While visiting Connaught Place and the various train stations and airports of India, I bought four books, three of which were in my Amazon Wishlist (so I am really happy)
Here they are:
I bought the Dragon Book as it is a classic on compilers published some twenty years ago. I suppose you all know my passion for programming languages. So it’s only natural that I want to know more about the process of compilation (and also interpretation). To be frank, I really want to know a lot more and I believe that the best way to do that is to teach compilers to undergraduate students. So beware kids, I’m coming :-)
Programming Language Pragmatics is now considered to be the successor of the Dragon Book. I managed to get the second edition which was published only late this year. Quoting the blurb on the back of the book, Both students and expert programmers alike will benefit from its comprehensive exploration of the fundamental concepts underlying the most important programming languages. I’ve just started reading it and I am still trying to understand lexical and semantic analysis. But I must say that I find the book very readable.
Aha! This is a book that I was really interested in. And not only because of the girl ;-) In my opinion, the book is a comic book on Design Patterns. And it is great! I’ve just started reading it and I’ve already learnt a lot about the Strategy and Observer patterns (even though I own and I’ve read the GoF book). I’m dreaming of a day when we could prescribe this book as a textbook for OO classes…
Now I know you must be telling yourself that I’m getting old and the next book I’ll buy will be that crap men from Mars and women from Venus thing. But you can’t be further from the truth. This book is really a fantastic book. I’ve been longing to get it for one year now (Yep! It was on my wishlist). Of course, I have friends and I know how to influence people (ahem…). But sometimes I am too direct or cynical or even mean. This book will help me be nicer to others especially when I really want them to do something that I’ve in mind. I’ll tell you if Dale Carnegie’s method works or not. As an appetiser, the first principle is “Don’t criticise!”. So I’ll really have to change the way I deal with people after all :-)
My bookshelf is really getting nicer and nicer!
(Photo courtesy of Watanabe Kanato)
I don’t know much about the books but I like the picture you used for this post. It’s cool when the book is put some much en valeur! The ring is good too but the shadow has to be from photoshop!
I don’t think so… Watanabe Kanato is just a very good photographer. I’ve just discovered flickr and I’m loving it :-)
Before I say anything else, I must say that I like reading so-called ‘pop’ psychology books. Mind you, most of them are crap! (like the one Avinash mentioned, the Mars and Venus thing…)
But those by Dale Carnegie are really fascinating and insightful…The techniques he describes are simple and sometimes even too obvious! Yet, in our daily life, we’re rarely aware of our doings!
The goal is to help in understanding ourselves and consequently improve our interaction with others.
But as in all good things, it can be also be an incredibly powerful and dangerous tool!! All the techniques described in those kind of books are in certain way manipulative…Yes, you are being manipulated/influenced everyday by others, but you too can be manipulative!! Does the end justify the means? Well, that’s up to you! ;-)
After reading the book, I started observing and analysing people around me…I came to the conclusion that some people use the techniques described in the book instinctively! This is especially true for all good salesman. They know how not to push too hard, be friendly and excel in making you believe that you have the final word!!
The truth is we, humans, are talking animals with an imperative need to be listened and approved…and as a result, good listeners usually make good friends and partners (didn’t mummy ever told you to shut up and listen! Hehehe…)
Anyway, other recommended ‘pop’ psychology books are:
1. Body language by Allan Pease (1981)
2. Get anyone to do anything by David Lieberman (2001)
3. Never be lied again also by David Lieberman (1999)
Thanks David for your comment.
Thankfully I am not a bad guy and I want to know Dale Carnegie’s techniques only to be nicer to others :-)
More seriously, a technology evangelist (be it a Linux, Opensource, Mac or Seti-At-Home evangelist or even a University lecturer…) must have excellent human relations skills and I believe that this book can really help me communicate better with you my friends, my colleagues and my students…
I bought Head First Design Patters for Rs 500 at Edition Le Printemps some time back. As all the books I buy I haven’t yet gone beyond the first couple of chapters but I do intend to complete this one. Incidently this book mentioned the Gof book and the authors names and I thought I’ve seen this name before. And guess what? I had “Design Patters Elements of Reusable Object Oriented Software” by E Gamma, R Helm, R Johnson and J Vlissides for quite some time without realising it was “THAT” famous book :-)
Anyway, I can’t get out of Edition Le Printemps without spending at least Rs 500 whenever I go there …No need to say books on Agile Development, Databases, Java, C#, VB.NET are scattered all around my place.
Avinash, since you’re reading a book on influencing people and you’re a uni lecturer do you think you could “influence” Le Printemps in bringing more of the Indian edition of those interesting books. Having the O’Reiley books would definitely get me there every month.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and family
raj
Actually, I send mails at least twice a year to Editions Le Printemps and Editions de l’Océan Indien to tell them what textbook and what reference book I’m prescribing to my students. I tend to put some of the “classic” books in the list.
I’ll try to pressure them a little bit more (especially that I’ve noticed in India that the O’Reilly books also exist in cheap edition (for the sub-Indian and African continents)