The ultimate engineer’s library

Or - the 13 best reads

“Growth is permanent everything else is temporary.” This is, for me at least, a very motivating quote. Thanks Dharmesh Kodwani for sharing that with me. It got me reflecting on the things we can do to improve our engineering capability as a global engineer. There is no substitute for a clear focus on improving how you work as an engineer. However, reflecting upon insights from others can sometimes be that little bit extra that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. And reading the right books provides the best way to do this.

Therefore, I have collated a list of the books that I think are ideal for anyone who wants to be a global engineer.

These are also books that you don’t want to just read once. They are worth coming back to time and time again. Sometimes we forget the great insights we have read. We can recall some of the details and where we read it, but we forget the important stuff. So these are books you should also pick up from time to time to either re-read or flick through to keep yourself as amazing as possible.

Hitting the Brakes: Engineering Design and the Production of Knowledge  by Ann Johnson. This book is fascinating. It is written by an historian and uses the development of antilock braking to understand how engineering communities develop. It provides great insight into how knowledge in engineering is developed and shared. As you read this book you will notice how and why your understanding of different technologies you work on changes over time. Ideal for engineers involved in a rapidly changing industry/technology.

What Engineers Know and How They Know It: Analytical Studies from Aeronautical History by Walter G. Vincenti. This book was a bit slow to get started for me. However, it was fascinating to see how engineers tackled different problems throughout history. It uses the aeronautical industry as a case study, but much of the content is applicable to all engineering. At the end of this book, you will start to think about what kind of an engineer you are and if perhaps there are some things you could do a little differently.

The View from Here (Optimize Your Engineering Career from The Start) by Reece Lumsden. This is a book like one I have not come across before. It is the only book on engineering that starts at choosing a place to study engineering and then considers how to manage your engineering career. It does not talk much about the unique characteristics of engineering, the way other books do. Still, no matter the stage of your career, this book can likely help. This is a book that will make you reflect upon your past as an engineer and think more about what you should do next in your career.

Engineering Philosophy by Louis L. Bucciarelli. It talks about a thing called the object world (the world engineers work in), but it also goes into much more detail about the nature of engineering. It talks about the social nature of engineering; how we, as engineers, can sometimes think we know something and do not; and how engineers learn. At the end of it, you will probably think twice before ever reaching any engineering conclusions.

Engineering and the mind’s eye by Eugene Ferguson. This is one of the most visually rich books on engineering. Because the book essentially argues that visualisation is the key to engineering, this makes sense. The book argues convincingly that engineering requires mostly visualisation, but still a tactile understanding. It cites many other sources to support its contention and was the first book that I read that finally explained the link between art and engineering. If you want to gain a better understanding of how engineering has developed as practice, from beginning to what it is today, then this is an excellent book. After reading it you will probably start thinking about how you can improve your engineering ability through the senses you use when confronting a problem and how you choose to represent that problem.

The Origins of the Turbojet Revolution by Edward W. Constant II. This book focuses, as the title suggests, upon the development of the turbojet. It deals substantially with how ideas of a revolutionary nature often come from people outside of the respective industry. How revolutions can push some companies and their engineers to the sideline and raise others. These revolutions are rare, and a book about one, written by an historian, is a useful insight into the engineering tasks and attributes essential for such revolutions. What I found most interesting about the book was that it also covers the development of the antecedent technologies like the water turbine and supercharger.

How we Got to Now by Steven Johnson. This book tracks the development of 6 major inventions that significantly changed our world. This is done from the perspective of how they came to be – through interactions with other technologies and societal events. If you need to work on your ability to understand how and why the time can be right for a new idea, then read this book.

The Saturn V F-1 Engine: Powering Apollo into History by Anthony Young. This traces the history of the titular engine and the mission to the moon. Along with coverage of the technology and its development, there is also much in here about engineering behaviour and management for success. Ideal if you want to know what it takes to pull off a large engineering project (or even a smaller one).

Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono. This is certainly no longer a new book. However, it is an excellent book that helps you consciously look at problems from multiple perspectives, and be more certain that you understand it. This will also help you outside of engineering as well.

Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoffrey Colvin. If you thought engineers were born and not trained, then this book will make you think otherwise. If you need more convincing that you can improve your engineering, then this is the book you want. It’s also ideal for anything else you want to improve.

How to measure anything by Douglas W. Hubbard. This is almost an engineering book, but it’s also a business book. The reason why I put it in the list is because of how unique it is. There are few books out there that help you deal with uncertainty the way this book does. Given how many things can seem uncertain at the start of an engineering project, this ability is an ideal for all engineers to have. By being able to put a measure to those things you do not yet fully understand, you can better assess ideas in their nascent stages.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. This book provides great insights into how our initial thoughts can often be wrong. Essential for good engineering – especially when you are working with something new. It also provides insights into when you can rely upon your intuition – something that can bring an engineer undone if not done right.

The Global Engineer by Clint Steele (yes – me). I am obviously bias, but if you are going to read only one of these books, then I would recommend this one. Why, well, as I noted, I am biased, however, I did pull the essence out of each of the other books above to write this one. So it will provide you with most of the good stuff. Still, if you read the other books, then you could find something you need that did not influence what I wrote. Regardless – get this book!
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I am always looking for more to read and learn. If you have anything you think should be added to the list, then please let me know in the comments.