Matt Ridley Recommended Books
Matt Ridley has recommended 23 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
Matt Ridley is a British journalist and businessman.
(Read more on Wikipedia)23 Books Recommended
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The Selfish Gene
"Turned evolutionary biology on its head and was written like a great detective story." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
Charlie Munger, Brian Armstrong, Ev Williams, Nick Szabo, Phil Libin, Mr. Money Mustache, Bob Metcalfe, David Deutsch, Tai Lopez, Elon Musk, Mark Manson
The Double Helix
A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
"An astonishing literary achievement, and it was about the greatest scientific discovery of the 20th century." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Fabric of Civilization
How Textiles Made the World
"A fascinating, surprising and beautifully written history of technology, economics, and culture, told through the thread of textiles." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
My Family and Other Animals
Matt Ridley recommended this book in a "What Should I Read Next" interview. (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Martian
The Martian, Book 1
"I loved the fact that the hero never once implies that it’s courage, spirit and faith that saves him [...] just lots of practical tinkering and problem-solving: Science the crap out of it." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
Ev Williams, Noah Kagan, Chris Sacca, Max Levchin, Christopher Paolini, Tom Hanks
Dynasty
The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar
"It’s fascinating on how, inch by inch, Augustus and his successors surreptitiously turned a republic into an autocracy." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Rubicon
The Last Years of the Roman Republic
"Outstanding." - Matt Ridley (Source)
The Vital Question
Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life
"A brilliant new analysis of the origin of life, by the man who has himself done more than anybody to crack the problem." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
p53
The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code
"[A fabulous chance] to eavesdrop on science in the making." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Cuckoo
Cheating by Nature
"Mixes hard science with soft nature in a satisfying way." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Into the Silence
The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest
"The account of the 1920s Everest expeditions." - Matt Ridley (Source)
One Summer
America, 1927
"A charming account of the events of 1927 in America." - Matt Ridley (Source)
What You Want
"A delightful verse novel about philosophy." - Matt Ridley (Source)
The Hockey Stick Illusion
"A great piece of detective work on a key scientific blunder." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Whole Earth Discipline
Why Dense Cities, Nuclear Power, Transgenic Crops, Restored Wildlands, and Geoengineering Are Necessary
"Describes how one of the things he did was spawn a back-to-the-land movement with people growing their own vegetables and forming communes." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
Marc Andreessen, Steven Pinker, Patrick Collison, Jack Dorsey
The Bottomless Well
The Twilight of Fuel, The Virtue of Waste, and Why We Will Never Run Out of Energy
"Points out that the cheaper energy gets the more we use." - Matt Ridley (Source)
What Technology Wants
"Realises that there’s an inexorability about the way technology changes and that it’s almost as if technology has its own agenda." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Skeptical Environmentalist
Measuring the Real State of the World
"Most of the environmental trends in the world are getting better not worse." - Matt Ridley (Source)
The Ultimate Resource 2
"[The author] is really the god of this subject in many ways." - Matt Ridley (Source)
The Origin of Species
"[Changed] science and [reached] the public." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
Unravelling the Double Helix
The Lost Heroes of DNA
"Uncovers those who almost found the secret of life." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Alchemy
The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
"Buy this book. I loved it. It’s full of great insights." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Also recommended by:
Freezing Order
A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath
"Fascinating and frightening." - Matt Ridley (Source)
Other Recommenders
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Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
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