Teach Yourself C in 24 Hours (1997)
I think there is a fundamental problem that isn't addressed in teaching people how to code. The problem is that <i>every</i> single course/book talks about the tools of the trade but not the art. Most books start with:<p><pre><code>  - Variables
  - Loops
  - Functions</code></pre>
... etc.<p>In doing so, it is simply overloading the student with syntax memorization and conceptual overload. It bothers me so much that very few books (Kernighan) talk about WHY. WHY. WHY is a variable needed? WHY is a function needed? WHY do we use OOP? Every single book out there jumps straight into explaining objects, how to create them, constructors, blah blah blah. No one fricking talks about what's the point of all this?<p>Teaching syntax is like muscle memory for learning Guitar. It is trivial and simply takes time. Syntax - everyone can learn and it is only one part of learning how to code. Concepts are explained on their own without building upon it. The famous book for Python (Learn Python the Hard Way) explains Loops in its own chapter and provides examples. But, they never build up on the idea. There should never be a separate chapter for variables, loops, functions, etc. Chapters should be:<p><pre><code>  Chapter 1. Setting up the problem (Goals)
  Chapter 2. Defining Inputs/Ouputs (API)
  Chapter 3. Automating something (Variables, loops)
  Chapter 4. Abstraction of something (Functions)
  Chapter 5. More automation! (Combing all)
  Chapter 6. Splitting code into multiple modules (Growing the project)
  Chapter 7. Objects (New type of abstraction, OOP)
  Chapter 8. Reusability of Classes (Inheritance)
  Chapter 9. Safety/Security (Encapsulation, tie it back to Chapter 2.)
  etc...
</code></pre>
Best coding resource I've found is things like:<p><pre><code>  NAND to Tetris [1]
  Handmade Hero [2]
  The Nature of Code [3]
  Harvard CS50 [4]
  How to Design Programs [5] (thx minikomi)
</code></pre>
This is learning how to produce music. Not learning the F chord. Teaching how to code is fundamentally broken and very few books/courses do it well.<p>References:<p>[1] <a href="http://nand2tetris.org/" rel="nofollow">http://nand2tetris.org/</a>
[2] <a href="https://handmadehero.org/" rel="nofollow">https://handmadehero.org/</a>
[3] <a href="http://natureofcode.com/" rel="nofollow">http://natureofcode.com/</a>
[4] <a href="https://cs50.harvard.edu/" rel="nofollow">https://cs50.harvard.edu/</a>
[5] <a href="http://www.htdp.org/" rel="nofollow">http://www.htdp.org/</a>