Bookshelf of K. J. Obermeyer

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.

Contents

Technical

Communication

D. E. Knuth, T. Larrabee, and P. M. Roberts. Mathematical Writing. 1989.
[home] [MAA]

C. Olah and S. Carter. Research Debt. 2017.
[Distill]

N. J. Higham. Handbook of Writing for the Mathematical Sciences. 3rd Edition, 2019.
[SIAM]

Computer Science

J. W. Cooley and J. W. Tukey. An Algorithm for the Machine Calculation of Complex Fourier Series. 1965.
[pdf]

E. F. Codd. A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks. 1970.
[Springer]

W. Diffie and M. E. Hellman. New Directions in Cryptography. 1976.
[IEEE]

N. Lynch. Distributed Algorithms. 1996.
[home]

S. Brin and L. Page. The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine. 1998.
[pdf]

E. Dolstra. The Purely Functional Software Deployment Model. 2006.
[pdf]

S. Nakamoto. Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. 2008.
[pdf]

S. Aaronson. Quantum Computing Since Democritus. 2013.
[Wikipedia]

S. Russell and P. Norvig. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. 4th Edition, 2020.
[Wikipedia]

T. H. Cormen, C. E. Leiserson, R. L. Rivest, and C. Stein. Introduction to Algorithms. 4th Edition, 2022.
[Wikipedia]

Optimization

D. G. Luenberger. Optimization by Vector Space Methods. 1969.
[Wiley]

R. E. D. Woolsey. Real World Operations Research: The Woolsey Papers. 2003.
[Lionheart]

J. C. Spall. Introduction to Stochastic Search and Optimization. 2003.
[Wiley]

S. Boyd and L. Vandenberghe. Convex Optimization. 2004.
[home]

Statistics, Info Theory, and Machine Learning

C. Shannon. A Mathematical Theory of Communication. 1948.
[Wikipedia]

J. Pearl. Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems: Networks of Plausible Inference. 1988.

E. T. Jaynes and G. L. Bretthorst (editor). Probability Theory: The Logic of Science. 2003.
[Cambridge]

D. J. MacKay. Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms. 2003.
[home]

D. Koller and N. Friedman. Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques. 2009.

K. P. Murphy. Machine Learning: A Probabilistic Perspective. 2012.
[home]

Y. S. Abu-Mostafa, M. Magdon-Ismail and H.-T. Lin. Learning from Data. 2012.
[home]

I. Goodfellow, Y. Bengio, and A. Courville. Deep Learning. 2016.
[home]

R. S. Sutton and A. G. Barto. Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction. 2nd Edition, 2018.
[home]

Machine Perception

D. B. Reid. An Algorithm for Tracking Multiple Targets. 1979.
[IEEE]

S. Thrun, W. Burgard, and D. Fox. Probabilistic Robotics. 2005.

T. D. Barfoot. State Estimation for Robotics. 2017.
[home]

F. Dellaert and M. Kaess. Factor Graphs for Robot Perception. 2017.
[pdf]

R. Szeliski. Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications. 2nd Edition, 2022.
[home]

Dynamics and Control

F. Bullo and A. D. Lewis. Geometric Control of Mechanical Systems. 2004.
[home]

J. D. Meiss. Differential Dynamical Systems. 2007.
[SIAM]

K. J. Åström and R. M. Murray. Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers. 2nd Edition, 2021.
[home]

F. Bullo. Contraction Theory for Dynamical Systems. 2023.
[home]

Motion Planning

A. Stentz. Optimal and Efficient Path Planning for Partially-Known Environments. 1994.
[IEEE]

H. Choset, K. M. Lynch, S. Hutchinson, G. Kantor, W. Burgard, L. E. Kavraki, and S. Thrun. Principles of Robot Motion. 2005.
[home]

