RFC (Request For Comment)
RFCs are public documents outlining a standard in the technology industry. While exhaustive and academic, they provide all the information necessary to implement a standard. They are often used for reference.
RFC 2616 exhaustively documents how to implement HTTP. Don't worry, it's only 147 pages!
A more readable one is RFC4180 which specifies how to format CSV files in a mere 7 pages.
Not all RFC's are computer focused, RFC 2119 is an RFC for people who write RFCs!