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If a book sets the standard of a field, i.e. it is the most important book that students of subject X would all read, what can that book be called?

I've thought of gospel, archetype, exemplar, definitive, but none of them are quite the word I'm thinking of.

I've been recommended C# in Depth as the _________ on C#.

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    I'd certainly use 'definitive work/text'. // I've altered 'idiom request' to 'phrase request', which covers all fixed (ie idiomatic, well-known) phrases. 'Idioms' are (by default, and the way the term is normally defined on ELU) the subset of fixed phrases displaying unusual sense of word/s, and/or unusual grammar.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Sep 4 at 11:37
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    "bible" is very common. the game programmer's bible, the roofing contractor's bible" etc.
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 4 at 17:00
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    Sometimes the phrase "they wrote the book on X" is used.
    – matt_rule
    Commented Sep 4 at 17:07
  • Related: What is a formal word for 'go-to'?
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Sep 5 at 15:15
  • canon or Bible?
    – Melanie Shebel
    Commented Sep 6 at 1:34

13 Answers 13

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Sometimes bible is used:

a publication that is preeminent especially in authoritativeness or wide readership

the fisherman's bible
the bible of the entertainment industry (M-W)

Also

If someone describes a book about their job or interest as their bible, they mean that it is the best and most useful book about the subject. (collins)

In its definition of the term, OED contains other possible phrases:

A publication regarded as authoritative in a particular sphere or on a particular subject; a reference book, a standard work. Usually with modifying word or phrase indicating the subject area.

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    Yes, note that "bible" is not capitalized when used this way.
    – Spehro 'speff' Pefhany
    Commented Sep 6 at 3:13
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I've been recommended C# in Depth as the _________ on C#.

authority.

OED:

I. An authoritative piece of writing.

I.1. A book, passage, etc., accepted as a source of reliable information or evidence, esp. one used to settle a question or matter in dispute; an authoritative book, passage, etc.

1949 The Salafis agree with the modernists..in accepting Koran and Sunna as the sole authority for religious truth. H. A. R. Gibb, Mohammedanism x. 178

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  • "authority" is good, but alone, it doesn't capture the superlative notion that OP requested. Maybe "utmost authority" or "preeminent authority".
    – Benjamin Kuykendall
    Commented Sep 5 at 4:50
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    @BenjaminKuykendall I think 'the authority,' as opposed to 'an authority,' expresses the concept.
    – aantia
    Commented Sep 5 at 9:26
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Standard itself is used also, as a noun. OED definition of this sense:

A book generally accepted as an authority, or regarded as an exemplar of excellence.

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “standard (n.), sense III.22.a,” June 2024,
https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1070004760.

I've been recommended C# in Depth as the standard on C#.

Gold standard is a viable option as a phrase also. The modifier 'gold' can serve to intensify the meaning.

I've been recommended C# in Depth as the gold standard on C#.

'Gold standard' is typically used in the sense of a 'benchmark.' While it can denote the best of its kind, it’s usually referenced as a point of comparison or measurement against other similar items. For instance, saying 'C# in Depth is the gold standard for C# reference books' could work better, though the term is not commonly applied to books. In this context, 'standard' alone would be an adequate fit for the OP's sentence.

Wiktionary has this example also (credit to Mari-Lou A) :

The OED is the gold standard for English dictionaries.

Additionally, standard is used in the same sense in its adjective form:

Of a book or an author: generally accepted as an authority, or regarded as an exemplar of excellence.

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “standard (adj.), sense I.3.a,” June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/6735049595.

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    Wiktionary has The OED is the gold standard for English dictionaries
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Sep 4 at 11:40
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    @Mari-LouA Gold standard typically refers to something of the highest quality, against which other things are measured. I haven't encountered it used in the context of the OP’s example before. 'Standard' might be a more appropriate term here. However, since Wiktionary provides a similar usage, I suppose 'gold standard' can also be applied. The modifier 'gold' indeed serves to intensify the meaning.
    – ermanen
    Commented Sep 4 at 11:56
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    Doesn't "gold standard" imply it is the best of its kind?
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Sep 4 at 12:00
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    @Mari-LouA “'Gold standard' is typically used in the sense of a 'benchmark.' While it can denote the best of its kind, it’s usually referenced as a point of comparison or measurement against other similar items. For instance, saying 'C# in Depth is the gold standard for C# reference books' could work, though the term is not commonly applied to books. In this context, 'standard' alone would be a better fit for the OP's sentence. The Cambridge Dictionary also offers an interesting definition and usage example: dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gold-standard
    – ermanen
    Commented Sep 4 at 12:10
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    "standard text" is often heard
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 4 at 17:01
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Simply putting emphasis on the definite article implies that the item referred to is uniquely important and identifiable among other items of the same class. It's somewhat informal and might be more at home in spoken dialogue than in written text.

