Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer is a great read. This is the first time I've seen someone else recommend it haha. I have plenty of other alchemy/hermetic recs if you're interested!
> How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Master interpersonal skills for building relationships and influencing others. (Do not let the shallow title fool you, this book is truly amazing, it is essentially a guide on being a good person, which in turn of course wins you friends)
I love what Carnegie did with the title. By offering to teach readers how to win friends and influence people, he gives people what they want in a way that furthers his higher purpose—teaching readers to be genuinely decent human beings. “How to be Kind and Thoughtful to Everyone You Meet” just doesn’t sell as well, particularly not to those who most need the message.
I recently read this one, and I agree. When I tell people about the book, I always say that a more suitable title would be 'how to be a good person'. The title is misleading, he is essentially just saying "If you want friends and influence, be a genuinely good person". I think it might be time to re-read it, thanks for the reminder!
Wow - great list and so well rounded ! I don’t go that deep with that many books - unless I REALLY get hooked in by the first 5 on a particular topic .( which right now for me is the history of knowledge ).
The “ finance book “ that changed my life when I was 26 was “ your money or your life “ . I also LOVED the Intelligent Investor ( Graham )
I always start with reading at fivebooks.com And then go from there with my mini curriculums .
Really enjoyed this list - I’ve read quite a few of these myself. I’m the same way: once a topic catches my interest (no matter how random), I dive in completely. At this point, I’ve got an “Antilibrary” of 60+ unread books (as Nassim Taleb would put it).
Happy to hear we’re the same. I’d never heard of antilibrary, I like that hahah. Mine seems to be growing larger than my actual library… the trouble is that buying them is so appealing, and reading them can often be so daunting. Haha!
Thanks for sharing. I also have a lot of unread books. Time is a problem for all of us. A lot of my unread books are in the areas of finance and history, including historical fiction. I could add a number of finance books not on your list but that will be later. Have you read “The Physics of Wall Stree” by Weatherall? Dr. Elder is good for trading. Jack Schwager is usually a must and on and on. Thanks.
I had read that Jim Simons was a very successful investor and that his staff consisted of a number of mathematicians and physicists. So the background on an area that I was not that familiar with was very interesting. List of other books to come in a separate email.
The Man Who Solved the Market is about Simons. I have the book but have not read it yet. Another book in my reading queue is “The Most Important Thing” by Howard Marks.
Several books on your list may be popular among mainstream circles but receive significant criticism from their subject matter experts:
Jared Diamond - Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Overemphasizes geography and minimizes the role of individual decision-making and social structures, leading to an overly deterministic view of history.
Better alternative: Against the Grain by James C. Scott challenges deterministic views of history and provides a more rigorous take on early civilizations.
Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers: The Story of Success Misuses statistics, overemphasizes single factors, and draws misleading conclusions from weak case studies-all while relying heavily on anecdotal claims rather than rigorous empirical evidence.
Better alternative: Range by David Epstein who offers a better-researched perspective on talent, expertise, and success.
Malcolm Gladwell -The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Built on anecdotal claims and lacks empirical evidence to support its sweeping conclusions about social epidemics.
Better alternative: Contagious by Jonah Berger uses real marketing and behavioral science rather than oversimplified anecdotes.
Mark Manson -The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life* Repackages stoic philosophy and cognitive behavioral therapy ideas as "hip and new" without adding substantive depth.
Better alternative: Essentialism by Greg McKeown is more practical and less self-contradictory in its advice on prioritization.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb -The Black Swan More of a provocative rant than a rigorous analysis, lacking the systematic framework needed for practical application.
Better alternative: The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver offers a more empirical and applicable understanding of probability and uncertainty.
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner -Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything A fun read, but almost every claim in Freakonomics has been proven wrong-a complete misinterpretation and oversimplification of causality.
Better alternative: Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo use rigorous data rather than cherry-picked pop stats to explore economic behaviors.
pretty much anything by Malcom Gladwell, Yuval Noah Harari, David Graeber, Noam Chomsky (on US Foreign Policy), and Paul Krugman doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
This is great. Thank you so much for taking the time to add this. I can vouch for your view on the Mark Manson book, I really didn't enjoy it. Thank you so much - all notes are taken onboard.
A solid list and many appear on my shelf; here's a few that added value for me:
The (Mis)behavior Of Markets by Benoit Mandelbrot - Explores fractal theory and its application to the unpredictable patterns of financial markets.
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling - Advocates for a fact-based worldview, debunking common misconceptions about global trends and statistics (great TED talks too!)
Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony De Mello - Encouraging you to wake up from conditioned thinking and live with greater self-awareness (book came from a lecture series he did over a weekend in the late 80s)
Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell - A great introduction to economic principles, emphasizing their impact on society and everyday life.
Thanks for taking the time to make this, there are some amazing works on here. Can't help but see that there are hardly any women authors on this list. Have we nothing to learn from women? Do the only worthy authors come from that one half of the population and their experiences? Food for thought.
