8 Best-Selling Deep Neural Networks Books Millions Trust

Discover expert picks from Kirk Borne, Pratham Prasoon, and Nadim Kobeissi that highlight best-selling deep neural networks books with proven value.

Kirk Borne
Pratham Prasoon
Nadim Kobeissi
Updated on June 26, 2025
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There's something special about books that both critics and crowds love, especially in a fast-evolving field like deep neural networks. These technologies underpin advances from image recognition to natural language processing, making mastery of deep neural networks essential for AI practitioners today. The books featured here have stood out not only for their sales but also for their endorsement by experts deeply involved in neural network development and application.

Kirk Borne, Principal Data Scientist at Booz Allen, champions "Neural Smithing" as a foundational text that demystifies feedforward networks, a core component of many AI systems. Meanwhile, Pratham Prasoon, a self-taught programmer and blockchain developer, alongside Nadim Kobeissi, an applied cryptographer and NYU professor, both praise "Deep Learning with Python, Second Edition" for its blend of theory and practical coding insights. Their endorsements reflect hands-on engagement with these works, highlighting their relevance across skill levels.

While these popular books provide proven frameworks and established knowledge, readers seeking content tailored precisely to their background and goals might consider creating a personalized Deep Neural Networks book that combines these validated approaches with your unique learning objectives and context.

Best for data scientists mastering feedforward networks
Kirk Borne, Principal Data Scientist at Booz Allen and an astrophysicist, highlights Neural Smithing as a classic in machine learning that resonates strongly with data scientists. His recommendation reflects how this book aligns with the needs of those deeply involved in neural network research and application. Borne's endorsement points to the book's practical impact on understanding feedforward networks, a cornerstone of many AI systems today.
KB

Recommended by Kirk Borne

Principal Data Scientist at Booz Allen

5-★ DataScientists should enjoy this classic Machine Learning book! Neural Smithing — Supervised Learning in Feedforward Artificial Neural Networks. (from X)

When Russell D. Reed and Robert J. Marks II developed Neural Smithing, their goal was to demystify multilayer perceptrons, a key type of feedforward artificial neural network. This book guides you through the nuts and bolts of these networks, from foundational concepts to the nuanced technical factors that influence their performance. You'll gain insight into applications spanning finance forecasting to speech and image recognition, supported by a decade of research and practical examples. It’s tailored for practitioners seeking a toolkit for deploying neural networks, as well as those interested in the underlying theory. If you want a focused deep dive into supervised learning within neural nets, this book delivers without unnecessary fluff.

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Best for Python developers advancing deep learning skills
Pratham Prasoon, an 18-year-old self-taught programmer working on modular blockchains, recommends this book for its advanced yet intuitive approach to deep learning with TensorFlow. He highlights its practical explanations of theory and coverage of topics like natural language processing and generative models. His endorsement reflects the book’s appeal to developers pushing their skills further. Similarly, Nadim Kobeissi, an applied cryptographer and NYU professor, praises the book enthusiastically, underscoring its value across expertise levels.
PP

Recommended by Pratham Prasoon

Self-taught programmer, modular blockchain builder

The Deep Learning with Python book is more advanced than the previous books. It explains the theory and best practices of deep learning with TensorFlow intuitively and practically. You'll learn about natural language processing, generative models, and more. (from X)

2021·504 pages·Deep Learning, Python, Deep Neural Networks, Neural Networks, Image Classification

The breakthrough moment came when François Chollet, creator of the Keras deep-learning library at Google, translated his hands-on expertise into this second edition. You’ll explore deep learning fundamentals from first principles, then advance through practical topics like image classification, timeseries forecasting, and text generation with clear Python examples. Chollet balances theory and application, making complex topics like neural style transfer and machine translation accessible without oversimplifying. If you have intermediate Python skills and want to build real deep learning projects with Keras and TensorFlow, this book offers a solid foundation and thoughtful insights to deepen your mastery.

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Best for custom neural methods
This AI-created book on deep neural networks is tailored to your skill level, interests, and specific challenges. By using your background and goals, it focuses on the methods you need most, avoiding unnecessary details. This personalized approach makes exploring deep neural networks more relevant and efficient, providing a focused learning experience that fits your unique path.
2025·50-300 pages·Deep Neural Networks, Network Architectures, Training Techniques, Optimization Methods, Convolutional Networks

This tailored book explores deep neural networks with a focus on methods that have proven effective in real-world applications. It examines core architectures, training techniques, and optimization approaches, all aligned with your background and interests. By presenting concepts and examples that match your specific goals, this personalized book reveals pathways to mastering deep neural networks that resonate with your experience level. Combining insights drawn from widely validated knowledge, it guides you through understanding complex models while addressing the challenges you face. This approach ensures that learning is relevant, engaging, and directly applicable to your unique exploration of deep neural networks.

