# Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice by Foley and van Dam

4 Hacker News commenters recommended Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice by Foley and van Dam and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a classic, comprehensive graphics text, especially for software rendering. One critic finds it more encyclopedic than practical, with mainly historical importance.

## Why people recommend it

- Classic, comprehensive graphics reference (2 comments): "The bible of graphics programming, everything with software rendering" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47244123)) "Back in the day, it was The Book for computer graphics." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49029486))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Physically Based Rendering by Pharr, Jakob and Humphreys](https://hackerapproved.com/p/physically-based-rendering.md): 7 recommend
- [Computer Graphics from Scratch by Gabriel Gambetta](https://hackerapproved.com/p/computer-graphics-from-scratch.md): 6 recommend
- [Real-Time Rendering by Akenine-Möller, Haines and Hoffman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/real-time-rendering.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Computer+Graphics%3A+Principles+and+Practice+by+Foley+and+Van+Dam&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice by Foley and van Dam", https://hackerapproved.com/p/computer-graphics-principles-and-practice/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).