Re; female authorship: For me, I don't view it in terms of who has more to offer: men or women. I see both entirely equal, so equal in fact that I don't consider gender as a factor when purchasing a book. Whether this is correct I am unsure, but I simply look at the title and contents as my determinants.
Also, I think there's systemic reasons that there are less female authors. Allow me to explain:
My two main interests are finance and philosophy. To begin on philosophy, these books are hundreds, if not thousands of years old. And unfortunately, female voices were largely suppressed in these times. They likely had even more to offer, but the body of literature is smaller because society was structured in a way that prevented their expression. Hence the philosophy section is dominated by male authors.
Secondly on finance, typically this has been an industry full of men, whilst this tide is changing (for the good), I also like to read older finance books. So, with the industry being mostly men, it becomes a statistical problem: there are more male authors than female authors, hence the probability becomes higher that I'll come across a book written by a male. So in this case, it's not a 'which gender provides XYZ value' problem, it's a statistical problem.
Finally, I'd like to reiterate that I view the gender of the author indifferently, I think both offer equal value. In the same way a white egg and a brown egg are both eggs, I don't see it as male or female, I see it as human.
My judgement is entirely based on the contents of the book, and any exclusion of female authors is by no means intentional. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to add them to my list!
Cool observation. So what women authored books would you recommend? Would be more productive to share what you've found valuable rather than just critique what's not here.
Good summary list, save Albom (cringe/sappy) and Gladwell (his arguments rarely hold up), and would add Scott Galloway for finance.
Noted, I had an inclination that they were such. Thanks.
Scott Galloway is a new name to me, thanks - will look into his work.
I’ve not read more than 15%!of the books on here but this one is delightful and was formative for me
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
Thank you for this
A great collection of life-changing books.
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer is a great read. This is the first time I've seen someone else recommend it haha. I have plenty of other alchemy/hermetic recs if you're interested!
It’s currently on the shelf looking right at me - it’s one I haven’t got round to reading yet.
But now that you’ve mentioned it I think it’s time to give it a start.
Once I’ve finished it I’d love to chat more about it, I definitely have lots to learn.
In the mean time I’d love to hear any recommendations you have!
> How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Master interpersonal skills for building relationships and influencing others. (Do not let the shallow title fool you, this book is truly amazing, it is essentially a guide on being a good person, which in turn of course wins you friends)
I love what Carnegie did with the title. By offering to teach readers how to win friends and influence people, he gives people what they want in a way that furthers his higher purpose—teaching readers to be genuinely decent human beings. “How to be Kind and Thoughtful to Everyone You Meet” just doesn’t sell as well, particularly not to those who most need the message.
I recently read this one, and I agree. When I tell people about the book, I always say that a more suitable title would be 'how to be a good person'. The title is misleading, he is essentially just saying "If you want friends and influence, be a genuinely good person". I think it might be time to re-read it, thanks for the reminder!
Wow - great list and so well rounded ! I don’t go that deep with that many books - unless I REALLY get hooked in by the first 5 on a particular topic .( which right now for me is the history of knowledge ).
The “ finance book “ that changed my life when I was 26 was “ your money or your life “ . I also LOVED the Intelligent Investor ( Graham )
I always start with reading at fivebooks.com And then go from there with my mini curriculums .
Interesting! I’d never heard of that site, thanks for highlighting it.
What are some of your favourite books of all time, across genres?
I took quite a bit of French lit in the French language . I ADORE Madame Bovary and the Little Prince as well as Candide .
The Notebook : the history of thinking on Paper . Roland
The First American : The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin - so much history in general thus the Life AND TIMES . Amazing book ( HW Brands )
Bobos in Paradise is just really hysterical though I’m probably a Bobo myself .
( David Brooks )
I really like Oscar Wilde’s plays
And I recently read a Stephen King book for the first time and my socks were blown off : 11/24/63
anything by Alain De Boton ( non fiction )
Them : adventures with Extremist 🤯
And the Men who Stare at Goats Both non fiction by Jon Ronson
Finally , Enough by Jon Bogle
I haven’t finished Don Quixote yet but I love it so far .
😊
Thank you for asking !
Sounds great, lots of new titles there and many I've heard good things about. Thanks for taking the time, Isabel.
Really enjoyed this list - I’ve read quite a few of these myself. I’m the same way: once a topic catches my interest (no matter how random), I dive in completely. At this point, I’ve got an “Antilibrary” of 60+ unread books (as Nassim Taleb would put it).
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Happy to hear we’re the same. I’d never heard of antilibrary, I like that hahah. Mine seems to be growing larger than my actual library… the trouble is that buying them is so appealing, and reading them can often be so daunting. Haha!
So many wonderful books on this list. Some I have read, some I read multiple times, some I will buy, and others I have never even heard of.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Daniel!
Thanks for sharing. I also have a lot of unread books. Time is a problem for all of us. A lot of my unread books are in the areas of finance and history, including historical fiction. I could add a number of finance books not on your list but that will be later. Have you read “The Physics of Wall Stree” by Weatherall? Dr. Elder is good for trading. Jack Schwager is usually a must and on and on. Thanks.