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Best for learners building strong neural network foundations
Mohamad H. Hassoun, leveraging his role as book review editor for IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, crafted Fundamentals of Artificial Neural Networks to fill a gap in systematic treatments of neural network theory and practice. This book’s unified approach and detailed explanations provide clarity on essential paradigms that many texts overlook, making it a trusted resource for those delving into deep neural networks. It walks you through fundamental concepts, learning rules, optimization techniques, and advanced paradigms like Boltzmann machines, supported by numerous examples and exercises. If you’re aiming to build solid expertise in neural network analysis and design, this book offers the methodical foundation you need.
1995·511 pages·Neural Networks, Neural Network, Deep Neural Networks, Deep Learning, Machine Learning

Drawing from his extensive experience as the book review editor of IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, Mohamad H. Hassoun offers a thoroughly organized and clear exploration of artificial neural networks. You’ll gain a deep understanding of foundational concepts, computational architectures, and key learning rules including supervised, reinforcement, and unsupervised methods—all unified under a common framework. The book meticulously integrates mathematical analyses, practical examples, and problem sets that sharpen your ability to design and analyze neural networks. This is ideal for students and practitioners who want a rigorous, structured grasp of neural network paradigms without wading through fragmented or overly heuristic texts.

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Best for hands-on learners coding neural networks
Tariq Rashid holds a degree in Physics and a Masters in Machine Learning and Data Mining, actively engaging in London's tech scene and leading the London Python meetup group. His passion for making complex scientific and computational concepts accessible shines through this book, which guides you gently from basic ideas to building working neural networks in Python. Rashid’s expertise and dedication make this an approachable resource for anyone curious about deep neural networks and artificial intelligence.
Make Your Own Neural Network book cover

by Tariq Rashid··You?

Drawing from his background in physics and advanced machine learning, Tariq Rashid crafted this book to demystify neural networks for those without deep mathematical expertise. You’ll start with foundational concepts, progressing to building your own neural network in Python that recognizes handwritten digits, mirroring professional performance. Chapters guide you through both theory and hands-on coding, including enhancing accuracy to 98% and running models on a Raspberry Pi, making it ideal for self-learners and tech enthusiasts eager to grasp AI’s inner workings.

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Best for technical readers exploring neural network methods
Jeff Heaton, PhD, is a computer scientist specializing in data science and artificial intelligence with expertise spanning Python, R, Java, and C#. As the lead developer of the Encog Machine Learning Framework and author of over ten books, he brings a wealth of knowledge to this volume. His academic background includes a Master's in Information Management and a PhD in computer science, grounding this book in solid research and practical experience. This deep dive into neural networks reflects his commitment to advancing AI understanding through accessible yet technically nuanced writing.

Jeff Heaton's decades of experience in data science and AI led him to write this volume focused on neural networks and their modern advancements. You explore practical applications of deep learning techniques like convolution and ReLU activation, alongside optimization methods such as stochastic gradient descent and regularization. Detailed examples include image recognition tasks, helping you understand how these models perform in real-world contexts. This book suits anyone aiming to deepen their technical grasp of neural networks, particularly if you're comfortable with coding and mathematical concepts behind AI.

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Best for rapid coding projects
This AI-created book on neural coding is tailored to your skill level and learning goals. You share your background and the specific deep neural network topics you want to focus on, and the book is created just for you. It emphasizes fast, practical projects so you can build real models quickly and deepen your understanding through doing. This personalized approach makes learning coding for neural networks more efficient and relevant to your unique interests and experience.
2025·50-300 pages·Deep Neural Networks, Deep Learning, Neural Networks, Network Architecture, Activation Functions

This tailored book explores the practical journey of building deep neural networks through rapid, hands-on coding projects. It covers core concepts from architecture design to implementation nuances, focusing on your interests and background to accelerate skill development effectively. The step-by-step guidance reveals how to construct functional models quickly while deepening your understanding of network layers, activation functions, and training techniques. By matching content to your specific goals, this personalized resource helps you grasp complex ideas through active coding rather than passive reading. It examines both foundational principles and advanced coding practices, ensuring an engaging learning experience tailored to your pace and prior knowledge in deep learning.

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Best for practitioners applying Keras to deep learning
Antonio Gulli brings a rich background in cloud computing, deep learning, and innovation, holding over 20 patents in AI-related fields. His experience managing global technological talent and authoring multiple books underpins this guide to Keras and neural networks. His multilingual abilities and passion for execution underscore the practical approach in this work, designed to help you implement deep learning models confidently. This book reflects Gulli’s dedication to bridging theory with hands-on coding, making it a valuable resource for programmers ready to deepen their AI expertise.

