It’s no surprise that poorly written code can lead to the failure of a project, whether large or small. So writing clean and manageable code is extremely important for the overall success of a software development project.

There are various methods by which to learn how to code properly. Obviously practical experience is extremely valuable, but having a sound theoretical knowledge is hugely beneficial as well. Part of this knowledge is developed during the years of study, but keeping up-to-date on important books and articles can be very helpful.

Nowadays, programmers approach problems from a quick-fix method. If trial and error doesn’t work, you can Google the issue and try to find a fix there. However, if you want to become an accomplished programmer rather than a ‘code monkey’ reading the literature is a must. Reading and learning other people’s code will allow you to look at problems in a new way and solve them more easily.

If you’re not sure where to start, read on. We’ve collected a comprehensive list of books that are highly reviewed and respected in the developer community. To help you jump into the booklist of your favourite language quickly, we have categorised the book titles according to the programming language they are concerned with, as well as a brief description of each language.