Brian Kernighan books in order
Canadian computer scientist, co-inventor of the Unix operating system
- Born
- 1942
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 15
Brian Kernighan has published 3 novels, 3 non-fiction books and 9 other books, beginning with Software Tools (1976). The best-known is The C Programming Language (1978). The latest is Understanding the Digital World (2017).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Brian Kernighan
Start here
The C Programming Language
Brian Kernighan's most-read book, rated by 55 Open Library readers.
Newest
Understanding the Digital World
Published 2017.
Standalone novels in order
The Elements of Programming Style (1974)
The C Programming Language (1978), with Dennis M. Ritchie
The AWK Programming Language (1988)
Non-fiction in order
The Unix Programming Environment (1984)
D Is for Digital: What a Well-informed Person Should Know About Computers and Communications (2011)
Understanding the Digital World (2017)
Other books in order
Software Tools (1976)
Software Tools in Pascal (1976)
A Tutorial Introduction to the Unix Text Editor (1981)
Pic - a Crude Graphics Language for Typesetting (1981)
The Practice of Programming (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) (1999)
Data and Computer Communications (2003)
The Go Programming Language (2015)
Millions, Billions, Zillions (2018)
Unix (2019)
About Brian Kernighan
Brian Wilson Kernighan is a Canadian computer scientist.
He worked at Bell Labs and contributed to the development of Unix alongside Unix creators Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie. Kernighan's name became widely known through co-authorship of the first book on the C programming language with Dennis Ritchie. Kernighan affirmed that he had no part in the design of the C language.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Brian Kernighan FAQ
- How many books has Brian Kernighan written?
- Brian Kernighan has published 3 novels, 3 non-fiction books and 9 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Brian Kernighan's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The C Programming Language.
- What is Brian Kernighan's latest book?
- Understanding the Digital World (2017).
- What is Brian Kernighan's most famous book?
- The C Programming Language (1978) is Brian Kernighan's most widely read book.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.