Books Recommended by Paul Graham
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
Albert Einstein
Banesh Hoffmann
Source: "The most exciting [biography of Einstein] I've read. The author is a physicist who is genuinely excited about Einstein's discoveries, and it moves fast instead of trying to leave no detail unpublished." - Paul Graham
The Double Helix
James D. Watson Ph.D.
Source: "The most impressive feature of [this book] is how much [the author] admits he didn't know. He's constantly talking about papers he couldn't understand and important concepts he didn't grasp." - Paul Graham
Dog Man (12 books)
Dav Pilkey
Source: "Don't be so quick to add it to your reading list. Dog Man is aimed at 5-10 year olds." - 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
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Source: "Few thoughts happier than realizing it's been long enough since you last read the Sherlocks Holmes stories that you can read them again." - Paul Graham
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
Bill Watterson
Source: "Watterson is like Wodehouse. Because he works in an unpretentious medium, few realize how timelessly great he is." - Paul Graham
Harry Potter (8 books)
J.K. Rowling
Source: Paul Graham mentioned these books on Twitter.
How To Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
Source: "The one book we encourage startup founders to read. [...] It's critically important for anyone in business." - 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
Concorde
Geoffrey Knight
Source: "[The author] was in charge of BAC's Commercial Aircraft Division, and thus the British side of Concorde development." - Paul Graham
The Lord of the Rings (4 books)
J. R. R. Tolkien
Source: Paul Graham's answer to "any book recommendations for young adults?"
Plagues and Peoples
William McNeill
Source: "I suspect if you'd read 'Guns, Sails, and Empires' and [this book], little in 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' would surprise you." - 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
The Old Way
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Source: "If you want to learn more about hunter gatherers I strongly recommend [this book]." - Paul Graham
The Harmless People
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Source: "If you want to learn more about hunter gatherers I strongly recommend [this book]." - Paul Graham
Sunset at Blandings
P.G. Wodehouse
Source: "The writing in the novel Wodehouse left unfinished when he died at 93 is crisp as ever." - Paul Graham
Sea Flight
Hugh Popham
Source: "A wonderful book. I'm looking at the few pages left and wishing there were more." - Paul Graham
The Quest for El Cid
Richard Fletcher
Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "are there any books on medieval history you can recommend?"
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Source: Paul Graham's answer to "examples of books that you reread years later, & found to be much better?"
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