Books Recommended by Tim Ferriss
High Fidelity
Nick Hornby
Source: "After his girlfriend leaves him for another man, Rob embarks on a journey of self-discovery and evaluation by contacting ex-girlfriends to see what went wrong in each relationship." - Tim Ferriss
The Art of Asking
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
Amanda Palmer
Source: "I was so inspired by the book that I put it down to start asking people around me for all of the help that I'd been too ashamed or embarrassed to ask for." - Tim Ferriss
Don't Shoot the Dog!
The New Art of Teaching and Training
Karen Pryor
Source: "There are principles in this that you can take away, even if you have no interest in training a dog, having a dog, or dogs in general." - Tim Ferriss
Dune (6 books)
Frank Herbert
Source: "Perhaps the most incredibly detailed and oddly believable fictional landscape I’ve ever encountered." - Tim Ferriss
Awareness
The Perils and Opportunities of Reality
Anthony De Mello
Source: "When I feel myself bleeding into overwhelm or feeling scattered, this is one of the first break-glass-in-case-of-emergency steps that I take." - Tim Ferriss
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
Source: "Through Ender’s journey, you’ll learn how to capitalize on your strengths and those of your teammates, as well as exploit your adversaries’ weaknesses." - Tim Ferriss
The Artist's Way
Morning Pages Journal
Julia Cameron
Source: "Nearly every morning, I sit down with a hot cocktail of turmeric, ginger, pu-erh tea, and green tea. Next, I crack open [this book]." - Tim Ferriss
The Obstacle Is the Way
The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
Ryan Holiday
Source: "It has helped me to turn problems upside-down, become the calm within the storm, and even uncover unique opportunities." - Tim Ferriss
Principles
Life and Work
Ray Dalio
Source: "I highly, highly recommend this book. It has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business." - Tim Ferriss
Musashi
An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era
Eiji Yoshikawa
Source: "Teaches you about critical thinking, strategizing, and ultimately, that there is more to life than merely surviving." - Tim Ferriss
Biography of the Dollar
How the Mighty Buck Conquered the World and Why It's Under Siege
Craig Karmin
Source: "After 50 pages, I was able to hold my own discussing currency trading with a vice president at JP Morgan Chase." - Tim Ferriss
The Moth Presents All These Wonders
True Stories About Facing the Unknown
Catherine Burns
Source: "Reading one short (2–5-page) story over tea or coffee in the morning is a nice jumpstart to the day." - Tim Ferriss
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children
John Wood
Source: "If you ever wonder what you can do to really change the world [...] this is a book you need to read." - Tim Ferriss
Rework
David “DHH” Heinemeier Hansson
Source: "I encourage people to think of as an 'Elements of Style' for building profitable businesses in a web-savvy world." - Tim Ferriss
Save The Cat!
The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
Blake Snyder
Source: "A very helpful book as a starting point when thinking of screenwriting and also calls me on my own bullshit." - Tim Ferriss
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams
Source: "If 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and 'Star Wars' had a love-child, it would read something like this." - Tim Ferriss
On Writing Well
An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
William Zinsser
Source: "I have read this book more than a dozen times, more often for thinking than for writing." - Tim Ferriss
Getting Real
The Smarter, Faster, Easier Way to Build a Successful Web Application
37signals
Source: "It does have a software focus, but all of it can be applied to entrepreneurs in general." - Tim Ferriss
Play It Away
A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety
Charlie Hoehn
Source: "For all Type-A driven readers — especially those who struggle with the shut-off switch — this one is for you." - Tim Ferriss
In Other Words
The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition
Ellen Bialystok
Source: "Adults can learn languages much faster than children83 when constant 9–5 work is removed." - Tim Ferriss
FAQ
Has Tim recommended/ read every book here?
Read? We're pretty sure yes. Recommend? Not necessarily. This book list has Tim Ferriss must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know Tim mentioned every book here?
Every suggestion made by Tim Ferriss is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did Tim actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from Tim Ferriss, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
212 books
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