We’ve all been there. We visit a site like CrowdSpring and see a contest running for $400 with hundreds of entries—some of which are actually pretty damn good. We break into a cold sweat. Is this the value of our work? Has design been commoditized to the point where freelance designers and agencies can no longer make an honest living designing?

The answer, of course, is no. My goal here is not to say spec or contest work is good, I simply want to illustrate why it isn’t evil. Below are some of my views on spec work with anecdotes from my experience as an agency partner, a freelancer, and a customer.

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A lot of my friends, colleagues, and flat-out heros have released some excellent books recently. I’ve mentioned a few of them, but I think it would be fun to run a giveaway and help spread some of this fine knowledge around the community. Here are the books I am giving away:

1. Building iPhone Apps with HTML, CSS, and Javascript, Jonathan Stark
   An excellent introduction to creating web applications on the iPhone. I’ve watched this book grow over the past few months and I can say with confidence that it’s ready to become a definitive reference for creating iPhone web apps. In addition to covering the basics, the book also includes a full chapter on jQTouch, my jQuery plugin for iPhone development.
2. Designing With Web Standards, Jeffrey Zeldman
   For anyone getting into web development, Zeldman’s DWWS continues to serve as the ultimate introduction to web standards and best practices. I’ve trained a fair amount of budding designers, and this book is always first on my “required reading” list. Now in it’s third edition, the book continues to stay fresh and relevant.
3. Mobile Design and Development, Brian Fling
   Brian’s a good friend of mine and colleague at pinch/zoom. His presentations on mobile design are beautiful, informative, and comprehensive. This book promises to be a wealth of insight into mobile design practices and industry trends.
4. Crush It, Gary Vaynerchuk
   For anyone who hasn’t had the benefit of seeing Gary speak live, he is the creator of Wine Library TV and one of the most inspirational speakers on social media around. Crush It is not just about doing what you love and making great money while doing it, but shows just how accessible success is in today’s web culture.
5. Rework, 37Signals
   Readers of this blog will note: 37Signals is one of my favorite companies around—it is an overwhelming business success built on principles like communicating clearly and charging for value. Their previous book, Getting Real, remains the authoritative guide on building web apps. This one, set to release early next year, will speak purely to business management—and will doubtlessly be full of exceptional advice.

To participate, just leave a reply below with the number corresponding to the book you want most, a quick note about what type of content you’d like to see more of on this blog, and your Twitter username. I’ll select winners randomly at the end of the week. Also, make sure you’re following me on Twitter so I can DM the details to the winners.

So, which book would you like?