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Michele Davis [mailto:michele -at- krautgrrl -dot- com] recommended
> Any Nutshell books if you're going to learn Java, UNIX, stuff like that.
> O'Reilly makes very good books.
O'Reilly does make very good books, but Nutshell books are not
good for learning from -- they are best for consulting after you
are acquainted with the topic. They are reference books, not
user guides. They tell you _what_ and _how_, but little about
_when_ or _why_.
Also, the original question was:
> I'm looking to beef up my bookshelf as far as books
> about general tech writing.
Michele's recommendations are less about the writing than about
the technology.
I'd recommend a large, current unabridged dictionary (I use
American Heritage, 3rd Edition), and a copy of the Chicago Manual
of Style, just for basic reference.
Any of Edward Tufte's books:
Envisioning Information ISBN: 0961392118
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information ISBN: 096139210X
Visual Explanations : Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative
ISBN: 0961392126
--Guy K. Haas gkhaas -at- usa -dot- net
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