This is an incomplete list of some of my favorite literature. The items which appear here are purely a reflection of my own personal taste. Except by coincidence, they do not reflect the opinions of any people or organizations I am professionally affiliated with. Items are ordered chronologically within topics, not according to perceived importance. So there.
Technical
Communication
.
Mathematical Writing.
1989.
[home]
[MAA]
.
Research Debt.
2017.
[Distill]
.
Handbook of Writing for the Mathematical Sciences.
3rd Edition, 2019.
[SIAM]
Civil and Mechanical Engineering
.
Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down.
2003.
[Da Capo Press]
Computer Science
.
An Algorithm for the Machine Calculation of Complex Fourier Series.
1965.
[pdf]
.
A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks.
1970.
[Springer]
.
New Directions in Cryptography.
1976.
[IEEE]
.
Distributed Algorithms.
1996.
[home]
.
The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine.
1998.
[pdf]
.
The Purely Functional Software Deployment Model.
2006.
[pdf]
.
Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.
2008.
[pdf]
.
Quantum Computing Since Democritus.
2013.
[Wikipedia]
.
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach.
4th Edition, 2020.
[Wikipedia]
.
Introduction to Algorithms.
4th Edition, 2022.
[Wikipedia]
Optimization
.
Optimization by Vector Space Methods.
1969.
[Wiley]
.
Real World Operations Research: The Woolsey Papers.
2003.
[Lionheart]
.
Introduction to Stochastic Search and Optimization.
2003.
[Wiley]
.
Convex Optimization.
2004.
[home]
Statistics, Info Theory, and Machine Learning
.
A Mathematical Theory of Communication.
1948.
[Wikipedia]
. Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems: Networks of Plausible Inference. 1988.
.
Probability Theory: The Logic of Science.
2003.
[Cambridge]
.
Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms.
2003.
[home]
. Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques. 2009.
.
Machine Learning: A Probabilistic Perspective.
2012.
[home]
.
Learning from Data.
2012.
[home]
.
Deep Learning.
2016.
[home]
.
Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction.
2nd Edition, 2018.
[home]
Machine Perception
.
An Algorithm for Tracking Multiple Targets.
1979.
[IEEE]
. Probabilistic Robotics. 2005.
.
State Estimation for Robotics.
2017.
[home]
.
Factor Graphs for Robot Perception.
2017.
[pdf]
.
Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications.
2nd Edition, 2022.
[home]
Dynamics and Control
.
Geometric Control of Mechanical Systems.
2004.
[home]
.
Differential Dynamical Systems.
2007.
[SIAM]
.
Distributed Control of Robotic Networks.
2009.
[home]
.
Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers.
2nd Edition, 2021.
[home]
.
Contraction Theory for Dynamical Systems.
2023.
[home]
.
Lectures on Network Systems.
2024.
[home]
Motion Planning
.
Optimal and Efficient Path Planning for Partially-Known Environments.
1994.
[IEEE]
.
Principles of Robot Motion.
2005.
[home]
.
Planning Algorithms.
2006.
[home]
.
Sampling-Based Algorithms for Optimal Motion Planning.
2011.
[ArXiv]
[correction]
Pure Math
.
Counterexamples in Analysis.
1962.
[Dover]
.
Proofs and Refutations.
1976.
[Wikipedia]
.
Counterexamples In Topology.
1978.
[Dover]
.
Algebraic Topology.
2001.
[home]
Physics
.
The Feynman Lectures on Physics.
1964.
[home]
[Wikipedia]
.
The Road to Reality.
2007.
[Wikipedia]
Biology
.
Molecular Biology of the Cell.
7th Edition, 2022.
[Wikipedia]
Medicine
.
Gray's Anatomy.
42nd Edition, 2021.
[Elsevier]
Non-Technical
Communication
.
The Elements of Style.
1959.
[Wikipedia]
.
How to Read a Book.
1972.
[Wikipedia]
.
slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations.
2008.
[O'Reilly]
.
The Sense of Style.
2014.
[Wikipedia]
Philosophy
.
The Republic.
c. 375 BCE.
[Wikipedia]
.
The Book of Why.
2018.
[Wikipedia]
.
Rationality.
2021.
[Wikipedia]
Applied Psychology
. A Guide to Rational Living. 1975.
. The Family Crucible. 1978.
. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. 1984.
.
The Design of Everyday Things.
1988.
[Wikipedia]
. The Speed of Trust. 2006.
.
Predictably Irrational.
2008.
[Wikipedia]
.
Nudge.
2008.
[Wikipedia]
.
Thinking, Fast and Slow.
2011.
[Wikipedia]
. Nonviolent Communication. 2015.
Historical
.
Siddhartha.
1922.
[Wikipedia]
.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb.
1986.
[Wikipedia]
.
Alaska.
1988.
[Wikipedia]
.
Cadillac Desert.
1993.
[Wikipedia]
.
Masters of Doom.
2003.
[Wikipedia]
.
The Golden Spruce.
2005.
[Wikipedia]
. Skunk Works. 2013.
. Leonardo da Vinci. 2017.
Nature and Science
.
The Computer and the Brain.
1958.
[Wikipedia]
. The Peregrine. 1967.
.
The World Without Us.
2007.
[Wikipedia]
. The Hidden Life of Trees. 2015.
Science Fiction
.
Diaspora.
1997.
[Wikipedia]
Climbing and Mountaineering
.
Eiger Dreams.
1992.
[Wikipedia]
.
The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training for Climbers.
2003.
[home]
.
Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills.
9th Edition, 2017.
[Wikipedia]
Music
.
Ludwig van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Vol. I & II.
1975.
[Wikipedia]
[Dover Vol. I]
[Dover Vol. II]
Poetry
.
The Jabberwocky.
1871.
[Wikipedia]
.
Birches.
1915.
[Wikipedia]
.
Splitting Wood.
1996.
[Poetry Foundation]
Children's Books
.
Bulfinch's Mythology.
1867.
[Wikipedia]
.
The Tomten.
1960.
[Wikipedia]
.
The Way Things Work.
1988.
[Wikipedia]