15 Must Read Computer Science Books For Beginners And Beyond

Computer Science is the ever-growing field of engineering. It is the area of study that provides endless scope and opportunities that makes it one of the trendiest career options. Nowadays people are leaning more and more towards learning Computer Science and its applications.

The students who are interested in the technical field should really think about studying in this field. There is a vast amount of knowledge that you can gain via the computer science stream that will prove beneficial for your future in the technical field. And what better source would be to gain knowledge other than books?

The one question that gets asked frequently is which book to refer to? Students often stay confused about the books to read as per their level of understanding. There are some brilliant books written in the area by some of the excellent authors who have pretty great knowledge and experience in the computer science field.

We have bought you a whole list of one of the greatest computer science books. The below-given list will tell you which book will be suitable for you according to your level of understanding. The following computer science books are selected on the basis of the reader’s recommendations and their satisfying results. Have a look below:

1. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies is written by Nick Bostrom. The book answers some of the very controversial questions often asked by Hollywood. The question is what happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? and is the artificial technology world really going to take over human life and the earth?

The book written by Nick Bostrom takes a bold attempt to answer these questions and he explains it by laying the foundation of understanding human life and the future of artificial intelligence.

Through this book, you will get to discover various aspects associated with the future of computer science and it is a must-read for curious minds.

2. The Soul of a New Machine

The Soul of a New Machine is written by Tracy Kidder. The book bagged the Pulitzer price which is considered as a very prestigious award in literature. The book will let you explore the history of the computer science world and will take you back to the time when the field was just developing.

The book was originally published in the year 1981 and it is considered as one of the most highly regarded books in the computer science world. The Soul of the New Machine becomes the national bestseller since its release.

It is known for giving the readers a whole new perspective about the field and it also reveals some interesting details.

3. Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decision is authored by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths. The book will introduce you to the method that the computer uses to solve complex problems. There are simplest of algorithms that are used by these machines to process and surprise us with some intelligent answers.

The book is actually based on human decisions and how you can be better at them by understanding the computer science behind it. Algorithms to live by consists of pretty fascinating chapters that will introduce you with the theory of life.

By this book, you will learn how the common algorithms used by computers can be used for the human decision-making process

4. The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies

The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies are written by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee. The book will introduce you with the technologies behind the advanced google car and the driving force that led to the formation of such technologies.

Both the authors of the book have been graduated by MIT which is considered a very prestigious engineering college. The second machine is the must-have computer science book that should be on your shelf if you are interested in getting to the next level approach of engineering.

5. The Chip: How Two Americans Invented the Microchip and Launched a Revolution

The Chip is written by T.R. Reid in which the author has described the electronic revolution, the revolution in which the microchip was invented. Years ago when computers used to be huge and widely expensive, the two geniuses named Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce brought a revolution in the technical field with their discovery that opens the ways for some serious advancement in the area.

The work has bought Kilby his noble price for physics in the year 2000. The book written by T.R. Reid tells you the journey of Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby and their invention of the silicon microchip. Take a look into the life of these two great scientists who made the future brighter.

6. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software is written by Charles Petzold. With the help of familiar language and language systems such as Braille and Morse code, the brilliant novel will explain to you how the human population finds a new way of communicating with each other.

You will also get introduced to the driving force behind the compulsive need to communicate with human beings. The author of this book answers the most complicated questions such as what do the British invasion, flashlights, seesaws, and black cats have to do with the computers? The excellent book will give you a clearer perspective on human life and computer science.

7. Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution is written by Steven Levy. The book is about those brave and genius hackers from the 1950s who took real risks and gave us a whole new direction in the computer world. The computer revolution’s online hackers continued from the late 1950s to the ’80s and Steven Levy has told their story in his book Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.

The book written by Steven Levy is indeed a masterpiece that tells us the story of the revolution of computers. It contains content from some noteworthy real-life hackers such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Stallman that makes his book a brilliant approach towards exploring the computer world.

8. The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture

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The book that reveals some fascinating details about Google and what it has been doing for years is written by John Battelle. The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture actually explores the business and culture of Google, the company that has proved to be providing a source of knowledge to everyone.

Even though Google started late after Yahoo, Alta Vista, Excite, etc, the company has managed to be the most successful company of them all. The only way google was able to achieve it is because it provided the customers with the radically new approach to search, survived the dotcom crash, refined the idea of viral marketing, etc.

9. The Innovators: How A Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution

The Innovators is another great computer science book by Walter Isaacson after the biography of Steve Jobs. In this book, the author will introduce you to the people who were behind the invention of the computer and the internet. The book will show you how these inventions actually happen and also give you the history of the digital revolution.

Through this book, you will get a lot of questions answered like what are the visionary ideas of the inventors led them into their inventions? And what are the talents required for someone to get success in the computer science field?

10. Thinking In System: A Primer

Thinking In System: A Primer is written by Donella H Meadows. The author who is the international bestseller for her book Limits to Growth. Donella H Meadows is believed to be the pioneer of environmental and social analysis. Through her book, Thinking in System, she has attempted to provide us with an insight on a scale that ranges from personal to global.

The book uses a unique approach in making you understand how the machines work and you will get to learn how you can develop system-thinking skills. As per the writer, the major problems that the world is facing right now is because of the system failure.

The positive book will motivate you and will help you in looking at the world a little differently.

Conclusion

The above-mentioned computer science books will introduce the whole new world of science and will give you a picture of what happens behind the invention, and what technologies are used where, etc. The books will not only answer your toughest questions related to the field of science but will also give you new things to learn and explore.

The books are selected on the basis of their popularity among the readers and how suitable it is for the students who have different levels of understanding of the subject.

Do tell us to know in the comment section how you liked this article. Also if you have any questions you can ask them by commenting.

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