Best references for me so far:
- Genetic Algorithms in Search,
Optimization, and Machine
Learning by David E. Goldberg: a
classic, still considered as the
bible of GAs by many. - An Introduction to Genetic
Algorithms by Melanie Mitchell:
more recent than the previous reference and packed with
probably more interesting examples. - A Field Guide to Genetic Programming by Poli, Langdon, McPhee: this is more of a hands on guide and is getting very good reviews.
Also if you’re an absolute beginner I’d suggest you to start with the Hello World of Genetics Algorithms. There’s nothing like a nice clean example to get started.