@Paul –> I second your vote for “Dreaming in Code”. It should be required reading for all programmers.

I’d also like to add a vote of my own. I just finished reading “Javascript: The Good Parts” by Douglas Crockford (O’Reilly) At only 170 pages it’s a quick read, and is a great overview of the Javascript language and how to use it effectively. It doesn’t try to be a reference for all things Javascript, but it includes some very elegant code I haven’t seen anywhere else. If you want to understand how libraries like prototype and jQuery work their magic this is a great place to start.

From a conceptual level, I really love a book from O’Reilly called “Security and Usability: Designing Secure Systems That People Can Use”. It’s more theoretical but it’s a great approach to the issue of security from the perspective that if a system is hard to use, people create manual workarounds (like post-it notes). It’s a good read for both system designers as well as interface designers and even people like me who deal with the web at more of a lipstick level.

Another one that’s been extremely influential for me at a web project level is Kelly Goto’s “Web Redesign 2.0: Workflow that Works” on New Riders. It probably won’t fundamentally change your process, but it may drop a few great arrows in your quiver and affirm the overall process and approach you take.

Thirdly, I’ve recommended “Dreaming in Code” by Scott Rosenberg (Crown) to just about everyone I know who develops. It’s more about morale than technique. It asks the question “How can all the smartest people still not get a project done on time?” and is a great primer on the entire history of computer programming. It will make you feel better and like you’re part of something bigger, so when your Advanced Rails book still doesn’t resolve your bizarre performance issues (this isn’t a comment on your personal life, Forrest) then you at least have a shoulder to cry on.

So there’s my short list of things certain people should read for certain reasons.