[mhh__]

It's a bit idiosyncratic but Steven Muchnick's "Advanced Compiler Design and implementation" is something of a bible for optimising compiler design. Of course, other books are available.

I haven't look around recently enough to name any off-hand but there are some really good free textbooks/monographs(etc.) on optimisation around. Search "ssabook", there's a really great data flow analysis book out there somewhere which if I find I will edit and include.