The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey To Mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition) product image

The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey To Mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition)

(5/5)
Review by Joshua Morris on
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Review

Hunt and Thomas’ pragmatic maxims still show up in our team retrospectives: stone soup and boiled frogs, tracer bullets, orthogonality, ruthless automation. I revisit the 20th Anniversary edition every few years and hand it to new hires alongside the company handbook. The updated examples cover Git, CI/CD, and cloud tooling, yet the book still focuses on the instincts that make developers effective—communicate clearly, automate boring work, prototype early, own your career. Pair it with more specialized books for deep dives, but keep this as your north star for craft and professionalism.

✓ Pros

  • ✓Timeless core principles that remain relevant
  • ✓20th anniversary edition with modern updates
  • ✓Clear, engaging writing with practical examples
  • ✓Invaluable advice on tooling, design, and career growth
  • ✓Worth revisiting regularly throughout your career

✗ Cons

  • ✗Doesn’t dig deep into any single technology—treat it as a philosophy guide

Specifications

Pages352
Edition2nd (20th Anniversary)
PublisherAddison-Wesley Professional
LanguageEnglish
FormatHardcover
Isbn13978-0135957059
Date First AvailableSeptember 13, 2019

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