I've been recommended C# in Depth as the book on C.

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You might say,

I've been recommended C# in Depth as the canonical book on C#.

This uses canonical in the sense "accepted as being accurate and authoritative" (Oxford Languages).

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    Canonical is definitely the canonical term for this in computer science. (q.v. jargon file entry). Might be less common in other fields.
    – Ray
    Commented Sep 6 at 19:35
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A seminal book has a great influence in a particular field.

Seminal sources tend to be the major studies that initially presented an idea of great importance or influence within a particular discipline. These works were generally published in the past 20-50 years. These are the researchers/thinkers/authors that everyone discusses (whether or not current research agrees with their findings).
Source : Rasmussen university

Example : in its seminal book the origin of species, Darwin argued that organisms gradually evolved through a process called 'natural selection'.

However, for a book related to a computer language, I would prefer the term of reference (or reference book/source/document)

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    The word "seminal" is specific to books which act as an originator of major idea. Hence, seminal books are a subset of "books [that set] the standard of a field." Other (newer) books can set the standard of a field without being seminal. See also Meriam Webster: "containing or contributing the seeds of later development."
    – Brian
    Commented Sep 4 at 20:23
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    And similarly, a seminal book may no longer be the authority. Origin of Species is itself a great example: certainly a seminal work, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a biologist who would say "just read that and you'll have a pretty solid interesting of the field."
    – yshavit
    Commented Sep 5 at 6:00
  • "... understanding of the field" — typo, sorry!
    – yshavit
    Commented Sep 5 at 20:42
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    I concur, "seminal" is not the right word. To use the OP's example, C# in Depth is almost certainly not a seminal book: it presumably does not contain any tremendously original, never-seen-before ideas about C#.
    – Pilcrow
    Commented Sep 5 at 20:44
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Go-to is another possibility.

relied on and turned to as a preferred resource, strategy, option, etc., for a particular purpose:

This is my go-to dictionary.

[Dictionary.com]

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    What a great answer.
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 4 at 17:01
  • Thank you, @Fattie. But I don't see what's so great about the answer. ;)
    – user405662
    Commented Sep 4 at 17:07
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    Well you're the only one who thought of it. I don't mean "the answer per se is well written." I mean your platonic answer to the question "go-to" is probably the best answer here, and nobody else thought of it. I will send you a bounty!
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 4 at 17:09
  • When you say "platonic" (free from physical desire) , I may guess that you want to say "laconic" (brief) @Fattie ?
    – Prem
    Commented Sep 4 at 20:09
  • cheers @prem , good question. to be very brief, I meant it in the "ideal" sense, as in "platonic solids". Plato believed there was a cube in the real world (an actual brick or whatever) but that there was a "platonic idea" of a cube, an abstract "in heaven" (or something) notion of cubeness, the "perfect, ideal, abstract" cube. (the first example given in OED for platonic is "a kind of Platonic ideal of a New York City apartment.") Thus I may say to my girlfriend, in apotheosis, "you're the Platonic girlfriend" ie you're the very cliché of a girlfriend, you're the ideal girlfriend, not onl
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 5 at 10:54
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A book that sets a standard in a field could be called a classic book. Classic has several related definitions that apply here.

of the first or highest quality, class, or rank: a classic piece of work.

serving as a standard, model, or guide: the classic method of teaching arithmetic.

of or adhering to an established set of artistic or scientific standards or methods: a classic example of mid-Victorian architecture.

basic; fundamental: the classic rules of warfare.

of enduring interest, quality, or style: a classic design; classic clothes.

of literary or historical renown: the classic haunts of famous writers.

definitive: the classic reference work on ornithology.

It can be used as an adjective or a noun.

I've been recommended C# in Depth as the classic text on C#.

C# in Depth was recommended to me as a classic.

