Working Effectively with Legacy Code (Robert C Martin)
Michael Feathers

£35.99

buy from amazon

While waiting for a long database import to run I've been browsing my Safari bookshelf and this book looks really good.

I haven't by any means read the whole thing - but it really seems to have answers to questions I have been asking.

The topic of legacy code is one I have worked with a lot - and it's always challenging.

This book deals well with the technical, business, emotional and social impacts of this work.
With chapter titles like

      Chapter 6. I Don't Have Much Time and I Have to Change It

      Chapter 16. I Don't Understand the Code Well Enough to Change It

 The author obviously knows the ground well ;-)

A large part of the book is a cross-referenced list of dependency breaking techniques.

This is clearly one of those books where you get the benefit of decades of experience - without having to spend decades gaining it.