Best of · 1970
Prompt Engineering,
ranked.
Books on crafting effective prompts, building LLM-powered applications, and getting reliable outputs from AI models. 2 titles, ranked by 415+ reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, weighted for recency and depth.
The best prompt engineering book in 1970 is Prompt Engineering for Generative AI by James Phoenix, Mike Taylor, rated 4.5★ from 132+ readers. Below, all 2 titles are ranked by aggregate ratings, with who each one is for and what to read first.
Methodology
Rankings combine Amazon star averages, Goodreads ratings, mention frequency on r/programming and HN, and recency weight (books older than 8 years lose 10% per year).
Reviews counted
415+
01
James Phoenix, Mike Taylor · O'Reilly Media · 2024
Prompt Engineering for Generative AI
prompt engineering
Covers both text and image generation in one book.
Heavy reliance on specific tools (LangChain, etc.) that date quickly.
Best for: Developers wanting a broad introduction to both text and image generation
02
John Berryman, Albert Ziegler · O'Reilly Media · 2024
Prompt Engineering for LLMs
The Art and Science of Building Large Language Model-Based Applications
prompt engineeringllm
Focuses on understanding why techniques work, not just memorizing patterns.
Heavy GPT-3 focus makes some content feel dated.
Best for: Developers who want to understand the science behind prompt engineering, not just copy patterns
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