Top Engineering books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Engineering books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Engineering

Understanding the concepts of Engineering starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

The existential pleasures of engineering

Humans have always sought to change their environment--building houses, monuments, temples, and roads. In the process, they have remade the fabric of the world into newly functional objects that are also works of art to be admired. In this second edition of his popular Existential Pleasures of Engineering, Samuel Florman explores how engineers think and feel about their profession. A deeply in…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Mythical Man-Month

Few books on software project management have been as influential and timeless as The Mythical Man-Month. With a blend of software engineering facts and thought-provoking opinions, Fred Brooks offers insight for anyone managing complex projects. These essays draw from his experience as project manager for the IBM System/360 computer family and then for OS/360, its massive software system. Now,…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Design for the real world.

Design for the Real World has, since its first appearance twenty-five years ago, become a classic. Translated into twenty-three languages, it is one of the world's most widely read books on design. In this edition, Victor Papanek examines the attempts by designers to combat the tawdry, the unsafe, the frivolous, the useless product, once again providing a blueprint for sensible, responsible de…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed

From the development of the U-2 to the Stealth fighter, Skunk Works is the true story of America's most secret and successful aerospace operation. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation's brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the chronicle of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works is a drama of Cold War confrontations and Gulf War air combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering and human achieve…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Soul of a New Machine

Computers have changed since 1981, when The Soul of a New Machine first examined the culture of the computer revolution. What has not changed is the feverish pace of the high-tech industry, the go-for-broke approach to business that has caused so many computer companies to win big (or go belly up), and the cult of pursuing mind-bending technological innovations.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Designing Engineers

The products of engineering design are everywhere, but who or what determines their form and function? Their surfaces are usually cold, seemingly objective, as if they existed outside of history of the technologies that are so much a part of our lives. Written by a practicing engineer, Designing Engineers yields clues to this mystery by probing deeply into the everyday world of engineering. In…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Engineering Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Engineering, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The Unwritten Laws of Engineering

This fully revised and updated edition of the 1944 classic serves as a crucial compilation of 'house rules' or a professional code. This new edition keeps the style of the original and much of its content. Changes reflect shifted societal values, changed employment laws and evolved corporate structures. Packed with contemporary examples, this new volume is a must for those entering the enginee…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Design of Everyday Things

Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious -- even liberating -- book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to a…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Clean Code

But if code isn’t clean, it can bring a development organization to its knees. Every year, countless hours and significant resources are lost because of poorly written code. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Noted software expert Robert C. Martin, presents a revolutionary paradigm with Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Martin, who has helped bring agile principles from …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Engineering

This fully revised and updated edition of the 1944 classic serves as a crucial compilation of 'house rules' or a professional code. This new edition keeps the style of the original and much of its content. Changes reflect shifted societal values, changed employment laws and evolved corporate structures. Packed with contemporary examples, this new volume is a must for those entering the enginee…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World

The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from gu…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

What inspires and spurs on a great idea? Can we train ourselves to think in a way that will enable world-changing understandings and insights to emerge? Richard Hamming said we can. He first inspired a generation of engineers, scientists, and researchers in 1986 with “You and Your Research,” an electrifying sermon on why some scientists do great work, why most don’t, why he did, and why you ca…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your Engineering books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!


I'm John, an experienced engineering leader passionate about helping others grow in their careers and scale their impact. Over the past decade, I've led teams at companies like Instagram and Patreon, building products from early-stage MVPs to platforms used by millions of people. As a mentor, I offer guidance and …

$200 / month

Only 5 Spots Left

I’ve been an implementer, team lead, consultant, enterprise cloud architect, chief of platforms, and CIO. I have worked for companies like AWS, Lockheed Martin, Puppet, the Federal Government, along with enterprises and startups, and I operate a DevOps transformation consultancy. I've spearheaded datacenter migrations, modernization, and transformation initiatives, guided engineering …

$200 / month

Only 5 Spots Left

Hi there, I’m a Strategic Solutions Architect at HubSpot with over 7 years of experience in customer-facing roles, spanning PreSales at HubSpot and consulting positions at Wavestone and Microsoft. I’m passionate about helping professionals navigate their careers effectively and avoid common pitfalls. I’d love to share my insights on interview …

$90 / month


Hi, I'm Sariel 👋 ⭐ About Me: I hold a PhD in neuroscience and transitioned from academia to industry. I’ve driven innovation through research for sleep products at Bose and led human factors research at Apple. With 6 years of industry UX research experience and 13 years in research and …

$220 / month

Only 2 Spots Left

With 17+ years of experience in the industry, I have worked as a tester, a lead/manager, and as a developer. I have worked on large teams (OneDrive, Power Automate), as well as taking a v1 product from inception to running at a global scale. Delivering interviews, designing systems to work …

$340 / month

Only 1 Spot Left

Hello there! 👋 I’m a Senior Software Engineer with experience at TikTok, Apple, and Amazon, passionate about mentoring engineers at all stages of their careers. I specialize in technical career coaching, interview prep for FAANG+ companies, and providing guidance on immigration and financial planning. Whether you're navigating H1B, H4, EB2, …

$240 / month

Browse all Engineering mentors

Still not convinced?
Don’t just take our word for it

We’ve already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they’ve left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a Engineering mentor
  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."