The Art of Doing Science and Engineering
The Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard Hammingby Richard Hamming
Shares rank 36 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Recommended as an insider's view of how computing and engineering developed, with advice that holds in good and bad times. Some readers say it needs context.
Recommended as an insider's view of how computing and engineering developed, with advice that holds in good and bad times. Some readers say it needs context.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Praised as a must-read
“"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering" is especially good”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “A Chess Playing Machine – Shannon (1950) [pdf]” “Absolute must read cover-to-cover.”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “How to Do Great Work” Advice stays relevant over time
“good advice is applicable in good and bad times”
Comment from 22 Dec 2025 in “If you don't design your career, someone else will (2014)” “Surprisingly fresh and piercing, even today.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| The Art of Doing Science and Engineeringby Richard HammingThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Surprisingly fresh and piercing, even today.”
“Absolute must read cover-to-cover.”
“an insider's (Manhattan Project, Bell Labs) view of how computer science as we know it developed”
“"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering" is especially good”
“good advice is applicable in good and bad times”
“The Art of Doing Science and Engineering is a great book but it needs context.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.