20 Best Programming Books for Beginners

The most famous programmers, whose professionalism is not in doubt, call constant self-education the main secret of their success. Both at the beginning of their journey, and having already climbed to the top of the IT industry, they do not stop mastering new languages ​​and tools, following trends and creating unique products. To understand the basics of programming, choose a specific path and move on to solving practical problems, many of them had only to study 1-2 books from the rating below. The main thing is not to get hung up on theory, but immediately apply the knowledge gained in practice and try to write the first lines of code as quickly as possible.

Best Books for Understanding the Fundamentals of Programming

5 Refactoring. Improving the design of existing code

Any, even a very badly designed program, can be turned into a working reliable code.How? This is exactly what Martin Fowler and his co-authors talk about in their book, decomposing the refactoring process into several simple steps. In total, the book is based on more than 70 code optimization techniques, for each of which a field-tested technology is presented with specific examples in Java.

Developers who have read the book call it a programming classic and positively describe their experience in applying what they learned. For beginners, it may be incomprehensible - the solutions proposed by the author seem so elementary. But in the aggregate, such small changes give a radically different effect, expressed in the improvement and risk-free development of the entire project.

4 Techniques of object-oriented design. Design patterns

When designing programs in OO, typical tasks often arise, which are designed to be solved by repeatable architectural structures - patterns. The simplest and most elegant of them are described in a book by a group of computer scientists, wittily nicknamed the Gang of Four. Their work has been reprinted about 50 times and sold over half a million copies.

The first part talks about all the advantages and disadvantages of using patterns in software engineering, the second - 23 classic patterns are presented in an easy-to-read form. Their use allows even novice designers to develop their own applications.

3 Clean code. Creation, analysis and refactoring

Working code isn't always the best, and almost every programming book talks about it. But it was Robert Martin, an international consultant in this field, also known as Uncle Bob, who managed to explain in an accessible language how the notorious clean code is written and how to transform bad code into good one.

The content of the pages is equally useful for both beginners and experienced programmers, since the information is presented incrementally and everyone will find something new for themselves. The publication is praised for its light style, but criticized for some watery material, considering it unnecessary, for example, quotes from famous colleagues, as well as informational repetitions.

2 The art of programming. T. 1‒4

The fundamental work of the American scientist in the field of computer science Donald Knuth, which is included in the list of books that have shaped the modern science of the XXI century, as well as in the TOP-12 of the best physical and mathematical monographs. The 83-year-old author claims to have enough information to fill 7 volumes and hopes to complete the main project of his life in the next 20 years. To date, 4 have been written and published, and all of them are devoted to the basics of programming - from basic concepts to the analysis of the most important algorithms.

In reviews, the book is called the bible for programmers. Bill Gates himself said that those who read it can safely send him a resume. But, according to reviews, it is written in a rather complicated language for beginners; without patience and good knowledge of mathematics, one cannot understand the text.

1 Perfect code. Master Class

It was no coincidence that the first edition of the book was considered the best coding guide for 10 years. It collects and lays out on the shelves various methods and principles of competent coding, and special attention is paid to many important little things that other authors never stop at.

Another difference of the manual is the constant repulsion from research and practical examples, references to other articles and scientific papers, allowing, if necessary, to refer to the original source. And although the book was written back in 2004 and does not contain information about modern concepts and languages ​​​​like JavaScript and PHP, and examples are given mainly in C ++ and Visual Basic, it is still relevant and valuable to everyone who comprehends the basics of programming.

Best Books for Mastering Basic Programming Languages

5 Learning Javascript Programming

O'Reilly Media is a well-known US educational company that publishes books and hosts scientific conferences. One of its most popular series is Head First, which features a reader-engaging combination of useful material, offbeat page design, and an engaging conversational style with jokes and puzzles.

Eric Freeman's book on the basics of web programming in javascript is no exception. From closures and hooks to prototypes and constructors, beginners will learn everything they need to move from HTML and CSS layout to creating dynamic pages, even if they haven't written a single line of code before.

4 Object Oriented Programming in C++

This book helped to master the technology of OO programming without exaggeration to thousands of students. Despite the fact that it is not included in the standard university curriculum, it is recommended by teachers as optional reading, rightly calling it desktop literature for every applicant for IT courses.

