There are books that nobody reads because they don't contain good ideas, and there are books that nobody reads because they're too dense. The second category contains some of the most valuable books out there.
I'd put the gang of four design patterns book into the second category. Often, a book or journal article is there to be cited as a breakthrough work on a subject, but very few people read it - instead, they read the thousands of other, more easily accessible books and articles on the subject.
This is why "Head First Design Patterns" is in the "books I've read list", and "GOF" is in the books nobody reads list. GOF is on my shelf, and I've browsed through it, but I go to other sources to understand and implement design patterns.
I'd put the gang of four design patterns book into the second category. Often, a book or journal article is there to be cited as a breakthrough work on a subject, but very few people read it - instead, they read the thousands of other, more easily accessible books and articles on the subject.
This is why "Head First Design Patterns" is in the "books I've read list", and "GOF" is in the books nobody reads list. GOF is on my shelf, and I've browsed through it, but I go to other sources to understand and implement design patterns.