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Best Machine Learning Books for Beginners & Experts [2024]

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Alan Turing stated, “What we want is a machine that can learn from experience.” And this concept is a reality today in the form of Machine Learning! Generally speaking, Machine Learning involves studying computer algorithms and statistical models for a specific task using patterns and inference instead of explicit instructions. And there is no doubt that Machine Learning is an insanely popular career choice today. 

Best-Books-to-Learn-Machine-Learning

According to many sources, Machine Learning Engineer is The Best Job with a 344% growth and an average base salary of $146,085 per year. Keeping this in mind, if you want to learn Machine Learning, there are many books available in the market (for programmers at all stages of learning). In this article, we have compiled the best machine learning books, both for rank amateurs and technical whiz kids!!! Each of these books is extremely popular so it is up to you to choose the ones you like according to your learning sensibilities. So without further ado, let’s see them! 

What is Machine Learning?

Machine learning(ML) is like giving your computer a brain that learns from experience, just like you do. It is a type of artificial intelligence that basically enables computers to learn from existing or provided data and improve their performance over time without being programmed explicitly. Imagine your computer becoming smarter with every piece of information it processes, like a personal assistant that gets better at its job the more it learns. That’s the essence of machine learning!

Why is Machine Learning Important?

In today’s world machine learning is quite important as it helps in providing enterprises a look into the behavioral pattern of customers as well as the business operational patterns. It also keeps the charge of development of new products therefore, many leading companies such as Google, Uber, and Facebook are opting for machine learning and making it a central part of their operations. 

For example:

  • Uber uses machine learning to optimize its routing algorithms and to predict demand for rides in different areas.
  • Google uses machine learning to improve the accuracy of its search results and to identify and remove spam and other harmful content from its platforms.
  • Facebook uses machine learning to personalize the content that users see in their feeds, to identify and remove inappropriate content, and to detect and prevent fraudulent activity.

These are just a few examples of how machine learning is being used in these organizations, but there are many other applications as well. Now, let’s start simple and focus on the best Machine Learning books for beginners, and then we will move on to more complicated books!

Best Machine Learning Books For Beginners

1. Machine Learning For Absolute Beginners: A Plain English Introduction (2nd Edition)

Machine-Learning-For-Absolute-Beginners-Book

Do you want to learn Machine Learning but have no idea how? Well, before you embark on your epic journey into machine learning, there are some important theoretical and statistical principles you should know first. And that’s where this book comes in! It is a practical and high-level introduction to Machine Learning for absolute beginners. Machine Learning For Absolute Beginners teaches you everything basic from learning how to download free datasets to the tools and machine learning libraries you will need. 

Topics like Data scrubbing techniques, Regression analysis, Clustering, Basics of Neural Networks, Bias/Variance, Decision Trees, etc. are also covered. So, if you haven’t had that Lion King moment yet, where you proudly gaze on the expanse of ML-like Simba looks over the Pride Lands of Africa, then this is the best book to gently hoist you up and offer you a clear lay of the land. 

Buy Machine Learning For Absolute Beginners Book 

2. Machine Learning (in Python and R) For Dummies (1st Edition)

Machine-Learning-in-Python-and-R-For-Dummies

For common people, Machine Learning can be a mind-boggling concept. But for those of us in the know, it is invaluable!!! It is impossible to handle things like web search results, real-time ads on web pages, automation, or even spam filtering (Yeah!) without ML. And so this book provides you with a no-nonsense guide that can serve as an entry point into the mysterious world of ML. 

Machine Learning For Dummies will help you to ‘speak’ certain languages, such as Python and R that will, in turn, teach machines to handle pattern-oriented tasks and data analysis. You will also learn how to code in R using R Studio and Python using Anaconda.

Buy Machine Learning For Dummies Book 

3. Machine Learning for Hackers: Case Studies and Algorithms to Get You Started (1st Edition)

Machine-Learning-for-Hackers

In case you are a programmer now interested in data crunching, then this book is perfect for you! (Let’s first clarify that the Hacker in the title refers to a good programmer and not a secretive computer cracker!) So this book will help you get started with Machine Learning using lots of hands-on case studies rather than boring math-heavy presentations that are more common. 

Machine Learning for Hackers focuses on specific problems in each chapter such as classification, prediction, optimization, and recommendation. It will also teach you to analyze different sample datasets and write simple machine-learning algorithms in the R programming language. 

Buy Machine Learning for Hackers Book 

4. Machine Learning: The New AI (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series)

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Machine Learning has an insane range of applications in modern times, from product recommendations to voice recognition and even those that are not commonly used like self-driving cars! Now, the basis of ML is data and as data has grown bigger (Big data!), it is no surprise that ML has also advanced as it is fundamental in the process of converting data into knowledge. Machine Learning: The New AI focuses on basic Machine Learning, ranging from the evolution to important learning algorithms and their example applications. 

This book also focuses on machine learning algorithms for pattern recognition; artificial neural networks, reinforcement learning, data science, and the ethical and legal implications of ML for data privacy and security. 

Buy Machine Learning: The New AI Book

5. The Hundred-Page Machine Learning Book

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This book offers readers an excellent introduction to machine learning. The book also has a proper explanation of artificial intelligence systems which has been made very understandable by the writers. With all the basic concepts written clearly, the Hundred-Page Machine Learning Book speaks about the basic concepts required for interviews. 

