#25 of 644 all-time
The C Programming Language
Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie
24 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2010–2023.
What people on Hacker News said
It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.
I've been working through K&R C and have been doing exactly what the article says--read the code, understand how it works, then write it. When it breaks, go back and learn why.
IMHO, this lesson is its notion of programming style: terse, small, efficient. It permeates the whole book and C/Unix design but the book is not explicitly about it.
If I knew a kid who was "interested in computers", but there was no one around to give them a helping hand I'd definitely give them a copy of CODE and The C Programming Language.
But K&R’s book explained the language, how it worked, and how to program — in the most primitively satisfying way.
K&R is still the best book on C. Short, simple and accurate.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ? 2010 · 6 recommendations
- Ask HN: Top 10 Timeless Software Books That ChangedLife as Software Engineer? 2023 · 4 recommendations
- The Book That Every Programmer Should Read 2011 · 4 recommendations
- Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study? 2022 · 2 recommendations
- The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books 2018 · 2 recommendations
- Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers 2011 · 2 recommendations
- Ask HN: Which book/essay changed your life? 2021 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything? 2019 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What are the best textbooks in your field of expertise? 2018 · 1 recommendation
- What is the single most influential book every programmer should read? 2011 · 1 recommendation