Books Recommended by Paul Graham
A Sense of Where You Are
John McPhee
Source: Paul Graham's answer to "what’s the most beautiful book you’ve ever read?"
Founders at Work
Jessica Livingston
Source: "Probably the single most valuable book a startup founder could read." - Paul Graham
Barbarian Days
William Finnegan
Source: "It's one of those rare books that divide your life into two parts: before you read it, and after." - Paul Graham
Medieval Technology and Social Change
Lynn White
Source: "The most fabulous book." - Paul Graham
On Bullshit
Harry G. Frankfurt
Source: According to a Twitter thread, Paul Graham praised this book.
A Mathematician's Apology
G. H. Hardy
Source: "Among the most inspiring books I know." - Paul Graham
The German Generals Talk
Basil H. Liddell Hart
Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what’s your favorite book that almost nobody else knows or talks about?"
Mathematician's Delight
W. Sawyer
Source: "[One of ] the best [books] I can think of [to learn what math is really about]." - Paul Graham
How to Be Topp
Ronald Searle
Source: "I read this during dinner and laughed so much that people must have wondered what was wrong with me." - Paul Graham
A History of Rome
Moses Hadas
Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
The Making of Europe
Robert Bartlett
Source: "I know I've recommended this book already, but it's so good I have to do it again. [The author] brings history to life by explaining how and why the things happened that other books merely tell you happened." - Paul Graham
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
Harold Abelson
Source: "This is one of the great classics of computer science. I bought my first copy 15 years ago, and I still don't feel I have learned everything the book has to teach." - Paul Graham
Civilisation
Kenneth Clark
Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Robert A. Heinlein
Source: "Made me want to work on AI, which led to Lisp." - Paul Graham
The Collected Works of P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Source: "[The author] is so good that I get distracted by his perfection. Not a word wrong." - Paul Graham
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert M. Pirsig
Source: Paul Graham mentioned this book on Twitter.
Guns, Sails, and Empires
Carlo M. Cipolla
Source: "[Amazing.] An indictment of publishing that it's out of print." - Paul Graham
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas S. Kuhn
Source: Paul Graham mentioned re-reading this book on Twitter.
The Soul of A New Machine
Tracy Kidder
Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "do you know of any good books about startups?"
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Source: "A great book, probably in my all time top 100." - Paul Graham
