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Ask HN: Petzold's CODE: books that teach in the same way but not about computers

by user0x1d on 3/9/21, 12:22 PM with 11 comments

I recently finished reading this book and I can't express how much it added to my life. I wondered if there are similar books in terms of 'way of teaching' out there - smoothly, humorously describing a tough subject.

  • by austinprete on 3/9/21, 4:58 PM

    As a disclaimer I haven't read CODE, even though it's been on my list for a while (sounds like I ought to prioritize it!).

    From my understanding of the style I believe The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee is a similar take on genetics.

    It stays fairly high level as it doesn't require a molecular biology degree, but Mukherjee gives a fantastic primer on many of the concepts in genetics in a deeply interesting and human fashion. It's always refreshing when non-fiction books manage to weave a narrative throughout in a way that feels natural.

  • by volfied on 3/9/21, 4:27 PM

    I have really enjoyed CODE as well, and I recently started reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

    Completely different subject, taught in a way it builds up.

  • by pjungwir on 3/9/21, 5:59 PM

    I've read Code. I also liked Financial Statements by Thomas R. Ittelson. It has a similar tutorial-like approach.

  • by imakwana on 3/9/21, 5:09 PM

    Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture by Jon Stokes.

  • by jml7c5 on 3/10/21, 2:47 AM

    I really loved CODE. Some of these suggestions are more similar to it than others, but they are all worth reading or viewing:

    -"Gödel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter is more whimsical and meandering, but has a similar technique of building from the ground up.

    -"The Code Book" by Simon Singh is more of a history book, but it has some of the same "feel" in the progression of complexity, even if it will not truly teach you much cryptography.

    -The Feynman lectures on physics, which are probably as close as you'll get in tone: https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/

    -And this is a video, not a book, but it stands out to me as a fantastic piece of science communication that is worthy of mention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKqof77pKBc (34C3 - Free Electron Lasers)

  • by jbjbjbjb on 3/10/21, 10:55 PM

    I’ll mention QED by Richard Feynman. It has a sort of similar style but my memory of it is a bit hazy.

  • by lmarcos on 3/11/21, 10:05 PM

    The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. Book by James Gleick

  • by joshenders on 3/9/21, 4:52 PM

    One of my favorites