40% off Pragmatic Programmers books this week | Hacker News Reader

40% off Pragmatic Programmers books this week

media.pragprog.com

125 pointsben104038 comments

I wish they'd do something better on the ebook and paperback combo. I really think Manning gets this right. If you give me the ebook as a reward for buying directly from you, I'll buy directly from you. Otherwise I'm apt to just get it from Amazon.

It feels a bit odd saying "reward me for being your customer", but in terms of marketing, giving away a 'free' ebook with purchase does seem to be the best strategy. And Manning does seem to be leading the pack in this respect; even though the price difference between the two 'combo deals' might not be that huge, the way Manning presents it as a given that you'd want a digital copy of your technical book, I think gives them an edge for 'understanding their audience'. Not to mention that just by being on their mailing list, they send you a ton of good deals on a daily basis, with at least one super good deal per month -- all this, along with their consistently long list of 'MEAP' titles, have definitely made them my first choice when purchasing technical books.

No Starch also does this. I've paid significantly more to purchase the book straight from them verses amazon, $60 vs $100, to get the ebook.

Aye, I love buying from Manning. They've been doing it for ages too, I don't see why all the publishers don't all give away PDF copies when you buy a physical book.

That brings them down to Amazon prices, but without free shipping.

Note: this doesn't include The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

> We wrote this book before we created our publishing business, and we do not publish it. It’s owned and published by Addison-Wesley http://pragprog.com/book/tpp/the-pragmatic-programmer

It's very odd they just don't sell it on their site.

I had to log in before entering the coupon.

Otherwise I got "Coupon 'agileweek' has expired."

Any recommendations? Book list is at http://pragprog.com/titles

I have a copy of http://pragprog.com/book/rdbcd/behind-closed-doors -- it was very helpful while I was managing people for the first time a while ago.

There are a ton of good books in their store, so a lot of it will depend on what you're interested in and what your level is. I have quite a few books from them and have been happy with every one.

Pragmatic Thinking and Learning is a book I think everyone should check out. Beyond that it is mostly technology dependent for what you want.

+1 for Pragmatic Thinking and Learning. A great book from which everyone can benefit in some way, IMHO.

Some of the best books in the industry. +1 for Thinking and Learning and Behind Closed Doors.

The ANTLR books are the best ones on the topic (as they were written by ANTLR's author).

But honestly, most of the books I've bought from them have been rather disappointing.

Practices of an Agile Developer is just the right amount of discussion of methodology, project management, and technical practices.. you know, before you get back to just writing code. :)

FWIW, here are what I, a low-level (OS/firmware) guy, got this time: https://plus.google.com/116664423478272670997/posts/BYtnWF73...

Picked up the new CoffeeScript book, the Cucumber book, and the New Programmer's Survival Guide. With the coupon, they were just over $10 a pop - in the 'Sure, why not?' price range for me.

I just got the CoffeeScript book in the mail an hour or two ago. It looks awesome! Can't wait to dive into some of these examples and play around!

To those having problems with the coupon code: I emailed Dave @ prag prog and they have fixed the issue. I was able to purchase the book I wanted with the 40% off. So try again!

"Coupon 'agileweek' has expired."

I got this too :(

I think too many people went on a shopping spree and they cancelled the code.

I'm getting coupon code expired.

I ended up grabbing Designed for Use because I recall people on HN being big fans of the writer's blog on the topic, anxious to dig into it.

What did everyone else get?

Can anyone post a list of books they think are must reads?

Anyone else getting "Coupon agileweek" has expired?

Yes. Maybe they set for themselves maximum usages :(

Yep, me too. pragprog claims it's good until 8/12.

I am. I asked them on twitter what was going on.

Nope. Works for me. ... but I've had an account there for a while.

Any opinions about http://pragprog.com/book/gwd/data-crunching ?

I wouldn't advise buying that. It covers extremely basic issues and approaches. Probably suitable for someone in their final years of college, or one who's just getting into some scripting for the first time in life.

Thanks!

The design of these books is awful. I wish they would hire a good book designer and revamp the series.

Nonsense, they have one of the most distinctive, recognizable cover designs, easily recognizable even from a distance, and are consistent for all their books, and I think they are attractive, what more would you want for your book designer?

Actually, I find the font they use a bit too wide.

Agreed, it feels like they are padding out the content. A $35 book with 300 pages with a big font and a bunch of pictures just doesn't end up with too much meat for your money.

Now I feel like a chump for buying from them a week ago.

Had I known last week, I would've saved myself 40%.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com