25 votes

Which book is the best introduction to your field of expertise, for a lay person?

I stumbled upon this old AskMetaFilter thread, and thought it would be interesting to ask here.

12 comments

  1. daywalker
    Link
    This is the second time today I'm bringing this up, but I think it's a perfect fit for this topic. I want to mention the Very Short Introductions series of Oxford University Press. There are...

    This is the second time today I'm bringing this up, but I think it's a perfect fit for this topic. I want to mention the Very Short Introductions series of Oxford University Press. There are hundreds of introductory books about a vast variety of topics about art, humanities, sciences, philosophy etc. In my experience of the ones I read, they're a somewhat more advanced yet still understandable introduction of the topics they handle. I would say they could be recommended as a supplement to introduction courses in undergrad programs. They're also usually around 100-200 pages.

    16 votes
  2. bugsmith
    Link
    Now, it is hardly my field of expertise, but certainly something in the spirit of this topic: Fermentation. It's something I became mildly obsessed with during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, and...

    Now, it is hardly my field of expertise, but certainly something in the spirit of this topic: Fermentation. It's something I became mildly obsessed with during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, and I've not shaken it off yet. I like experimenting with all kinds of fermentation, such as:

    • Ginger Beer
    • Yoghurt
    • Sourdough
    • All kinds of fermented vegetables and fruits
    • Sauerkraut
    • Kimchi
    • Hot sauce

    And without a doubt, the best introduction to this topic that I've ever come across (often known as the Fermentation bible in certain crowds) is "The Art of Fermentation" by Sandor Katz.

    It's a comprehensive guide to fermentation that covers concepts, processes and science behind how fermentation works. Anybody can pick up this book, and by the time they have finished it (assuming they fermented a thing or two along the way) they will have a solid foundation and be well-prepared to fall further down the rabbit hole.

    14 votes
  3. bugsmith
    Link
    "The Phoenix Project" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford is a fantastic introduction for anyone curious about the field of DevOps and its impact on IT and business practices. While the...

    "The Phoenix Project" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford is a fantastic introduction for anyone curious about the field of DevOps and its impact on IT and business practices. While the book is presented in a novel format, it provides a narrative that illustrates the principles of DevOps in an accessible and relatable way.

    It uses the story of an IT manager tasked with rescuing a critical project to bring DevOps concepts to life. The reader follows the protagonist as he encounters the challenges of traditional IT environments and learns through experience how the adoption of DevOps principles.

    While informative, it is not a technical manual. It simplifies some concepts in order to make the story more digestible to readers who may not have a deep background in tech. They did release a technical manual of sorts as a companion book (or rather, this is the companion book)

    Note that the book was published in 2013, the concept of DevOps has evolved, forked and warped in many ways since then.

    13 votes
  4. first-must-burn
    Link
    If you're curious about what it means to have safe autonomous cars, I recommend How Safe Is Safe Enough by Philip Koopman. You can also follow him on LinkedIn for info about current events. He was...

    If you're curious about what it means to have safe autonomous cars, I recommend How Safe Is Safe Enough by Philip Koopman. You can also follow him on LinkedIn for info about current events.

    He was my grad school advisor and is widely recognized as an expert in the field. This book is written for a non-technical audience.

    10 votes
  5. cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link
    The New Forensics: Investigating Corporate Fraud and the Theft of Intellectual Property by Joe Anastasi TBH, it's actually a bit too layman friendly though, IMO, since it's written more like a...

    The New Forensics: Investigating Corporate Fraud and the Theft of Intellectual Property by Joe Anastasi

    TBH, it's actually a bit too layman friendly though, IMO, since it's written more like a spy/detective novel, and while it does cover some real cases (Enron and WorldCom), it also has a few fictionalized accounts as well, apparently so as not to give away privileged information on genuine cases that Anastasi worked.

    It's also a bit misleading since most real life data recovery, computer forensics, and forensic accounting jobs are way more mundane, boring, and often incredibly tedious, rather than how exciting it's all portrayal in the book. But Anastasi did take part in several special task force jobs at Deloitte, so he likely had much more exciting jobs than I ever did. And finally, the book is also rather dated now, having been written in 2002. However, it's still a fun read nonetheless, and a lot of the fundamentals haven't changed since then even though the technology has. I've been out of that field for quite some time now too though, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    7 votes
  6. [2]
    boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr is a true story about a water toxicity lawsuit. It really gets into the day to day struggle of keeping a lawsuit going as a small practice attorney. Disclaimer, I...

    A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr is a true story about a water toxicity lawsuit. It really gets into the day to day struggle of keeping a lawsuit going as a small practice attorney.

    Disclaimer, I don't do toxic torts and I am preparing to transition careers. However this is an excellent introduction to what it means to practice law in the US.

    7 votes
    1. patience_limited
      Link Parent
      Back in my paralegal days, I did do plaintiffs' toxic torts. The cases were mostly industrial injuries and deaths, so causation was somewhat easier to attribute than the kind of broad...

      Back in my paralegal days, I did do plaintiffs' toxic torts. The cases were mostly industrial injuries and deaths, so causation was somewhat easier to attribute than the kind of broad epidemiological toxicology work required in A Civil Action. That book does provide a good picture of how hard it is to hold companies liable for diffused harms.

      3 votes
  7. [2]
    CunningFatalist
    (edited )
    Link
    Eloquent JavaScript is a free book that gently introduced people to programming. Also, anyone can execute JavaScript code right away because all you need is a browser.

    Eloquent JavaScript is a free book that gently introduced people to programming. Also, anyone can execute JavaScript code right away because all you need is a browser.

    6 votes
    1. bugsmith
      Link Parent
      I can vouch for this one. Truly an excellent book, and shockingly so for it to be free. I'd recommend this to anyone picking up JavaScript.

      I can vouch for this one. Truly an excellent book, and shockingly so for it to be free. I'd recommend this to anyone picking up JavaScript.

      2 votes
  8. [3]
    Sodliddesu
    Link
    Fire on Earth: An Introduction by Andrew Scott. Hell, it's got 'an introduction' in the title. You want to think pyroecology? Here's your book. Buying real estate anywhere where there is or isn't...

    Fire on Earth: An Introduction by Andrew Scott.

    Hell, it's got 'an introduction' in the title. You want to think pyroecology? Here's your book. Buying real estate anywhere where there is or isn't currently a fire risk? A good read. It's certainly not the most scientifically dense book but it does cover the subject thoroughly.

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      Minty
      Link Parent
      Have you read the sequel? Earth on Fire

      Have you read the sequel? Earth on Fire

      1 vote
      1. Sodliddesu
        Link Parent
        Though I appreciate the wordplay and actually have read that paper, albeit for different work, I feel obliged to point out that Scott's actual sequel is called Burning Planet. Earth on Fire was...

        Though I appreciate the wordplay and actually have read that paper, albeit for different work, I feel obliged to point out that Scott's actual sequel is called Burning Planet. Earth on Fire was published before both of the books I've referenced.

        Though, in my opinion, both are worth the read.

        1 vote