S. LaValle. Planning Algorithms. 2006.
[home]

S. Karaman and E. Frazzoli. Sampling-Based Algorithms for Optimal Motion Planning. 2011.
[ArXiv] [correction]

Pure Math

B. R. Gelbaum and J. M. H. Olmsted. Counterexamples in Analysis. 1962.
[Dover]

I. Lakatos. Proofs and Refutations. 1976.
[Wikipedia]

L. A. Steen and J. A. Seebach Jr.. Counterexamples In Topology. 1978.
[Dover]

A. Hatcher. Algebraic Topology. 2001.
[home]

Physics

R. P. Feynman. The Feynman Lectures on Physics. 1964.
[home] [Wikipedia]

R. Penrose. The Road to Reality. 2007.
[Wikipedia]

Biology

B. Alberts, R. Heald, A. Johnson, D. Morgan, M. Raff, K. Roberts, and P. Walter. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 7th Edition, 2022.
[Wikipedia]

Non-Technical

Communication

W. Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 1959.
[Wikipedia]

M. J. Adler and C. Van Doren. How to Read a Book. 1972.
[Wikipedia]

N. Duarte. slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. 2008.
[O'Reilly]

S. Pinker. The Sense of Style. 2014.
[Wikipedia]

Philosophy

Plato. The Republic. c. 375 BCE.
[Wikipedia]

J. Pearl. The Book of Why. 2018.
[Wikipedia]

S. Pinker. Rationality. 2021.
[Wikipedia]

Applied Psychology

A. Ellis and R. A. Harper. A Guide to Rational Living. 1975.

A. Y. Napier and C. Whitaker. The Family Crucible. 1978.

R. B. Cialdini. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. 1984.

D. Norman. The Design of Everyday Things. 1988.
[Wikipedia]

S. M. R. Covey. The Speed of Trust. 2006.

D. Ariely. Predictably Irrational. 2008.
[Wikipedia]

R. H. Thaler and C. R. Sunstein. Nudge. 2008.
[Wikipedia]

D. Kahneman. Thinking, Fast and Slow. 2011.
[Wikipedia]

M. B. Rosenberg. Nonviolent Communication. 2015.

Historical

H. Hesse. Siddhartha. 1922.
[Wikipedia]

R. Rhodes. The Making of the Atomic Bomb. 1986.
[Wikipedia]

J. A. Michener. Alaska. 1988.
[Wikipedia]

M. Reisner. Cadillac Desert. 1993.
[Wikipedia]

D. Kushner. Masters of Doom. 2003.
[Wikipedia]

J. Vaillant. The Golden Spruce. 2005.
[Wikipedia]

B. R. Rich and L. Janos. Skunk Works. 2013.

W. Isaacson. Leonardo da Vinci. 2017.

Nature and Science

J. von Neumann. The Computer and the Brain. 1958.
[Wikipedia]

J. A. Baker. The Peregrine. 1967.

A. Weisman. The World Without Us. 2007.
[Wikipedia]

P. Wohlleben. The Hidden Life of Trees. 2015.

Science Fiction

G. Egan. Diaspora. 1997.
[Wikipedia]

Climbing and Mountaineering

J. Krakauer. Eiger Dreams. 1992.
[Wikipedia]

A. Ilgner. The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training for Climbers. 2003.
[home]

The Mountaineers. Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. 9th Edition, 2017.
[Wikipedia]

Music

L. van Beethoven and H. Schenker (editor). Ludwig van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Vol. I & II. 1975.
[Wikipedia] [Dover Vol. I] [Dover Vol. II]

Poetry

L. Carroll. The Jabberwocky. 1871.
[Wikipedia]

R. Frost. Birches. 1915.
[Wikipedia]

B. Collins. Splitting Wood. 1996.
[Poetry Foundation]

Children's Books

T. Bulfinch. Bulfinch's Mythology. 1867.
[Wikipedia]

A. Lindgren. The Tomten. 1960.
[Wikipedia]

D. Macaulay. The Way Things Work. 1988.
[Wikipedia]