Found in 3 comments on Hacker News
chiph · 2013-05-13 · Original thread
Also - a book that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread yet is:

http://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generati...

I haven't seen this edition, but if the comments are correct, try and find an original from 1994 (has a shiny cover with big red letters) to avoid the printing errors.

It's written for a general audience, but still has some technical details in it. It's more interesting from a business and personality standpoint - at that level of software development doing things like kicking holes in your office walls becomes a little more acceptable (that would have gotten me fired at any job I've held)

nkassis · 2012-01-22 · Original thread
I did not see it on the list but Showstopper is an very good book(http://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generati...) It tells the story of the Windows NT team's couple years of major ups and downs developing the windows. It starts from the hiring of Dave Cutler from DEC to the release of the project. If you want a good view into how large software projects go I think you can't go wrong with this book. You get an idea for why the Windows team made some tradeoff (like security ;p) made in those days to finish the product and how a strong project leader was a must to keep the project on track.

I can't recommend the book enough I've read it a few times already.

wallflower · 2011-02-06 · Original thread
If you really want to read about technology startups in other fields, MIT's Technology Review is legendary

http://www.technologyreview.com/

Classic books before you go outside software hardware

"Showstopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft"

http://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generati...

"Money from Thin Air: The Story of Craig McCaw, the Visionary who Invented the Cell Phone Industry, and His Next Billion-Dollar Idea"

http://www.amazon.com/Money-Thin-Air-Visionary-Billion-Dolla...

Any bio related to blockbuster drug discovery like:

"Laughing Gas, Viagra, and Lipitor: The Human Stories behind the Drugs We Use"

http://www.amazon.com/Laughing-Gas-Viagra-Lipitor-Stories/dp...

Kinda off-beat but "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe

And if you've read many references to "Founders at Work" and do not yet own your own copy, it is the best startup book out there.

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