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    Simply referring to a text as "a classic" usually implies it is a high-quality piece of literature, usually fiction, which deals with broadly accessible themes. It strikes me as a bit odd to use it in the context of a piece of very specific non-fictional technical writing. Most people would consider Moby Dick to be a classic, but not C# in Depth.
    – Nuclear Hoagie
    Commented Sep 4 at 19:22
  • @NuclearHoagie That is usage in the sense of 'classics of antiquity', I am using it as a simple word without special artistic context. Gray's Anatomy is a classic on my shelf, as is Working Effectively with Legacy Code and The Joy of Cooking. I have the collected works of Edgar Allen Poe too, which is all considered Classic Literature, but The Tell-Tale Heart is also a plain old classic short story. "Pull my finger" - That's a classic that I am sure predates literature itself.
    – MackM
    Commented Sep 4 at 19:34
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    To me "classic" implies a certain amount of age. If C# in Depth was only a few years old it would feel strange to me to describe it as a "classic", even if it was the most authoritative text on the subject.
    – Michael Seifert
    Commented Sep 4 at 20:21
  • @MichaelSeifert It implies that to me as well. Recognition takes time. I've heard works described as 'instant classics' soon after they were released, though. I've also heard that later revised to 'classics of their time/era/etc.' when it was called it too early :-D.
    – MackM
    Commented Sep 4 at 20:37
  • @MichaelSeifert "Classic" to me implies a sense of timelessness, often backward-looking, but sometimes forward-looking. It seems a little odd when applied to a practical guide to a technology which is both relatively recent and which has a decent chance of becoming obsolete in the future. Classics will almost always be considered classics, but C# in Depth won't be considered anything at all when people stop using C#. People read Gray's Anatomy 100 years ago and likely will 100 years from now, but I find it unlikely people will be reading C# in Depth in the year 2224.
    – Nuclear Hoagie
    Commented Sep 5 at 18:25
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Iconic is often used these days, no matter how much I hate it.

Try googling: the "iconic" book on c# programming.

(Recall, use " " on a word in google, to get literally that word appearing.) (As opposed to google contextually literally "understanding your question", which is sort of terrifying!)

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You can call it the last word on C#. See meaning 2b from Merriam-Webster:

last word noun

  1. the final remark in a verbal exchange

    • a: the power of final decision
    • b: a definitive statement or treatment

      this study will surely be the last word on the subject for many years

  3. the most advanced, up-to-date, or fashionable exemplar of its kind

    the last word in sports cars

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    'The Last Word on English Usage' [fifth edition]
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Sep 5 at 15:18
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If the book has encyclopedic qualities it may be "The only book you'll ever need about X". Not sure whether that applies to "C# in Depth"; but it would be adequate to describe Josutti's The C++ Standard Library.

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Two titles from the tech world I think speak to this quite well are 'the definitive guide' and 'the missing manual'

For a single word - I want to say 'lexicon' but it doesn't quite fit. It might given the right subject...

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Although the default sense is the literal one, holy writ is used perhaps irreverently for any text (and, broadening further, ethos) considered peerless in its field:

Holy Writ [noun]

  • the Bible.
  • writings or sayings of unchallenged authority:

"research findings and conclusions are guidelines, not holy writ"

[ODE; courtesy of Google]

Internet examples:

  • One thing we are seeing in some more recent studies is that some things that were considered holy writ (e.g., you need to have sad faces in your fundraising) may only be true for acquisition audiences (since that’s where they were tested).

[Agitator: The Donor Voice]

  • The writings of Martin Heidegger—liberal academia's biggest superstar—are considered holy writ ...

[F Bardamu; Occidental Observer]

  • Although written eighteen years earlier than Kogan's 'Busoni', Zhdanov's formulations on literature were considered holy writ, and only formally disavowed in 1988

[S Belsky, Grigory Kogan: His Life and Times; De Gruyter; courtesy of Google]

  • What are the best books about the Battle of Midway?

Even Fuchida's account, for so long considered Holy Writ ...

[Quora: books about the Battle of Midway]

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  • This delightfully well-cited answer seems to be getting uncommented downvotes, which seems unjust. I agree that it wouldn't fit in the format "this is the [X] book on the topic", which seems to be the specific thing the OP was asking for. But in a more general sense, it fits the general point of the request, which makes it a perfectly fine addition.
    – Dewi Morgan
    Commented Sep 7 at 3:12

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