Ryan Holiday Book Recommendations

The Tiger

A True Story of Vengeance and Survival

by John Vaillant

"Holy shit, this book is good. Just holy shit." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Fish That Ate the Whale

The Life and Times of America's Banana King

by Rich Cohen

"Sucked me in completely. Everyone I’ve recommended it to loves it." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Book of Five Rings

by Miyamoto Musashi

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Letters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman

by The Earl of Chesterfield

"[The author] wrote his letters to his illegitimate son, tutoring him on how to learn, how to think, how to act, how to deal with important people. I don’t agree with all his advice but most of it is great." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The New New Thing

A Silicon Valley Story

by Michael Lewis

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Aeneid

by Virgil

"There’s no other way to put: the story is AMAZING. Better than the Odyssey, better than Juvenal’s Satires. Inspiring, beautiful, exciting, and eminently readable, I loved this." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Power Broker

Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

by Robert A. Caro

"One of the most magnificent books I’ve ever read." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The War of Art

Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

by Steven Pressfield

One of Ryan Holiday's 2 answers to "what book are you most likely to give out as a gift?" (Source)

The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects

by Giorgio Vasari

"A friend and peer of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael Titian and all the other great minds of the Renaissance sat down in 1550 and wrote biographical sketches of the people he knew or had influenced him." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Endurance

Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

by Alfred Lansing

"This book (and his life) were living proof of his family motto: 'Fortitudine vincimus' (By endurance we conquer)." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Here Comes Everybody

The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

by Clay Shirky

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Sherman

Soldier, Realist, American

by B. H. Liddell Hart

"This was someone I knew little about before I read the book, and by the end of it found myself referencing and thinking of him constantly." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Sex on the Brain

The Biological Differences Between Men and Women

by Deborah Blum

"One of the better books on evolutionary biology that focuses almost entirely on the biological and psychological differences between men and women." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Bird by Bird

Some Instructions on Writing and Life

by Anne Lamott

"Ostensibly about the art of writing, but really it too is about life and how to tackle the problems, temptations and opportunities life throws at us." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Asylum

by William Seabrook

"I actually ended up helping get [this book] back in print." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

You Are Not a Gadget

A Manifesto

by Jaron Lanier

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Letters from a Stoic

by Lucius Seneca

"After Marcus Aurelius, this is one of my favorite books." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Selected Epigrams

by Martial

"Hilarious. I have one hanging on the gate in front of my house." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Hackers & Painters

Big Ideas from the Computer Age

by Paul Graham

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Fight Club

A Novel

by Chuck Palahniuk

"I’m amazed how many young people haven’t read this book. Truly life-changing." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Brave New War

The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization

by John Robb

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Mastery

by Robert Greene

"Read [this book] so that you can figure your life’s task and how to dedicate yourself to it." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

On War

by Carl von Clausewitz

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son

by George Horace Lorimer

"The (supposedly) preserved correspondence between Old Gorgon Graham, a self-made millionaire in Chicago, and his son who is coming of age and entering the family business." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Harder They Fall

by Budd Schulberg

"About boxing and loosely based on the Primo Carnera scandal." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The River of Doubt

Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

by Candice Millard

"I thought I knew about Theodore Roosevelt." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Rules for Radicals

A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals

by Saul D. Alinsky

"This is the '48 Laws of Power' written in more of an idealist, activist tone." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Moviegoer

by Walker Percy

"The novel that every young kid stuck in their own head needs to read." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Fragments

by Heraclitus

"A bit poetic. But those beautiful lines are really the same direct advice and timeless, perspective-changing observations." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

As Told to Alex Haley

by Malcolm X

"[One] of the most inspiring men of the last 150 years." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Founders at Work

Stories of Startups' Early Days

by Jessica Livingston

"Interviews with technology founders from one of the best investors of all time." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Moral Animal

Why We Are, the Way We Are

by Robert Wright

"The definitive beginner text on evolutionary psychology and one of the easiest to get into." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

What Makes Sammy Run?

by Budd Schulberg

"Ari Gold before Ari Gold existed" - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Pirate's Dilemma

How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism

by Matt Mason

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Essays and Aphorisms

by Arthur Schopenhauer

"A brilliant composer of quick thoughts that will help us with our problems." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Essays

by Plutarch

"I strongly recommend [this book]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Net Delusion

The Dark Side of Internet Freedom

by Evgeny Morozov

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

The 48 Laws of Power

by Robert Greene

"Critical for anyone trying to accomplish anything." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Man's Search for Meaning

by Viktor E. Frankl

"Looks at how we find purpose by dedicating ourselves to a cause, learning to love and finding a meaning to our suffering." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Makers of Rome

Nine Lives

by Plutarch

"I strongly recommend [this book]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Moral Sayings Of Publius Syrus

A Roman Slave (1855)

by Publius Syrus

"A Syrian slave in the first century BC, Publius Syrus is a fountain of quick, helpful wisdom that you cannot help but recall and apply to your life." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Ulysses S. Grant

by Brooks D. Simpson

"I loved [this book] a lot." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Shadow Divers

