It's hard to recommend these books without sounding like their publicist, but they really are that important. If you do not own it already, I recommend you put in an order today for Peopleware, by Tom Demarco & Timothy Lister. Don't just take my word for it — it deserves the five star rating it has at Amazon.

Another publication truely deserving of it's “classic” status is The Mythical Man-Month, by Frederick Brooks. Sage advice about software development — now you know the source that people take their quotes from.