The book is a great combination of both practice papers and theory and clarifies various concepts such as logistic regression with illustrations and classical linear, algorithms written with Python and models. The book also covers numerous important topics such as Fundamental Algorithms, Deep Learning and Neural Networks, Advanced Practice, Anatomy of a Learning Algorithm, and Unsupervised Learning. 

Buy The Hundred-Page Machine Learning Book

Best Machine Learning Books for Intermediates/Experts

6. Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning (1st Edition)

Pattern-Recognition-and-Machine-Learning

In case you want to dive deep into the mysterious world of Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning, then this is the correct book for you! In fact, this is the first book that presents the Bayesian viewpoint on pattern recognition. So while this book deals with tough topics that require at least some knowledge of multivariate calculus, basic linear algebra, and data science, this is also the best book to hammer Pattern Recognition into your brain!!! 

Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning have increasing difficulty level chapters on probability and machine learning based on patterns in datasets. So this book starts from the general introduction in Pattern Recognition using live examples to get the point across.

Buy Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning Book 

7. Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Predictive Data Analytics

Fundamentals-of-Machine-Learning-for-Predictive-Data-Analytics

If you have understood Machine Learning basics and now want to get into Predictive Data Analytics, then this is the book for you!!! Machine Learning can be used to create predictive models by extracting patterns from large datasets. And this application of ML using Predictive Data Analytics is analyzed in detail in this book using both theoretical concepts and practical applications. Even though the name “Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Predictive Data Analytics” is a mouthful, still this book will describe the Predictive Data Analytics trajectory in detail: from data to insight to a decision. 

It also describes four approaches to machine learning: information-based learning, similarity-based learning, probability-based learning, and error-based learning, each with a nontechnical conceptual explanation followed by mathematical models and algorithms illustrated by detailed work examples. 

Buy Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Predictive Data Analytics Book 

8. Machine Learning: The Art and Science of Algorithms that Make Sense of Data (1st Edition)

Machine-Learning-The-Art-and-Science-of-Algorithms-that-Make-Sense-of-Data

If you are at the intermediate or expert level in ML and want a “back to the basics” approach, then this book is the way to go! It does full justice to the incredible complexity and richness of Machine Learning without losing sight of its unifying principles (And that’s a feat!). Machine Learning: The Art and Science of Algorithms has various case studies with increasing complexity and many examples and illustrations as well (To make sure it’s not boring!) 

Also, a wide range of logical, geometric, and statistical models are covered in the book along with complex and new topics like matrix factorization and ROC analysis. 

Buy Machine Learning: The Art and Science of Algorithms that Make Sense of Data Book 

9. Programming Collective Intelligence: Building Smart Web 2.0 Applications (1st Edition)

Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Building-Smart-Web-20-Applications

Do you want to understand and then harness the power behind search rankings, product recommendations, social bookmarking or even online matchmaking!!! If you do, then congratulations, you have chosen the correct book. This book demonstrates how you can build various applications for Web 2.0 to mine the enormous amount of data that is created by approximately 3 Billion people on the Internet. 

Programming Collective Intelligence handles this using Machine Learning and helps you draw conclusions about user experience, marketing, personal tastes, and human behavior in general. All of the Machine Learning algorithms in this book are described with code that can be used anywhere from your website, blog, Wiki, or even a specialized application. 

Buy Programming Collective Intelligence Book

10. Deep Learning (Adaptive Computation and ML Series)

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This book is an upgraded version of machine learning as it provides a proper understanding of a lot of data present in the book. If someone wants to gain appropriate knowledge of machine learning then they must go through this book as it is also known as the Bible of Deep Learning. The book contains technical topics, deep generative models, along with mathematics. A few more important topics covered in this book are:

  • Optimization for Training Deep Models
  • Deep Feedforward Networks
  • Deep Learning Research
  • Numerical Computation
  • Practical Methodology

Buy Deep Learning (Adaptive Computation and ML Series)

Conclusion

So, these were the best books for Machine Learning for both beginners and experts. People who want to learn Machine Learning and grow in this career, can choose the book according to their choice and study properly. Machine Learning is a promising career opportunity and pays you in seven-digit figures. Explore Now!

FAQs

What book should I start with machine learning?

These are the books you should start machine learning with:

  • The Hundred-Page Machine Learning Book by Andriy Burkov
  • Machine Learning For Absolute Beginners by Oliver Theobald
  • Machine Learning for Hackers by Drew Conway and John Myles White

Which is the best book for machine learning beginners?

These are the books best for beginners

  • Machine Learning For Absolute Beginners: A Plain English Introduction (2nd Edition)
  • Machine Learning (in Python and R) For Dummies (1st Edition)
  • Machine Learning for Hackers: Case Studies and Algorithms to Get You Started (1st Edition)
  • Machine Learning: The New AI (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series)

Can I learn ML by myself?

Yes, one can learn ML on your own but the list of tools can overwhelm at some point. But if you are able to do it yourself well and well and if not there are many free and paid resources available that can help you to understand things properly. 



Last Updated : 16 Jan, 2024
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