The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

by Robert Kurson

"A work of art." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

History of the Peloponnesian War

by Thucydides

"An obligation for every student of history." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Cathedral & the Bazaar

Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary

by Eric S. Raymond

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Tough Jews

Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams

by Rich Cohen

"Amazing book [...] about Jewish gangsters." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Edison

A Biography

by Matthew Josephson

"A really good biography." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Plutarch's Lives Volume 1

by Plutarch

"I strongly recommend [this book]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Tiny Beautiful Things

Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

by Cheryl Strayed

"Contains some of the most cogent insights on life, pain, loss, love, success, youth that I have ever seen." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

My Bondage and My Freedom

by Frederick Douglass

"[One] of the most inspiring men of the last 150 years." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

by Mordecai Richler

"What a book." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The 33 Strategies of War

by Robert Greene

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

The Strategy Paradox

Why Committing to Success Leads to Failure (And What to do About It)

by Michael E. Raynor

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Candide

by Voltaire

"A light hearted satire that pokes fun at optimism, philosophy, politics, and power." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Average Is Over

Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation

by Tyler Cowen

"Changes how you see the future and help explain real pain points in our new economy–both good and bad." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Plutarch's Lives Volume 2

by Plutarch

"I strongly recommend [this book]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Score Takes Care of Itself

My Philosophy of Leadership

by Bill Walsh

"Even if you’ve never watched a down of football, you’ll get something out of this book." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Epic of Gilgamesh

by Anonymous

"I read this on my honeymoon (probably the only person on the beach reading it, if I had to guess)." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Fahrenheit 451

A Novel

by Ray Bradbury

Ryan Holiday mentioned this book on Twitter. (Source)

My Life and Battles

by Jack Johnson

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

On Sparta

by Plutarch

"A collection of biographies (and aphorisms) from the famous Spartans." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Totto-Chan

The Little Girl at the Window

by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

"Has sold something like 5 million copies in Japan alone (an insane number). Totto-Chan is a special figure in modern Japanese culture—she is a celebrity on par with Oprah or Ellen." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

No Hiding Place

An Autobiography

by William Seabrook

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Hamlet

by William Shakespeare

"Philosophy runs through this play." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Boyd

The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

by Robert Coram

"Probably the greatest post-WWII military strategist; he developed the F-15 and F-16, revolutionized ground tactics in war and covertly designed the US battle plans for the Gulf War." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Lincoln's Melancholy

How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness

by Joshua Wolf Shenk

"[One of] my three favorite books about [Lincoln]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Lincoln's Virtues

An Ethical Biography

by William Lee Miller

"MUST READ." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

President Lincoln

The Duty of a Statesman

by William Lee Miller

"[One of] my three favorite books about [Lincoln]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Status Anxiety

by Alain de Botton

"Every ambitious young person should read." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Lincoln

The Biography of a Writer

by Fred Kaplan

"[One of] my three favorite books about [Lincoln]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Second Mountain

The Quest for a Moral Life

by David Brooks

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Range

Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

by David J. Epstein

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Up from Slavery

by Booker T. Washington

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

Xenophon's Cyrus the Great

The Arts of Leadership and War

by Xenophon

"Every ambitious young person should read." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Library Book

by Susan Orlean

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Keep Going

10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad

by Austin Kleon

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Woman's Hour

The Great Fight to Win the Vote

by Elaine Weiss

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

American Caesar

Douglas MacArthur 1880 - 1964

by William Manchester

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Memoirs of Hadrian

by Marguerite Yourcenar

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Lone Star

A History Of Texas And The Texans

by T. R. Fehrenbach

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Fishing For Fun

And To Wash Your Soul

by Herbert Hoover

"[One of] the best books I read [in 2019]." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"I’ve read and re-read many times." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Leadership: In Turbulent Times

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

"[The author]'s masterwork." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

"One of my favorite books." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Pillar of Fire

America in the King Years 1963-65

by Taylor Branch

"Incredible." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Parting the Waters

America in the King Years 1954-63

by Taylor Branch

"Epic." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

The Road

by Cormac McCarthy

"Read it when you have kids. When I finished this book, [I] walked into my son's room when he was asleep, sat on the floor, and I just wept." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Empire State of Mind

How Jay Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office

by Zack O'Malley Greenburg

"Great book." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Believe in People

Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World

by Charles Koch

"A provocative book for the moment. Highly recommended." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Titan

The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

by Ron Chernow

"I found Rockefeller to be strangely stoic, incredibly resilient, and, despite his reputation as a robber baron, humble and compassionate." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Wikinomics

How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything

by Don Tapscott

Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog. (Source)

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt, Book 1

by Edmund Morris

"Spectacular. He’s my favorite president." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Sixteen Satires

by Juvenal

"Bitter, sarcastic attacks on Rome." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Reveille for Radicals

by Saul D. Alinsky

"This is the '48 Laws of Power' written in more of an idealist, activist tone." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius

"The private thoughts of the most powerful man in the world, admonishing himself on how to be better, more just, more immune to temptation, wiser." - Ryan Holiday (Source)

How to Live

Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

by Sarah Bakewell

"A series of essays about Montaigne, who invented the essay." - Ryan Holiday (Source)