The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.

No book on Software Engineering has been so influential and so timeless as The Mythical Man-Month. Now 20 years after the publication of his book, Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. (best known as the "father of the IBM System 360") revisits his original ideas and develops new thoughts and advice. If you write code or depend upon those who do, get this book as soon as possible.

Software Engineering
by M. Dorfman (Editor), Richard H. Thayer (Contributor)
Paperback, 552 pages, November 1999, IEEE Computer Society; ISBN: 0818676094

This book accumulates the classic works of accepted authorities in the field of Software Engineering. Considered by many to be required reading for every Computer Science or IS professional.

The Psychology of Computer Programming: Silver Anniversary Edition
by Gerald M. Weinberg
Paperback, 352 pages, Silver Anniversary edition, September 1998, Dorset House; ISBN: 0932633420

The timeless adjective can also be applied to this book by Weinberg. Originally written in 1971, the only parts that are dated are the descriptions of the hardware. As so many writers point out, the high failure rate of software projects is not due to technical factors but human ones. Weinberg deals with many of these points and offers simple advice on how to solve the psychological problems of software development.

Managing Risk: Methods for Software Systems Development (SEI Series in Software Engineering)
by Elaine M. Hall
Hardcover, 374 pages, February 1998, Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0201255928

Risk is inherent in the development of any large software system. A common approach to risk in software development is to ignore it and hope that no serious problems occur. Leading software companies use quantitative risk management methods as a more useful approach to achieve success. Written for busy professionals charged with delivering high quality products on time and within budget, Managing Risk is a comprehensive guide that describes a success formula for managing software risk.

Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change
By Kent Beck
Paperback, 224 pages, October 1999, Pearson Education, ISBN: 0201616416

If you can only read one book on the subject of extreme programming, this is the one you want. Written by Kent Beck, the originator of XP, this text describes in very readable terms the fundamentals of this agile methodology and why it works so effectively. This publication challenges quite a few of the sacred cows in software development and testing.

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
By Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
Paperback, 2nd ed., 264 pages, February 2000, Dorset House Publishing, ISBN: 0932633439

With humor and wisdom drawn from years of management and consulting experience, DeMarco and Lister demonstrate that the major issues of software development are human, not technical – and that managers ignore them at their peril. Now, with a new Preface and eight new chapters, the authors enlarge upon their previous ideas and add fresh insights, examples, and anecdotes. If you believe, as we at AgileTek do, that people are a software project's most precious resource, then this is a must read.

The Art of Software Testing
By Glenford Meyers
Hardcover, 177 pages, March  1979, Wiley, John and Sons Inc., ISBN: 0471043281

Provides a practical rather than theoretical discussion of the purpose and nature of software testing. Emphasizes methodologies for the design of effective test cases. Comprehensively covers psychological and economic principles, managerial aspects of testing, test tools, high-order testing, code inspections, and debugging. Extensive bibliography. Programmers at all levels will find this reference work indispensable.

Measures for Excellence: Reliable Software On Time, Within Budget
By Lawrence Putnam and Ware Meyers
Hardcover, 400 pages, October 1991, Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference

During the 1960s and 70s, Larry Putnam amalgamated a truly colossal statistical portrait of the software industry. It was this basis that enabled Larry to spot some interesting and important trends, giving way to a breakthrough in the area of software size, time and effort estimation. This book will illuminate your understanding of what’s required to generate predictably valid estimates and will show you a highly practical way to do it.