How long does it take to read The Mythical Man-Month?
Essays on Software Engineering
The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks takes about 3 hours 35 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 3 hours 35 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1974. 195 pages, about 53,625 words.
8 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 5 hours 58 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 3 hours 35 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 2 hours 14 minutes |
The page count is the median across 11 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
Classic text on the human side of software engineering, containing essays on the management of software teams, projections about how computer languages and tools will evolve, and philosophical speculation. Unlike most other books about computing, Brooks' work has been remarkably enduring, remaining in print for at least four decades. The book is most famous for its statement of Brooks' Law: "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later".
Subjects: Computer programming management, Addresses, essays, lectures, Software engineering, Electronic digital computers, Programming, Computer programming
