Pat says: This is a classic for the field of software engineering, the first treatment to thoroughly debunk the usefulness of adding programmers to an already late project.  Many of its author's professed beliefs are still widely held today.  This book is a fun read for a programmer, and I recommend it for any practitioner in the business world, especially for those who might be involved in managing or estimating large software projects.
 

Aside: I have always felt that use of the word "Man" in the title of this book is undesirable; I have already annoyed many a colleague over the years with this opinion.