Best Books for Learning to Code

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I’ve spent years living on the edge of the tech world as a wanna-be techie. Dabbling as a web designer, stepping my toe into the developer world, and even as a blog writer. I love reading new content I find on the web. But sometimes, no matter how great all that information is, I want more.

And I don’t want to look at a computer screen to get it (shocking, I know!).

Sure, reading hundreds of blog posts about the latest and greatest new tech developments is great. It is amazing the sheer amount of information you can find on the Web—for free!—it’s astounding. But when you really want to go in depth on a particular subject, there’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned book. Or a fancy new ebook, if you’d rather.

I know…reading books takes a heck of a lot more time than reading a blog post. But if you want to become an expert on a specific topic there really is no better way! And you don’t have to read ALL. THE. BOOKS. on a topic…but diving deep into at least one or two will give you a much deeper understanding of that particular subject.

It doesn’t matter if you want to be an expert web designer or developer or even a blogger, reading and learning about the basics of how to code will help you on the way to achieving your dreams!

**This post may contain affiliate links. Which means if you purchase something through one of my links, I may receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosures here.

General Coding Principles

Coding knowledge is a must-have 21^st century skill. If you’re ready to learn the magic behind web and app development but don’t know a style sheet from a string, Coding All-In-One For Dummies is the perfect place to start! Explore the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, and Python and find out how to build great web applications. Once you’re up and running, you can continue to refine and practice your skills online at Codecademy.com.

It’s no secret the world around you is becoming more connected, more configurable, more programmable, more computational. You can remain a passive participant, or you can learn to code. With Head First Learn to Code, you’ll learn how to think computationally and how to write code to make your computer, mobile device or anything with a CPU do things for you. Using the Python programming language, you’ll learn step by step the core concepts of programming as well as many fundamental topics from computer science, such as data structures, storage, abstraction, recursion, and modularity.

HTML & CSS & JavaScript

HTML and CSS can be a little daunting at first but fear not. This book, Learn to Code HTML & CSS, based on Shay Howe’s popular workshop covers the basics and breaks down the barrier to entry, showing readers how they can start using HTML and CSS through practical techniques today. They’ll find accompanying code examples online, while they explore topics such as the different structures of HTML and CSS and common terms. After establishing a basic understanding of HTML and CSS a deeper dive is taken into the box model and how to work with floats. The book includes an exercise focused on cleaning up a web page by improving the user interface and design, solely using HTML and CSS. With a few quick changes, the web page changes shape and comes to life. Interactive, technically up-to-the-minute and easy-to-understand, this book will advance a student’s skills to a professional level.

Tired of reading HTML books that only make sense after you’re an expert? Then it’s about time you picked up Head First HTML  and CSS and really learned HTML.

Learn the real secrets of creating web pages, and why everything your boss told you about HTML tables is probably wrong (and what to do instead). Most importantly, hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions how his HTML is now strict, and his CSS is in an external style sheet.

HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites is a really well presented, comprehensive but also accessible introduction and reference to HTML and CSS. It goes from explaining how websites are created. How the web works. And on to brilliant, well-explained examples for the important HTML elements (including a full reference) and demonstrations of how CSS can be used to style your page. It is especially great on explaining how to do things. Why you are doing these things? All with the attention to the accessibility of your site, responsive design, and needs and requirements of the user.

(Also, it’s made of fancy paper and smells really good…ya know…if that kind of thing matters to you😉)

 This full-color book will show you how to make your websites more interactive and your interfaces more interesting and intuitive. Javascript & JQuery starts with basic programming concepts. It assumes no prior knowledge of programming beyond an ability to create a web page using HTML & CSS. It covers the core elements of the JavaScript language so that you can learn how to write your own scripts from scratch.

Half-way through the book, once you have a solid understanding of JavaScript it introduces jQuery, allowing you to simplify the process of writing scripts.

It will go over how to recreate techniques you will have seen on other websites such as sliders, content filters, form validation, updating content using Ajax, and much more (these examples demonstrate writing your own scripts from scratch and how the theory you have learned is put into practice).

By the end of the book, not only will you be able to use the thousands of scripts, JavaScript APIs, and jQuery plugins that are freely available on the web, and be able to customize them – you will also be able to create your own scripts from scratch.

WordPress

PHP is the backend language of WordPress (among other sites). Learn PHP programming the quick and easy way! With PHP for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide readers can start from the beginning to get a tour of the programming language, or look up specific tasks to learn just what they need to know.

If you strive to have a blog that suits your needs, delights your readers, and keeps visitors coming back for more, this book is your ace in the hole! Offering you cream-of-the-crop guidance from eight bestselling books, WordPress All-in-One For Dummies is the only reference you need to get a handle on blogging basics, use SEO and social media tricks to drive traffic to your site, customize your blog with plugins and themes, and so much more.

WordPress powers more than 25% of the web—and for good reason. It’s a state-of-the-art blog-publishing platform that makes your site look professional, lets it be searchable, and provides readers with a pleasant user experience. Whether you’re just dreaming up your first blog or want to learn to use the latest version of the software to keep your site up to date, WordPress All-in-One For Dummies is the way to go!

