Price: $9.99 (as of Aug 09, 2025 01:51:15 UTC – Details)
Rapid advances in large language models (LLMs) have made new kinds of AI applications, known as agents, possible. Written by a veteran of web development, Principles of Building AI Agents focuses on the substance without hype or buzzwords. This book walks through:The key building blocks of agents: providers, models, prompts, tools, memoryHow to break down complex tasks with agentic workflowsGiving agents access to knowledge bases with RAG (retrieval-augmented generation)Agent observability with tracing and evals ASIN : B0DYH5GHDD Publisher : Independently published Publication date : February 24, 2025 Language : English Print length : 142 pages ISBN-13 : 979-8312004281 Item Weight : 3.53 ounces Dimensions : 5 x 0.32 x 8 inches Best Sellers Rank: #2,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Microsoft Programming (Books) #1 in Computer Programming Languages Customer Reviews: 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 30 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
10 reviews for Principles of Building AI Agents
Patrick Auld –
The best intro the agentic development
Here is the best getting-started guide to building AI Agents you can get. It’s concise and to the point, full of practical uses and design. Other books and blogs drone on about the potential and future ideas; this book is grounded in building today. The book is not a deep dive into how everything works; it’s an overview of how to use the various elements available today to build agents.Code examples use the Mastra framework (from the author’s company) without becoming a sales pitch for it. They are simple and used as examples to the reader only when appropriate.The last part of the book does include a forward-looking section on Agent-to-Agent (A2A) and other potential topics that are not mainstream yet. These chapters are so short that they could have been condensed into a “Future ideas” section. Given how quickly a Second Edition was published, I expect a Third Edition will flesh these out. In the meantime, they lack the depth to be helpful of than an FYI.
Gabriel Kho –
5/5
I think this is the seminal practical guide to building AI agents without assuming a phD in machine learning. The author did a good job segmenting the different aspects of building agents. Definitely incorporated the lessons in my projects. Recommended for beginners and people looking for a refresher.
Alexander –
Good start but felt incomplete
I liked the categories and introduction to each topic, but this book would benefit greatly from more detail. It felt like as soon as a chapter piqued my interest and had me wanting to delve into a topic more, the author abruptly whiplashed me into the next chapter and topic without giving the previous one enough real world examples or supporting ideas. Good for a taster on agentic ai topics but left me wanting more.
Oleg –
???
a weak practical guide for people who want to leave the field of creating agents
Jason A Freedman –
A Must-Read for Anyone Interested in AI Development
This was an insightful and practical guide that breaks down the complex world of AI into digestible concepts. Whether you’re a beginner looking to understand the fundamentals or a more experienced developer seeking best practices, this book provides valuable frameworks, real-world examples, and clear explanations.What I appreciated most was the author’s ability to balance technical depth with accessibility—no unnecessary jargon, just clear, actionable advice. The book covers key principles of AI agent design, decision-making, and real-world implementation, making it a great resource for anyone looking to build smarter and more efficient AI systems.Highly recommended for tech enthusiasts, developers, and anyone curious about the future of AI!
Peter Kazanjy –
Awesome primer on agents
I was looking for some thing that would give me a “soup to nuts“ overview of building AI agents for new products or adding to existing products, and this book completely hit the ball out of the park. Highly recommend!
Michael K. –
A clear, well-structured introduction to building practical agent systems — more breadth than depth, but packed with up-to-date concepts that sparked real inspiration for my own projects.
SANKAR VISWANATHAN –
This book gives a very brief summary of key principles surrounding agent development. There are only a few pointers for further studies.
Mr Paul M Scanlon –
I’m relatively new to the field but this book nicely outlines some of the key principles of building AI Agents, and for me, has helped me understand where to go next on my learning journey.
AR –
Very simple, and very short – bought it because there were some comments on LinkedIn about it, but really basic.
Patrick Auld –
The best intro the agentic development
Here is the best getting-started guide to building AI Agents you can get. It’s concise and to the point, full of practical uses and design. Other books and blogs drone on about the potential and future ideas; this book is grounded in building today. The book is not a deep dive into how everything works; it’s an overview of how to use the various elements available today to build agents.Code examples use the Mastra framework (from the author’s company) without becoming a sales pitch for it. They are simple and used as examples to the reader only when appropriate.The last part of the book does include a forward-looking section on Agent-to-Agent (A2A) and other potential topics that are not mainstream yet. These chapters are so short that they could have been condensed into a “Future ideas” section. Given how quickly a Second Edition was published, I expect a Third Edition will flesh these out. In the meantime, they lack the depth to be helpful of than an FYI.
Gabriel Kho –
5/5
I think this is the seminal practical guide to building AI agents without assuming a phD in machine learning. The author did a good job segmenting the different aspects of building agents. Definitely incorporated the lessons in my projects. Recommended for beginners and people looking for a refresher.
Alexander –
Good start but felt incomplete
I liked the categories and introduction to each topic, but this book would benefit greatly from more detail. It felt like as soon as a chapter piqued my interest and had me wanting to delve into a topic more, the author abruptly whiplashed me into the next chapter and topic without giving the previous one enough real world examples or supporting ideas. Good for a taster on agentic ai topics but left me wanting more.
Oleg –
???
a weak practical guide for people who want to leave the field of creating agents
Jason A Freedman –
A Must-Read for Anyone Interested in AI Development
This was an insightful and practical guide that breaks down the complex world of AI into digestible concepts. Whether you’re a beginner looking to understand the fundamentals or a more experienced developer seeking best practices, this book provides valuable frameworks, real-world examples, and clear explanations.What I appreciated most was the author’s ability to balance technical depth with accessibility—no unnecessary jargon, just clear, actionable advice. The book covers key principles of AI agent design, decision-making, and real-world implementation, making it a great resource for anyone looking to build smarter and more efficient AI systems.Highly recommended for tech enthusiasts, developers, and anyone curious about the future of AI!
Peter Kazanjy –
Awesome primer on agents
I was looking for some thing that would give me a “soup to nuts“ overview of building AI agents for new products or adding to existing products, and this book completely hit the ball out of the park. Highly recommend!
Michael K. –
A clear, well-structured introduction to building practical agent systems — more breadth than depth, but packed with up-to-date concepts that sparked real inspiration for my own projects.
SANKAR VISWANATHAN –
This book gives a very brief summary of key principles surrounding agent development. There are only a few pointers for further studies.
Mr Paul M Scanlon –
I’m relatively new to the field but this book nicely outlines some of the key principles of building AI Agents, and for me, has helped me understand where to go next on my learning journey.
AR –
Very simple, and very short – bought it because there were some comments on LinkedIn about it, but really basic.