The main advantages of the book are the conciseness and clarity of the material, as well as constant workshops. Already after the first chapters, beginners write their first simple programs, after each topic they are invited to test their knowledge with the help of exercises and control questions, and at the very end - to create their own large-scale project.

3 Learn Java

Unlike most programming textbooks, written in heavy academic language, Learning Java is famous for being the easiest to present the material. Due to the fact that the text is supplemented with many humorous pictures and illustrative examples, beginners read it with pleasure and understand the intricacies of the profession with the help of interesting tests, crossword puzzles and even games.

At first glance, the content seems frivolous. But in fact, novice programmers imperceptibly comprehend the theory and practice of Java: the concept and syntax, working with streams, networking, etc. A great start to becoming a profession, but it is important to consider one point: the publication considers Java 5th version , while in 2020 they have already switched to the 12th.

2 Plain Python. Modern programming style

The book is intended for novice developers, but it will definitely be of interest to those who want to add Python to the list of already mastered languages. So, for advanced readers, NoSQL databases and message passing libraries are included. The author chose them because they solve some problems better than the standard tricks, and an experienced programmer will be able to select and download external packages that are most suitable for their applications.

The publication, according to the readers, competently and leisurely introduces the basics of coding, and then gives a lot of details about the art of testing, debugging technologies, code reusability, etc. At the end of the chapters, practical examples are given, there is very little "water", but all However, the language of presentation is considered by many to be rather dry and more suitable for a reference book.

1 Programming in Python

At the beginning of their IT career, many people decide to start with one of the simplest programming languages ​​- Python. In this case, in order to acquire the necessary skills, they should familiarize themselves with a detailed guide on this topic - “Programming in Python”. It was written by renowned programmer and game designer Michael Dawson, who teaches programming courses at the State University in Los Angeles (California), UCLA Extension.

According to the style of writing, it is felt that the information is submitted by a professional teacher. Each function is explained and chewed up to molecules, in addition to the bare theory, there are many practical problems. This is what beginners need, but for more advanced developers, the information is still not enough.

Best Programming Books for Kids

3 Programming for children. Learn to create websites, applications and games. HTML, CSS and JavaScript

David Whitney is sure that learning to be a programmer is the most fun thing in the world, moreover, he managed to convince his entire readership of this. The heroes of his book invite a young web developer to complete 6 incredible missions and along the way learn to write codes in the most important programming languages: HTML, CSS and javascript.

Parents in their reviews of the publication boast that it has become common for their children to spend time with a book in their hands. They are happy to create their own projects - websites, games and applications. At the same time, in some reviews there are complaints about broken links and errors in codes, but they are not specifically indicated.

2 Scratch for young programmers

If a child is too fond of gadgets, it is better to buy him a programming tutorial and offer to make his own game. The book is designed for self-study by children aged 8-11 and is designed in full accordance with children's interests: beautiful, brightly illustrated with color pictures, written in large print in a language understandable even to a first grader (provided that he can read and count).

The book is one of the few written in Russian, and not by anyone, but by Denis Golikov, a well-known programmer and children's computer literacy trainer.The presented material is based on his many years of teaching experience and has been tested by hundreds of children who, thanks to him, have learned to work in graphic editors, create games, cartoons and voice them.

1 Programming for children. An Illustrated Guide to the Scratch and Python Languages

It is natural that in the digital age, modern children are recommended to learn computer languages, like English - from an early age, from about 8 years old. The principles of education have not changed - information should be simple, intelligibly told and presented in a playful way. That is why the authors of this tutorial suggest learning through the creation of games and animations.

An interesting feature of the publication is the lack of adaptation to Russian versions of programs. This decision is justified by the fact that all programmers should know English and it is better for children to get used to it from the very beginning. It is noteworthy that the book is actively used not only by children, but also by their parents in order to master a new topic for themselves, and teachers for classes in computer schools.

The Best Programming Reference Books for Beginners

4 Fanatic programmer

This book does not contain highly specialized knowledge of programming, and in general the topic of software development is not considered in it. Nevertheless, it is very popular because it allows you to save a few years and take advantage of other people's experience in building an outstanding IT career.

