De La Fivre Puerprale, De Sa Nature Et De Son Traitement, Communications L'acadmie Impriale... Book

This was the course material for the first semester of CS, and even though Java is maybe the language I know best, I still found parts of this book immensely useful. This is because it not only focuses on Java keywords and classes such as most introductory books do, but also on advanced design principles for classes and systems of classes. Chapter 8 and 15 gave me new ways of thinking about what good design is, and what my failures in the past have been. Concepts such as coupling, cohesion, RDD and design patterns should really be obligatory in all introductory OOP courses! My approach to writing programs has drastically changed, thanks to a book I was all to eager to reject at the start of the semester. It has my respect.