Indeed, too little time.
I have not read that, what did you like about it? I'd love to hear all of your suggestions.
I had read that Jim Simons was a very successful investor and that his staff consisted of a number of mathematicians and physicists. So the background on an area that I was not that familiar with was very interesting. List of other books to come in a separate email.
Indeed, I think he actively hired individuals on the basis that their background was not in finance. I need to read that book. Love him.
Look forward to the email.
The Man Who Solved the Market is about Simons. I have the book but have not read it yet. Another book in my reading queue is “The Most Important Thing” by Howard Marks.
That’s next in my queue too, funnily enough! His work is gold.
I
Love to have
Longer
Life Span to
Look into all those books in the
Library
I need
Longer
Several books on your list may be popular among mainstream circles but receive significant criticism from their subject matter experts:
Jared Diamond - Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Overemphasizes geography and minimizes the role of individual decision-making and social structures, leading to an overly deterministic view of history.
Better alternative: Against the Grain by James C. Scott challenges deterministic views of history and provides a more rigorous take on early civilizations.
Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers: The Story of Success Misuses statistics, overemphasizes single factors, and draws misleading conclusions from weak case studies-all while relying heavily on anecdotal claims rather than rigorous empirical evidence.
Better alternative: Range by David Epstein who offers a better-researched perspective on talent, expertise, and success.
Malcolm Gladwell -The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Built on anecdotal claims and lacks empirical evidence to support its sweeping conclusions about social epidemics.
Better alternative: Contagious by Jonah Berger uses real marketing and behavioral science rather than oversimplified anecdotes.
Mark Manson -The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life* Repackages stoic philosophy and cognitive behavioral therapy ideas as "hip and new" without adding substantive depth.
Better alternative: Essentialism by Greg McKeown is more practical and less self-contradictory in its advice on prioritization.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb -The Black Swan More of a provocative rant than a rigorous analysis, lacking the systematic framework needed for practical application.
Better alternative: The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver offers a more empirical and applicable understanding of probability and uncertainty.
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner -Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything A fun read, but almost every claim in Freakonomics has been proven wrong-a complete misinterpretation and oversimplification of causality.
Better alternative: Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo use rigorous data rather than cherry-picked pop stats to explore economic behaviors.
pretty much anything by Malcom Gladwell, Yuval Noah Harari, David Graeber, Noam Chomsky (on US Foreign Policy), and Paul Krugman doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
This is great. Thank you so much for taking the time to add this. I can vouch for your view on the Mark Manson book, I really didn't enjoy it. Thank you so much - all notes are taken onboard.
A solid list and many appear on my shelf; here's a few that added value for me:
The (Mis)behavior Of Markets by Benoit Mandelbrot - Explores fractal theory and its application to the unpredictable patterns of financial markets.
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling - Advocates for a fact-based worldview, debunking common misconceptions about global trends and statistics (great TED talks too!)
Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony De Mello - Encouraging you to wake up from conditioned thinking and live with greater self-awareness (book came from a lecture series he did over a weekend in the late 80s)
Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell - A great introduction to economic principles, emphasizing their impact on society and everyday life.
Perfect, thanks a lot for the additions. All added to my list, I've heard great things about factfulness.
Thanks for taking the time to make this, there are some amazing works on here. Can't help but see that there are hardly any women authors on this list. Have we nothing to learn from women? Do the only worthy authors come from that one half of the population and their experiences? Food for thought.
Hi Arianne. I'm glad you enjoyed the list!
Re; female authorship: For me, I don't view it in terms of who has more to offer: men or women. I see both entirely equal, so equal in fact that I don't consider gender as a factor when purchasing a book. Whether this is correct I am unsure, but I simply look at the title and contents as my determinants.
Also, I think there's systemic reasons that there are less female authors. Allow me to explain:
My two main interests are finance and philosophy. To begin on philosophy, these books are hundreds, if not thousands of years old. And unfortunately, female voices were largely suppressed in these times. They likely had even more to offer, but the body of literature is smaller because society was structured in a way that prevented their expression. Hence the philosophy section is dominated by male authors.
Secondly on finance, typically this has been an industry full of men, whilst this tide is changing (for the good), I also like to read older finance books. So, with the industry being mostly men, it becomes a statistical problem: there are more male authors than female authors, hence the probability becomes higher that I'll come across a book written by a male. So in this case, it's not a 'which gender provides XYZ value' problem, it's a statistical problem.
Finally, I'd like to reiterate that I view the gender of the author indifferently, I think both offer equal value. In the same way a white egg and a brown egg are both eggs, I don't see it as male or female, I see it as human.
My judgement is entirely based on the contents of the book, and any exclusion of female authors is by no means intentional. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to add them to my list!
Kind regards,
The Intellectual Edge
Cool observation. So what women authored books would you recommend? Would be more productive to share what you've found valuable rather than just critique what's not here.
Including Eckhart Tolle is awesome! Those books changed my life