You're correct that the quality of programming books is all over the map. Some of them are really bad, and are essentially rehashed SO answers sandwiched between some prosaic filler.
There are essentially two kinds of tech books:
1/ Thorough, in-depth technical discussions of programming languages, software, or apps that dive deep enough to enlighten the reader on how they work under the hood
2/ Rehashes of already existing docs, the latter of which do the job more directly without forcing you to read filler text. These books are primarily written to boost the author's reputation
Obviously, you should learn to be selective and buy only the #1 type of book. It's not hard to figure out what kind of book it is from looking at the TOC and remembering the type of books you've read from the same publisher.
Comments
You're correct that the quality of programming books is all over the map. Some of them are really bad, and are essentially rehashed SO answers sandwiched between some prosaic filler.
There are essentially two kinds of tech books:
1/ Thorough, in-depth technical discussions of programming languages, software, or apps that dive deep enough to enlighten the reader on how they work under the hood
2/ Rehashes of already existing docs, the latter of which do the job more directly without forcing you to read filler text. These books are primarily written to boost the author's reputation
Obviously, you should learn to be selective and buy only the #1 type of book. It's not hard to figure out what kind of book it is from looking at the TOC and remembering the type of books you've read from the same publisher.