Here follows a collection of books on subjects that don't fall into any particular category -- which is what makes them particularly interesting.
You may order any book from Amazon.com by simply clicking on the title.
Alexander, C., The Timeless Way of Building, Oxford University Press, Inc.:New York, 1979.
Christopher discovered patterns to structure in 1979 -- in architecture. This is an essay on the value of patterns in building, and especially the value of patterns that have "The Quality Without a Name".
Alexander, C., A Pattern Language, Oxford University Press, Inc.:New York, 1977.
In this book, Christopher describes his architectural patterns.
Ashby, H. R.,
Introduction to Cybernetics,
Ashby concisely and clearly describes the natural laws that affect the way
systems work -- whether they are organisms, corporations, or governments.
Beer, S., The Heart of Enterprise, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.:New York, 1979.
A unique look at the nature of systems, be they organisms, companies, or government. Mr. Beer has devised a model for how systems work that is truly insightful.
Capra, F., The Web of Life, Anchor Books:New York, 1996.
The discoveries about the nature of life and the mind from the last fifty years have turned three
thousand years of philosophy on its head. This book provides an excellent synopsis of these
developments and what they mean to us all.
Gokman, M., Ingram, J., Ingram, J.W.
Oracle 8 Pl/Sql Black Book, The Coriolus Group, 1998
This book presents the formal syntax, usage, and actual examples for every declaration, command, and error
handler. The CD-ROM features all the source code and examples from the book, plus a demo version of Oracle8
for Windows 95.
Tufte, E. R., The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Graphics Press:Cheshire, CT, 1983
A beautiful book that establishes a foundation for understanding how quantitative information can be displayed effectively.
________, Envisioning Information, Graphics Press:Cheshire, CT, 1990.
This continuation of Tufte's work describes the principles of effective graphic design: what makes a picture effective?
________, Visual Explanations, Graphics Press:Cheshire, CT, 1997.
In this book, Tufte discusses the elements of quantitative representations that make them honest, dishonest, or simply misleading.