The Web Coding Bible teaches all essential web technologies from A to Z. Skillfully written, extremely succinct, with a lot of tables, diagrams, examples, and screen output, it touches the latest experimental technology in action. Covering some hardly documented ‘tricks’ beyond the basics, this book guarantees to transform an Internet newcomer to an accomplished web developer. For every web developer, it is a handy must-have.  teaches all essential web technologies from A to Z. Skillfully written, extremely succinct, with a lot of tables, diagrams, examples, and screen output, it touches the latest experimental technology in action. Covering some hardly documented ‘tricks’ beyond the basics, this book guarantees to transform an Internet newcomer to an accomplished web developer. For every web developer, it is a handy must-have.

Ruby and Python are often touted as being the easiest languages to learn. Mainly because their syntax is close to the English language. So easier to figure out what is going on with them.

Ruby

In Learn Ruby the Hard Way, Third Edition, you’ll learn Ruby by working through 52 brilliantly crafted exercises. Read them. Type their code precisely. (No copying and pasting!) Fix your mistakes. Watch the programs run. As you do, you’ll learn how software works; what good programs look like; how to read, write, and think about code; and how to find and fix your mistakes using tricks professional programmers use.

Computers are everywhere today! On every desk, iPad, smartphones, and even your TV and other ‘smart’ appliances. To live well in the 21st century, you need to know how to make computers do things. And to really make computers do what you want, you have to learn to program.

Fortunately, that’s easier now than ever before. Chris Pine’s book, Learn to Program, will teach you how to program. You’ll learn to use your computer better, to get it to do what you want it to do. Starting with small, simple one-line programs to calculate your age in seconds, you’ll see how to advance to fully structured, real programs. You’ll learn the same technology used to drive modern dynamic websites and large, professional applications.

It’s now easier to learn to write your own computer software than it has ever been before. Now everyone can learn to write programs for themselves—-no previous experience is necessary. Chris takes a thorough, but light-hearted approach that teaches you how to program with a minimum of fuss or bother.

Rails…a Ruby Framework

Best-selling author and leading Rails developer Michael Hartl teaches Rails by guiding you through the development of three example applications of increasing sophistication. The tutorial’s examples focus on the general principles of web development needed for virtually any kind of website. The updates to this edition include full compatibility with Rails 5. A division of the largest chapters into more manageable units. And a huge number of new exercises interspersed in each chapter for maximum reinforcement of the material.

This indispensable guide provides integrated tutorials not only for Rails, but also for the essential Ruby, HTML, CSS, and SQL skills you need when developing web applications. Hartl explains how each new technique solves a real-world problem. And then he demonstrates it with bite-sized code that’s simple enough to understand, yet novel enough to be useful. Whatever your previous web development experience, this book will guide you to true Rails mastery.

Python

Python Crash Course is a fast-paced, thorough introduction to Python that will have you writing programs, solving problems, and making things that work in no time.

In the first half of the book, you’ll learn about basic programming concepts. Things such as lists, dictionaries, classes, and loops. As well as, practice writing clean and readable code with exercises for each topic. You’ll also learn how to make your programs interactive. And how to test your code safely before adding it to a project. In the second half of the book, you’ll put your new knowledge into practice with three substantial projects. A Space Invaders–inspired arcade game, data visualizations with Python’s super-handy libraries, and a simple web app you can deploy online.

In Learn Python 3 the Hard Way, you’ll learn Python by working through 52 brilliantly crafted exercises. Read them. Type their code precisely. (No copying and pasting!) Fix your mistakes. Watch the programs run. As you do, you’ll learn how a computer works; what good programs look like; and how to read, write, and think about code.

It’ll be hard at first. But soon, you’ll just get it—and that will feel great! This course will reward you for every minute you put into it. Soon, you’ll know one of the world’s most powerful, popular programming languages. You’ll be a Python programmer.

Beyond the Basics of Learning to Code

Code that is written poorly can bring a project to its knees. Which is why developing great code is so important! In Clean Code, Bob Martin shares tips and examples on how to create better code. The book dives into the principles and best practices of writing clean code. You will also find increasingly challenging case studies that make the reader think about what’s right with the code, and what’s wrong with it. While examples in Clean Code are given in Java the information is applicable to nearly all programming languages.

If you are curious about life as a programmer (like I am!) than Coders at Work is the book for you. It’s packed with interesting interviews from 15 accomplished programmers and computer scientists. The author, Peter Seibel (a programmer turned writer), got interviewees to open up about the famous projects that they worked on and the inspiring stories behind them. Coders at Work gives a peek into what makes some of the greatest programmers tick and how they think. Definitely, a must read!

Cracking the Coding Interview is one of the go-to books for programming interviews if you’re looking to land a gig at a top company such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google or Microsoft. As the title suggests, the book contains 150 programming questions that you might encounter at interviews. And then breaks down how to solve them. The remainder of the book focuses on the non-coding aspects of the interview process. Things such as interview prep, resume prep, behavioral prep, etc. Definitely one of the best programming interview books out there.  

These are just a handful of the many books available that will help you navigate the world of code. And who knows, after getting started learning the basics you may find you actually enjoy it. For even more books about Computers & Technology check them out here Best Books on Computers and Technology

Leave a comment below if you have enjoyed or used any of these books to help you learn to code.

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