Foundation books (Was: The Mythical Man-Month)

[Ned Bedinger]

My absolute favorite in recent years has been _Sketches of Thought_ by 
Vinod Goel. The book is based on Vin's PhD research in cognitive science 
at MIT, It requires some effort to read, but it doesn't disappoint--he 
busts out some thinkable experiments and concise conclusions that will 
help you to see, and for most of us this will be for the first time, 
what design is, and the role it plays in problem solving. It is well 
done, a book to be very grateful for. New $50-60US, used from $10US.

ISBN:
     9780262071635
Author:
     Goel, Vinod
Publisher:
     Mit Press
Author:
     Goel, Vinod
Location:
     Cambridge, Mass. :
Subject:
     Cognitive science
Subject:
     Mental representation
Subject:
     Symbolism
Subject:
     Cognitive Psychology
Edition Description:
     Hardcover
Series:
     Bradford Books
Series Volume:
     87-585
Publication Date:
     October 1995
Binding:
     Hardcover
Language:
     English
Illustrations:
     Yes
Pages:
     320
Dimensions:
     9.32x5.98x.91 in. 1.31 lbs.

Stuart Burnfield wrote:
> 
> I don't know if there's a name for this class of books; in the Subject 
> line I've called them 'foundation books'. They're not just good books, 
> great books, influential books. They provide the foundation or framework 
> for the specific knowledge you acquire and apply elsewhere. As Sarah 
> says, they make sense of experiences that you've had but never quite 
> been able to put together before.
> 

> Sarah Bouchier said:
>  > After all the discussion and recommendation of 'The Mythical
>  > Man-Month' a couple of weeks back, I got curious, acquired a copy,
>  > and have just finished reading it. It blew me away; everything
>  > made so much /sense/, and has been totally supported by my
>  > experiences in several companies that plainly /hadn't/ read it!
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>