JavaScript is notorious for the nasty surprises it springs on the unwary programmer, especially since it looks like many perfectly sensible languages (and is deceptively named after one). Two compact books present its mind-melting horrors in concentrated form, so as to quickly bring the unfortunate JavaScript neophyte up to speed. Douglas Crockford’s 2008 classic long … Continue reading “Compact Horrors of JavaScript”
Tag: Books
Book reviews
Overviews for HTML5 & Java SE 8
Two new entries in the Developer Books review archive. MacDonald’s HTML5 intro is well-suited for people who already know HTML 4, and Horstmann’s Java SE 8 overview should remain useful even after Core Java has been updated. I recommend both books. HTML5: The Missing Manual — Matthew MacDonald, O’Reilly 2013 (2nd ed.) This is not … Continue reading “Overviews for HTML5 & Java SE 8”
Tales from the Roman Republic
Rome’s messy transition from republic to principate has been well-documented by ancient authors and often revisited by modern ones. Since 1990 there has been a veritable explosion of historical fiction set in this era. I’ve devoured a good part of it, so here are some recommendations for your reading pleasure. The authors generally keep to … Continue reading “Tales from the Roman Republic”
Luttwak’s Grand Strategy of Rome
Edward N. Luttwak’s The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire (Johns Hopkins University Press 1976) is a compact (255 pages) and brilliant classic on military and diplomatic strategies from the principate to the tetrarchy. Recently Luttwak published his long-awaited companion piece, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire (Harvard University Press 2009), much delayed and … Continue reading “Luttwak’s Grand Strategy of Rome”
John Glassie on Athanasius Kircher
John Glassie’s A Man of Misconceptions (Riverhead Books 2012) is an immensely entertaining account of the life and times of Athanasius Kircher (1601/2–1680), a Jesuit scholar who escaped the Thirty Years War ravaging his native Germany to become famous throughout Europe for his prolific writing, museum of curiosities, and peculiar scientific theories. Kircher lived at … Continue reading “John Glassie on Athanasius Kircher”
Effective Java & Pro JavaFX 2
Effective Java — Joshua Bloch, Addison-Wesley 2008 (2nd ed.), ISBN 978-0-321-35668-0 (The third edition of this book is now available and covered by an updated review.) Pro JavaFX 2 — James L. Weaver et al., Apress 2012, ISBN 978-1-4302-6872-7 With most JavaFX literature still based on version 1, this is the first comprehensive title for … Continue reading “Effective Java & Pro JavaFX 2”
Core Java & Well-Grounded Java
Core Java, Volume I: Fundamentals — Cay S. Horstmann & Gary Cornell, Prentice Hall (Oracle) 2012 (9th ed. for Java SE 7), ISBN 978-0-13-708189-9 Core Java, Volume II: Advanced Features — Cay S. Horstmann & Gary Cornell, Prentice Hall (Oracle) 2013 (9th ed. for Java SE 7), ISBN 978-0-13-708160-8 These books have been superseded by … Continue reading “Core Java & Well-Grounded Java”
Computational Geometry Books
Computational Geometry: Algorithms and Applications — Mark de Berg, Otfried Cheong, Marc van Kreveld & Mark Overmars (Springer-Verlag 2008, 3rd ed., ISBN 978-3-540-77973-5) This book has a well-deserved reputation as the best guide to its field. The authors lucidly explain a broad selection of standard algorithms and data structures, including real-world motivations, numerous visualizations, and … Continue reading “Computational Geometry Books”
Robert Sedgewick’s Algorithms
Algorithms — Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne, Addison-Wesley 2011 (4th ed.), ISBN 978-0-321-57351-3 This single volume replaces Sedgewick’s two-volume classic Algorithms in C/C++/Java (long among my favorite programming books), now without the language designator since Java is used exclusively. The associated booksite offers a chapter overview, excerpts from the printed text, dynamic visualizations, some exercise … Continue reading “Robert Sedgewick’s Algorithms”
Ben Goldacre’s Bad Pharma
Medical doctor and Guardian writer Ben Goldacre has been busy promoting his new book, Bad Pharma: How drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients. You can watch him in What doctors don’t know about the drugs they prescribe, listen to him in a Nature interview podcast, and read the edited excerpt The drugs don’t work: … Continue reading “Ben Goldacre’s Bad Pharma”