What happens when cloud computing expertise meets deep learning? Antonio Gulli leverages his extensive background in AI and patents to guide you through building neural networks using Python and Keras. You'll gain hands-on experience implementing models like convolutional networks for image recognition, recurrent networks for sequence data, and generative adversarial networks for creative tasks. This book walks you through optimizing neural networks with backpropagation and applying reinforcement learning in games, making it ideal if you have some machine learning knowledge and want to deepen your practical skills. If you’re looking to grasp how deep learning algorithms operate under the hood and apply them across real-world problems, this book offers a solid foundation without overwhelming jargon.

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Dr. Le Lu is a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center with deep expertise in radiology and imaging sciences. Alongside co-authors Dr. Yefeng Zheng from Siemens Healthcare, Dr. Gustavo Carneiro from the University of Adelaide, and Dr. Lin Yang from the University of Florida, he combines academic rigor and industry experience to explore how convolutional neural networks can transform medical image computing. This collaboration draws on their extensive backgrounds to present a thorough examination of deep learning techniques tailored to large-scale medical datasets, making the book a significant resource for those advancing precision medicine through AI.

The breakthrough moment came when Le Lu and his co-authors, all leading scientists in medical imaging and AI, brought together their research to tackle the complexities of medical image computing through deep learning. This book dives into how convolutional neural networks revolutionize object detection and semantic segmentation in 2D and 3D medical images, backed by practical examples and large-scale dataset applications. You’ll gain insights on leveraging deep neural networks to mine vast radiology databases and improve precision medicine techniques, with chapters detailing state-of-the-art algorithms and novel interleaved text-image mining approaches. It’s especially useful if you’re involved in medical AI research, radiology tech, or developing high-performance imaging solutions, though its technical depth means it’s best suited for readers with some machine learning background.

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Best for beginners seeking accessible deep learning intro
This book stands out in Deep Neural Networks for its straightforward approach to a sometimes intimidating subject. It breaks down essential elements like the workings of neural networks and their applications, making these concepts accessible for those new to AI and machine learning. Its practical focus on how neural networks impact everyday technology and business offers value to aspiring learners. The author’s intent to demystify these topics has resonated with many, making it a popular choice for beginners seeking clarity in a rapidly evolving field.
2017·76 pages·Neural Networks, Deep Neural Networks, Neural Network, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning

John Slavio challenges the notion that neural networks are inherently complex with this accessible introduction tailored for beginners. You’ll learn foundational concepts like biological versus artificial neural networks, how Keras models structure layers, and the practical applications of these technologies in business contexts. The book clarifies common misconceptions by breaking down how neural networks operate behind popular innovations such as self-driving cars, making the topic approachable rather than daunting. If you're new to AI and want a straightforward guide to start exploring deep learning without getting overwhelmed, this book offers a clear pathway, although it may not dive deeply into advanced algorithms.

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Conclusion

This collection of eight best-selling books reveals clear themes: foundational understanding, practical implementation, and specialized applications like medical imaging. If you prefer proven methods, starting with "Fundamentals of Artificial Neural Networks" or "Neural Smithing" will build rigorous knowledge. For validated, hands-on approaches, pairing "Deep Learning with Python, Second Edition" and "Deep Learning with Keras" offers a powerful skillset.

For those focused on domain-specific uses, "Deep Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for Medical Image Computing" delivers targeted insights. Alternatively, you can create a personalized Deep Neural Networks book to combine proven methods with your unique needs and pace.

These widely-adopted approaches have helped many readers succeed by blending expert knowledge with reader validation, offering you a reliable path to mastering deep neural networks.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with "Fundamentals of Artificial Neural Networks" for a structured foundation. It covers essential concepts clearly, preparing you for more advanced texts like "Neural Smithing" or "Deep Learning with Python, Second Edition."

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Deep Neural Networks?

Not at all. "Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence" offers an accessible introduction, while "Make Your Own Neural Network" is great for hands-on beginners. More technical books come later as you build confidence.

What's the best order to read these books?

Begin with foundational texts like "Fundamentals of Artificial Neural Networks," then progress to practical guides such as "Deep Learning with Python, Second Edition" and specialized books like "Deep Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for Medical Image Computing."

Do I really need to read all of these, or can I just pick one?

You can pick based on your goals. For coding skills, "Make Your Own Neural Network" is ideal; for theory, try "Neural Smithing." Together, they offer a comprehensive view, but one book can also provide solid value.

Which books focus more on theory vs. practical application?

"Neural Smithing" and "Fundamentals of Artificial Neural Networks" emphasize theory, while "Deep Learning with Python, Second Edition" and "Deep Learning with Keras" lean toward practical implementation with code examples.

How can I get a book tailored to my specific Deep Neural Networks interests?

While these expert-recommended books are invaluable, creating a personalized Deep Neural Networks book lets you combine proven methods with your unique needs and goals. Learn more here.

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