There are many computer books in print today. In the last twenty years, more than fifty books have been published. Some of the names are famous names like Knuth, whom I’ve known for years. Others are lesser known, such as David Cook and Fred Brooks. Among the best sellers, however, are these computer books by some of the most talented writers and artists in the field. Here is a look at three of the books that have had the greatest impact on me as a student and on the world at large:

Digital Photography: A Great Book, Even If You Don’t Know Much About It. By Joel Comm is a short, simple to read a book about using digital cameras. It’s a great book if you don’t know much about computers, or if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on computer books. The book covers all the basics you need to know, including using software, downloading images and saving files, and the basics about color and image processing.

Computer Dummy: A Great Book, Even For New Tech Users. This book is a great companion to “The Digital Nuts Job.” It focuses on using computers with specific hardware for specific tasks, instead of being broad and general. For example, it talks about using Microsoft Word to make graphics but does not discuss how to actually draw graphics with the program.

Programming Dummies: 10 Programming Languages With Examples. This is the second in the two-part series “10 Programming Languages With Examples.” Although this book has a shorter time frame than the first one, the information within is still helpful. Steve Jobs certainly should have given Steve Wosniak a head start on the Apple CEO position. This book focuses on various programming languages, gives real-life examples (a good example is the BASIC computer language that Apple used), and teaches you to create games, puzzles, and more.

Programmers Are Coming! Another great book covers the world of computer programming. “Programmers Are Coming!” by Scottrade includes articles on different aspects of the IT industry, talks about new developments in programming language and even has sections on what to do if you’re a hacker.

Knuth On Security: six powerful programs to protect your data. If you are a beginner or even a seasoned professional, one of the best books out there is this one. Author Kris Knuth talks about six important topics in the computer programming language, such as runtime errors, how to avoid the Google Virus and phishing. He also goes over phishing and how to defend yourself from it. There is a free audio version available, so you can listen to it right away and be up to date on the latest security trends. This book covers issues in web security, networks, databases, desktop publishing and more.

Kids Go Online: six pages of information to make your kids go online. “kidder’s kids go online” is a great little book about how kids use the internet for learning, creating and connecting with others. The author, Matt Mcwilliams, talks about his six pages of instructions on how to build and maintain a website and how he uses Google AdWords for keyword optimization. He discusses creating content for the site, how to keep the site updated and how to make it search engine friendly. There is also a free e-book download available.

Software Bill Gates and Billgro bought the first computers at their nearby Compaq store when they were thirteen years old. Their love for computers led them on a journey that would change the world. Software Bill Gates and Billgro used and modified have become some of the most valuable tools in the world, such as the infamous “Calculator”, which they sold for a whopping one dollar. In this comprehensive and interesting book, you’ll learn how they discovered the “killer apps” for their creation, how they transformed their humble beginnings into a giant success, and how they turned those discoveries into a fortune.