Book Recommendations

NancyLebovitz

This is a place to consolidate book recommendations.

I'm reading The Logic of Failure and enjoying it quite a bit. I wasn't sure whether I'd heard of it here, and I found a post here called Great Books of Failure, an article which hadn't crossed my path before.

There's a recent thread about books for a gifted young teen and a slightly less recent discussion of books on cogsci thread which might or might not be found by someone looking for good books.

So, what books or lists of books do you recommend?

This is a place to consolidate book recommendations.

So, what books or lists of books do you recommend?

I grabbed "A Pattern Language" from the library and enjoyed skimming it. I also considered it overrated; I've been avoiding "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" largely because it's recommended by the same people.

I second avoiding "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." It's definitely overrated: the arguments are unclear and not very well justified.

3[anonymous]16y

I like the idea of design patterns, just not the hubristic treatment they get in that volume. On the other hand, I strongly recommend his "Notes on a Synthesis of Form", which discusses cognitive and cultural constraints on the design process. It's short, sweet, and full of insights as to why design generally sucks. Zen and the Art I liked when I read in my pre-LW days, but on reflection it's an almost perfect example of huge, self-consistent networks of beliefs that don't correspond to reality.

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Book Recommendations

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Book Recommendations

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