What are the best texts to understand which will inform the design of database platforms?
If a person was going to commence the development of a database platform, and not precluding any particular approach (eg RDBMS/Column Family/Key-Value/etc...), which texts would be the most valuable to have read & understood?

For example I can imagine that the various papers on the NoSQLSummer reading list (http://nosqlsummer.org/papers) would be included, but what else?
What are the best texts to understand which will inform the design of database platforms?
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If a person was going to commence the development of a database platform, and not precluding any particular approach (eg RDBMS/Column Family/Key-Value/etc...), which texts would be the most valuable to have read & understood?

For example I can imagine that the various papers on the NoSQLSummer reading list (http://nosqlsummer.org/papers) would be included, but what else?