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Anthony Bourdain Recommended Books
Anthony Bourdain has recommended 29 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
Anthony Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian.
(Read more on Wikipedia)29 Books Recommended
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Under the Volcano
A Novel
by Malcolm Lowry
"One of the truly great books." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Prune
by Gabrielle Hamilton
"A fucking masterpiece." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Total Chaos
The Story of the Stooges
by Jeff Gold
"[This book] is everything." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Ways of Escape
by Graham Greene
"A book I’ve read many times but keep coming back to." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Adios, Motherfucker
A Gentleman's Progress Through Rock and Roll
by Michael Ruffino
Anthony Bourdain's answer to "what’s the last book that made you laugh?" (Source)
The White Album
Essays
by Joan Didion
"I wish I could write like [this author]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Kara Swisher recommended this bookKara Swisher
"[One] of my favorite books." - Kara Swisher
Kara Swisher's recommendation of this book 
David Sedaris recommended this bookDavid Sedaris
"I can look back through my diary and I can tell when I discovered [this author] because all of a sudden I'm writing like [her]." - David Sedaris
David Sedaris's recommendation of this book
Rice, Noodle, Fish
Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture
by Matt Goulding
"The world needs [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
"I re-read it frequently. Particularly when visiting Vietnam." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Richard Branson recommended this bookRichard Branson
Richard Branson recommended this book on his "70 must-read books" blog post.
Richard Branson's recommendation of this book
How to Live
Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer
by Sarah Bakewell
"A book I love." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Marc Andreessen recommended this bookMarc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter.
Marc Andreessen's recommendation of this book 
Ryan Holiday recommended this bookRyan Holiday
"A series of essays about Montaigne, who invented the essay." - Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday's recommendation of this book
The Man Who Lost the War
by W. T. Tyler
"I particularly like [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Ripley's Game
Ripley, Book 3
by Patricia Highsmith
"Elegant, deliciously immoral entry in series of sociopath as hero." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Essays
by George Orwell
"The font of all wisdom. [The author] is right about nearly everything." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fear and Loathing, Book 1
by Hunter S. Thompson
"The book that probably influenced me more than any other." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book 
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
"It was entertaining, but I sort of gave up after a bit." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book
The Devil All the Time
by Donald Ray Pollock
"[The author] was a revelation when I first read [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Something to food about
Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs
by Questlove
"[The author] gets to the heart of the matter." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
You're Better Than Me
A Memoir
by Bonnie McFarlane
"Rejuvenating, excoriating genius." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
by George V Higgins
"The best, most realistic crime novel ever. Best dialogue in a crime novel ever." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
A Brief History of Seven Killings
A Novel
by Marlon James
"Incredible." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Adam Sessler recommended this bookAdam Sessler
Adam Sessler recommended this book on Twitter.
Adam Sessler's recommendation of this book - Geoff Ramsey recommended this book
Geoff Ramsey
"A fantastic, intense, engrossing read." - Geoff Ramsey
Geoff Ramsey's recommendation of this book
True Grit
A Novel
by Charles Portis
"A masterpiece." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Agents of Innocence
A Novel
by David Ignatius
"Very, very good." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Crash
by J. G. Ballard
"Violent. Twisted. Hilarious and beautiful." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Naked Lunch
The Restored Text
by William S. Burroughs
"Filthy, dangerous, depraved groundbreaking. And funny as Hell." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie recommended this bookChimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"A book I consider grossly overrated." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's recommendation of this book
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The Rogue's March
John Riley and the St. Patrick's Battalion, 1846-48 (The Warriors)
by Peter F. Stevens
"I particularly like [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Eating Viet Nam
Dispatches from a Blue Plastic Table
by Graham Holliday
"This is—and will remain—an essential account for anyone considering travel to Vietnam." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
"A classic I loved as a child." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
J.K. Rowling recommended this bookJ.K. Rowling
"My most vivid memory of being read to is my father reading [this book] when I was around 4 and suffering from the measles." - J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling's recommendation of this book
Between Meals
by A. Liebling
"[The author's] memoir of meals in Paris before and after the war, and it’s fantastic." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Dancing Bear
Milo Milodragovitch, Book 2
by James Crumley
Anthony Bourdain tweeted about this book. (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Andy Greenwald recommended this bookAndy Greenwald
"Sometimes I start reading other books. But then I remember this is the only one I like." - Andy Greenwald
Andy Greenwald's recommendation of this book
My Last Supper
50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes
by Melanie Dunea
"[The author] managed to convince a goodly number of the world's best, and best-known, chefs to let it all go." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
Thrown
by Kerry Howley
"An absolutely wonderful exploration of the poorly understood sport of MMA." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)
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