Reading the new edition of Scott Berkun’s inspired book on project management (now called Making Things Happen), and (apart of course from the conviction and sheer good sense of the writing) I’m enjoying the bibliography. How often do you find yourself thinking that?

I’m a fan of annotated bibliographies - in general I’d much rather know why an author thinks a reference is worth following up, than wade through fake-scholarly pages of small print designed to demonstrate how much the author has read (and in many cases, written). If I’ve made it to that point in the book I’ll generally trust the writer to make a good recommendation (if I haven’t read the book/seen the film/etc.), or take pleasure in agreeing or disagreeing with them (if I have).

Prize for provocative recommendation goes to Kent Beck. I wonder how many if is original readers followed up on the recommendation for Cynthia Heimel’s Sex Tips for Girls in the biblio in Extreme Programming Explained (under attitude):

Genuine enthusiasm is the ultimate technique. With it, everything falls into place. Without it, forget it.

Sadly, this appears only in the first edition, not the second…