Hi. I'm a Unix Administrator, mathematics enthusiast, and amateur philosopher. This is where I rant about that which upsets me, laugh about that which amuses me, and jabber about that which holds my interest most: Unix.

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Book Collection

Posted 08-08-2011 at 11:12 AM by rocket357
Updated 02-28-2013 at 05:18 PM by rocket357 (Update books I own)

I've been busy assembling a good library of computing books (stuff that directly interests me, of course...so you won't find Java or such in this list), and I would like to get some input (in the event I've overlooked critical "must-have" books). I don't own all of these (yet), but I've been buying them left and right as I can afford it (I usually buy one or two each payperiod, used on Amazon...as long as the book is readable and not too banged up, I'm game). The (not-yet-complete) list (books in italics are ones I already own...I'm OCD about tracking stuff like that =):

C Programming Language Books
1. The C Programming Language - Kernighan, Ritchie
2. The C Standard Library - Plauger
3. C: A Reference Manual - Harbison
4. Expert C Programming - van der Linden
5. Checking C Programs with Lint - Darwin
Compilers, Assemblers, and Linkers
1. The Logical Structure of Linguistics Theory - Chomsky
2. The Definitive Antlr Reference: Building Domain-Specific Languages - Parr
3. Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, Ullman
4. Compiler Construction - Wirth
5. Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation - Muchnick
6. Linkers and Loaders - Levine
Operating System Books
1. Lion's Commentary on Unix
2. Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment
3. Design and Implementation of the 4.4BSD Operating System
4. An Introduction to Berkeley Unix and ANSI C
5. Understanding the Linux Kernel
6. The Linux Programming Interface - Kerrisk
7. Operating Systems Design and Implementation - Tanenbaum
8. Operating System Concepts - Silberschatz, Galvin, Gagne
IT/Administration Books
1. Kerberos: A Network Authentication System
2. Kerberos: The Definitive Guide - Garman
3. Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook - Nemeth, Snyder, Hein, Whaley
4. Unix Power Tools - Powers, Peek, O'Reilly, Loukides
5. PostgreSQL 9.0 High Performance - Smith
6. PostgreSQL 9.0 Reference Manuals, Volumes 1-3
7. High Performance MySQL
8. Postfix The Definitive Guide
9. LDAP System Administration
10. DNS and BIND
11. RHCSA/RHCE Red Hat Linux Certification Study Guide
Hardware Books
1. Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics
2. Structured Computer Organization - Tanenbaum
3. Intel 64 and IA-32 Software Developer's Manuals, Volume 1 - 3
4. 80X86 IBM PC and Compatible Computers: Assembly Language, Design, and Interfacing Volumes I & II
5. The Indispensable PC Hardware Book - Messmer
6. Alpha Architecture Reference Manual, Third Edition (HP Technologies) - Sites
7. Sparc Architecture Manual, Version 9
8. SPARC Architecture, Assembly Language Programming, and C - Paul
9. The Motorola Mc68000 Microprocessor Family: Assembly Language, Interface Design, and System Design - Harman
10. MIPS Assembly Language Programming - Britton
11. Computer Organization and Design: The Software/Hardware Interface - Patterson
12. The Z80 Microprocessor: Architecture, Interfacing, Programming and Design - Gaonkar
Academic/Theory Books
1. Introduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, Stein
2. The Art of Computer Programming, Box Set - Knuth
3. The Practice of Programming - Kernighan
4. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, Sussman
5. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering - Brooks
6. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master - Hunt
7. Hacker's Delight - Warren
8. Code Complete - McConnell
Network Stuff
1. TCP/IP Illustrated: Volume 1 The Protocols - Stevens
2. TCP/IP Illustrated: Volume 2 The Implementation - Stevens
3. TCP/IP Illustrated: Volume 3 TCP for Transactions - Stevens
4. Computer Networks - Tanenbaum
5. Unix Network Programming, Volume 1 & 2
6. Internet Routing Architectures
Odds and Ends
1. Handbook of Applied Cryptography - Menezes
2. Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source in C - Schneier
3. Practical File System Design - Giampaolo
4. The Art of Software Security Assessment - Dowd, McDonald, Schuh
5. Exploiting Software
6. Land of Lisp: Learn to Program in Lisp, One Game at a Time

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	Can't think of any additions. Just popped in to say: "Wow! What a collection!" I've recently got two of those: The C Programming Language - Kernighan, Ritchie Understanding the Linux Kernel - Bovet, Cesati But I haven't read them properly yet.
	Posted 08-09-2011 at 10:24 AM by brianL

Thanks, brianL!

Yeah, you can't go wrong with K&R's TCPL. It's short and concise and somewhat "information-dense", which is the very reason it's such a good book. Don't have to flip through 1700 pages to find that one comment about [some_obscure_topic].

By day I'm a Linux/PostgreSQL Administrator, so the detailed memory utilization coverage in "Understanding the Linux Kernel" was a huge help for me on the job...gotta give props to Cesati and Bovet on that. And that reminds me, Gregory Smith's "PostgreSQL 9.0 High Performance" is one I need to add to the list, since it covers such an array of optimizations (hardware, linux, postgresql, database-application, etc...).

Posted 08-09-2011 at 10:35 AM by rocket357 rocket357 is offline

	Ah, another good one, which I've got and read once (but not absorbed): Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook (4th Edition) - Nemeth, Snyder, Hein, Whaley 1250+ pages packed with useful info on almost everything.
	Posted 08-09-2011 at 11:16 AM by brianL Updated 08-09-2011 at 11:19 AM by brianL

	Added. That sounds like one I'll have to check out. Thanks for the tip!
	Posted 08-09-2011 at 11:23 AM by rocket357

	Another that I haven't got or read, but I've seen a lot of good reviews about: The Linux Programming Interface - Michael Kerrisk It's quite new, and it's a monster (1500 pages or thereabouts).
	Posted 08-14-2011 at 06:12 AM by brianL

	My career has turned such that I need a vastly upgraded understanding of TCP/IP fundamentals, so I've added a book or two on the topic...
	Posted 12-29-2012 at 03:36 PM by rocket357

Nice library! I have quite a collection of math books myself. I learned that taking one book and "sweating" through problems was more profitable (for me) than going through a stack of books on a particular topic (which has it's own benefits). I have found most of the in store computer books lacking and online resources more useful for computers ... maybe I'll be able to pinpoint better books from your list... and will search the Amazon lists instead, thanks for posting this.

Posted 12-30-2012 at 11:15 PM by DavidLee1A DavidLee1A is offline

	I have a list of Math and Philosophy books here, and if you've found math books that you were particularly fond of, I'd love to hear it so I could add them to the list. Thanks!
	Posted 01-02-2013 at 12:44 AM by rocket357