The pages provide practical advice on how to fit into a successful team or create your own dream team, increase your motivation, get a dream order, etc. The material is universal and useful to everyone - from novice programmers to old coding dinosaurs, and even those who who has never programmed.

3 We rock algorithms. Illustrated guide for programmers and the curious

Most of the algorithms have already been found and verified at some point. Evidence of their viability can be found in the multi-page tomes of classical authors, but is it worth doing this if there is a book "Groaming Algorithms"? It clearly and consistently, with the help of illustrative examples and illustrations, explains the basic principles of creating programming algorithms, saving beginners from unnecessary intricacies and explanations.

Despite the fact that reviews often point to the superficiality of information and the need to move on to more serious books as soon as possible, readers still recommend grokking (translated from american slang - to understand, understand) the topics raised by Aditya Bhargava, master in computer science at the University of Chicago.

2 Computer architecture

The worldwide bestseller explains in detail the structure and principles of operation of hardware and software, includes information about the latest achievements in the IT field and gives a complete understanding of the functioning of operating systems.The first version of the book appeared back in 1980 and became a basic textbook in leading technical universities.

Currently, the 5th and 6th editions have been released, fully adapted to the modern realities of the computer industry. Andrew Tanennbaum, as a practitioner who has developed several operating systems, and a theorist who has accumulated a huge amount of knowledge about his subject, was able to explain complex things in simple words. His work is equally interesting both at the very beginning of studying web development and at higher levels of an IT career.

1 Python. Pocket guide

The reference guide was written by world-renowned Python expert Mark Lutz and is now in its 5th edition. Its main advantage is a concise selection of all the necessary information in an A5 pocket format, which allows you to carry the guide with you and at any time access an important method or function for yourself.

It is important to understand that the book is not a textbook, much less a tutorial. It can be difficult for beginners to dive into programming, in part because of the poorly developed index. Another shortcoming that many readers point out is the lack of real life examples.

Best Programming Books

3 Programming in examples and tasks

Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov.Associate Professor of the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics (FMC) Tatyana Gratsianova has been working at Moscow University since 1999 and has created a detailed manual on programming in Pascal especially for high school students, novice programmers and applicants, as well as for teachers and methodologists.

In terms of style and content, one feels that the book was written by a professional. The topics are presented from the very beginning in great detail, there are explanations of difficult points, the examples are all working, but the text is written easily and completely devoid of water. Many tasks have several solutions with a detailed analysis of which one is the best.

2 Programming tasks

More than 800 pages of coated paper contain hundreds of assignments on all topics of programming - from input and output statements to one- and two-dimensional arrays and dynamic data structures. The well-thought-out structure of the problem book allows you to work according to an individual system or choose an educational trajectory for students.

At the end of the manual are full-text solutions in the Pascal programming language. By resorting to them after completing tasks, novice programmers can analyze their own way of thinking in detail, find inaccuracies and optimize the created algorithms. Complete with the textbook "Fundamentals of Programming" by the same author, in addition to which the collection was created, students receive a complete course on learning web development from scratch.

1 Collection of programming tasks

The 3rd edition of the collection features more than 1,700 problems covering all the topics of the development courses and arranged from simple to complex. With it, any beginner can easily learn the methodology for solving typical programming problems. At the beginning of each section, it is proposed to answer questions so that the student understands exactly what topics he needs to study at this stage.

It is important that the tasks are not tied to any of the programming languages, which means that the manual can be used by both high school students, students and teachers in various educational institutions, as well as all those who are curious for self-learning programming skills. In addition, the problem book includes an appendix with materials for preparing and passing the exam in computer science.

Popular vote - which is the best programming book for beginners?
Vote!

Perfect code

The Art of Programming

Clean code

Design patterns

Refactoring

Programming in Python

Simple Python

Learn Java

OO programming in C++

Learning Javascript Programming

Programming for children. Whitney

Scratch for young programmers

Programming for children. Waldermann

Python. Pocket guide

Computer architecture

Grokaem Algorithms

Fanatic programmer

Collection of programming tasks. Zlatopolsky

Programming tasks. Okulov

Programming in examples and tasks. Gratsianova

Total voted: 3

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