Textbooks are more than just academic tools; they are gateways to knowledge and personal growth. Throughout my educational journey, I have encountered several textbooks that have left an indelible mark on my understanding of various subjects. In this blog post, I'll share a ranking of my favorite textbooks. While these books reflect my unique preferences and interests, I hope they can also provide valuable insights and recommendations for fellow learners.
You might have noticed that I provide all of the textbooks for free, including the traditional ones where this sort of thing could be illegal. In my opinion, access to education is a fundamental human right, and the cost of textbooks can often serve as a barrier to that. I learned computer science as a kid from youtube videos and other forms of free information. So, I of all people know the value of accessible information. In the digital age, with the internet and open educational resources at our disposal, making textbooks free is a pragmatic and morally justifiable step toward a more educated and prosperous world (this argument only works for resources made by big publishers). If you have a problem with this, you can pay for them. If publishers are reading this, feel free to skip this blog.
This was the textbook used for my Quantum 1 (Chapters 1-7) and 2 (Chapters 8-end) classes. Although the Griffiths textbook is more popular, I enjoy the approach in McIntyre quite a bit more. I like how McIntyre starts with the Stern-Gerlach experiment because the reader learns about bra-ket notation early and it is presented in an easily digestible way. My favorite chapter is by far chapter 4: Quantum Spookiness. This is because in a typical classroom you will probably get to this chapter at around Halloween which is absolutely genius and it introduces the Einstien-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and Shrodinger's cat which are very interesting concepts. It also helps that the professor I had for my Quantum 1 & 2 class was one of my favorites ever.
The free pdf version of this textbook can be found here.
I used this textbook to self-study computer systems because I wanted to have a deeper understanding of how operating systems work. I chose this book specifically because of a Reddit comment. I have seen mixed reviews for it but I think the approach works for me, personally. If you are not already familiar with C or assembly I would suggest maybe not reading this. Chapters 5 and 6 are probably my favorite since they are about performance optimization and the memory hierarchy which has helped me a lot in my coding.
The free pdf version of this textbook can be found here.
This book teaches the reader how to make a compiler/programming language. I read this book because I was interested in making a scripting langauge for KlaudOS. I was also encouraged to read this book from a Reddit comment. It is split into two parts: making a tree-walk interpreter and making a compiler with it's own virtual machine. The first section uses Java and the second in C, I would suggest at least knowing how to read both of these languages but it's even better if you know them. I love how the book looks, this doesn't sound like a big deal but how something is presented does contribute to the enjoyment of said thing. This book focuses a lot more on implementation than theory which is what I prefer in a book about coding. I also love the order at which topics are introduced and the inclusion of the "Map of the Territory". I wholeheartedly believe this is one of the best technical books of all time.
The free pdf version of this textbook can be found here.
I found this textbook online as I was in the beginning stages of creating KlaudOS. It goes through the fundamentals of how to make an operating system like making a framebuffer, interrupt handler, file systems, and a lot more. It was a really good reference when an explanation on OSDev wasn't what I had hoped. But if you are interested in operating systems this would make a great first read since it is very lightweight. It is very well written in my opinion and doesn't bore me. The code examples are very helpful and on the site's GitHub you can find an example operating system made by the authors.
The free pdf version of this textbook can be found here.
This is the only book on this list I own physically because I loved it so much. If you read the Programming Language tierlist you would know that C is my favorite language so I could be a bit biased. If you are learning C for the first time I think this is a must read. It tells you everything you need to know about the language helpful appendices that give addition information about the C standard library. Part of the reason I love this book is because of how often I use it. Every time I forget how to make an itoa function or need to find the right function from the C standard library I can use my one-stop shop C dictionary. I have heard some consider it the most important book ever written about computer science. I would probably agree with that statement.
The free pdf version of this textbook can be found here.