Code Simplicity: The Fundamentals of Software

I hope it's not overly-naive to say that the basic concepts here will be familiar to most seasoned programmers (whether coming from an academic background or having simply been exposed to good software engineering in the course of their careers). Still, it's a nicely-organized book that distills many best practices into pithy and memorable “rules” and “laws”, giving you a lens for writing good software in the trenches.

My favorite law? The purpose of software is to help people. :)