2000, his book on the code itself is a perennial favorite in the coding world thanks to its readable explanation of how programming and code are built. in the fabric of everyday life. Petzold explains coding and assembly language for a general audience using familiar concepts like Braille and Morse code. Better yet, the book is illustrated, which helps even those who don’t consider themselves programming experts to follow everything.
8. Piracy: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition
by jon erickson
In its most basic form, hacking is simply the art of solving problems. sometimes a problem requires an unconventional solution, and sometimes that solution involves exploiting holes in someone else’s programming. Readers can get an overview of the world of the best computer programming books from a hacker’s perspective, including techniques like hijacking network communications and exploiting weaknesses in cryptography. Using the included diagrams and easy-to-follow text, readers can try out a variety of existing hacking techniques.
7. clean code: an agile software craftsmanship manual
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by roberto c. martin
The expression “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” is very applicable to bad coding. sure, it might work, but messy code will inevitably make more work for someone else, maybe even yourself! clean code: a handbook of agile software craftsmanship trains with examples, so be prepared to do more than just read about helpful tips and tricks. Not only will you learn what constitutes good code, Martin includes code snippets for analysis, helping you improve your understanding of good and bad techniques. While the code you’ll inspect is primarily Java-based, the principles you’ll learn in this book can be applied to any coding language.
6. the art of invisibility: the world’s most famous hacker teaches you how to stay safe in the age of big brother and big data
by kevin mitnick and robert gosi
mitnick, the author of the bestseller phantom on the wires, calls himself “the most famous hacker in the world”. His career as a hacker began at age 13 when he hacked into a punch card system to get free bus rides around Los Angeles. A former black hatter wanted by the fbi, he spent five years in prison for wire fraud and other crimes between 1995 and 2000. mitnick now teaches the general public about invisibility in the age of big data. those who are new to programming can follow the simple step-by-step tips presented in this book. For more advanced readers, mitnick and Vamosi present “elite” privacy tips.
5. learning javascript design patterns
by addy osmani
Design patterns are useful in all languages and all code bases. If you don’t have a fundamental understanding of design patterns, this programming book is a great primer to help you get started writing better code. at any given time, someone else is struggling with the same software design problems that you are. and, chances are, someone else has already solved your problem. learning javascript design patterns shows you the tried and tested patterns that developers use.
4. the pragmatic programmer: journeyman to master
by andrew hunt and david thomas
Originally released in 1999, this book has been a consistent bestseller among programmers, as well as a college textbook. The material is kept up to date by weaving together short stories and anecdotes, providing valuable advice for software developers. when published, this book also helped popularize a number of coding terms and expressions. how is this relevant to you? Well, a new edition, The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery, will be released in September 2019 for the book’s 20th anniversary, complete with a comprehensive revision of the source material. If the original was good, this one is better. Not only is it up-to-date to reflect the new realities of technology—about a third of the book is entirely new information—but the rest of the text has been edited for clarity.
3. managing humans: biting and humorous stories from a software engineering manager
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by michael lopp
Before running the rands in repose blog, lopp worked for symantec, netscape, and apple. his collected management experience with all of them informs this combination of memoir and guidance. He gives readers a tour of what it’s like to work in Silicon Valley, dealing with what he calls “dysfunctional brilliant people.” Whether he’s on the management side or one of the dysfunctional bright people, he’ll appreciate the wisdom of Lopp’s experience.
2. create your own neural network
by tariq rashid
AI programming and neural networks are all the rage right now. although the more practical parts of this book focus on python programming, at its core, this book is about the mathematics behind neural networks in general. Neural networks are the foundation of artificial intelligence and deep learning. This is one of the best coding books to introduce readers to the concept of neural networks with clear, easy-to-follow examples. After reading this book, even those who haven’t had much experience with python programming will gain a working knowledge of implementing neural networks.
1. the self-taught programmer: the definitive guide to programming professionally
by cory althoff
althoff is a self-taught programmer who took a job at ebay, only to discover that there was still a lot to learn to be a professional programmer. This book is one of the best programming books for beginners learning to code, but even more than that, it is for all self-taught programmers to expand and polish their skills to a professional level. Topics include object-oriented computer programming for beginners, using coding to build a web scraper, fundamentals of computer architecture and algorithms, and coding practices for software development.
Do you want to know more?
These top ten coding books provide a broad overview of the subject of programming from several different points of view. from beginners to experienced programmers looking to expand their circle of knowledge, managers, and even aspiring managers, everyone will learn something from this list to read.
yet even the best computer programming books can fall short when compared to hands-on tutoring. If you’re looking to go deeper than self-study through books, we invite you to join us at devmountain and learn how to code in languages like python, java, javascript, html/css, or swift.