Great Books to Read

Collection by Patrick Collison
“ I sometimes post book recommendations on Twitter and people often respond asking if I have an overall list of books I think are worth reading. I don't, and end...

“ I sometimes post book recommendations on Twitter and people often respond asking if I have an overall list of books I think are worth reading. I don't, and end up feeling a bit guilty about being so haphazard. So, maybe this will be interesting to some people: below is a fairly complete catalog of the physical books I own. I always enjoy reading others' lists and browsing their bookshelves, so this intended to be a digital version of that. I've only read about half of the books here. (I guess I fall somewhere in the middle in the Umberto Eco theory of the library.)

I flagged a few books that I thought were particularly great in green and those that I thought were substantially above average in light blue. These designations are non-exhaustive, though—it's kinda hard to recommend books in the abstract. And I've no doubt missed some.

Since the stacks and shelves lack any particular order, so too does this list.”

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When Renee Feuer goes to college, one of the first lessons she tries to learn is how to liberate herself from the restrictions of her orthodox Jewish background. As she discovers the pleasures of the body, Renee also learns about the excitements of the mind. <br /><br />She enrolls as a philosophy g
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
<b>How America's high standard of living came to be and why future growth is under threat</b><br /><br />In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel
www.amazon.com
3 Recommenders
EXPANDED THIRD EDITION includes Charlie's 2007 USC Law School Commencement address. Edited by Peter D. Kaufman. Brand New.
www.amazon.com
10 Recommenders
As a young man Frank Oppenheimer followed in his famous brother’s footsteps—growing up in a privileged Manhattan household, becoming a physicist, working on the atomic bomb. Tragically, Frank and Robert both had their careers destroyed by the Red Scare. But their paths diverged. While Robert died an
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
In this updated paperback edition of a "rich, readable, and authoritative" Fortune) book, Wall Street Journal reporter Petzinger tells the dramatic story of how a dozen men, including Robert Crandall of American Airlines, Frank Borman of Eastern, and Richard Ferris of United, battled for control of
www.amazon.com
2 Recommenders
From one of America's most distinguished historians comes this classic analysis of Richard Nixon. By considering some of the president's opinions, Wills comes to the controversial conclusion that Nixon was actually a liberal. Both entertaining and essential, Nixon Agonistes captures a troubled leade
www.amazon.com
2 Recommenders
A study of the evolution of the modern computer profiles the work of MIT psychologist J. C. R. Licklider, whose visionary dream of a human-computer symbiosis transformed the course of modern science and led to the development of the personal computer. Reprint.
www.amazon.com
6 Recommenders
From abroad, we often see China as a caricature: a nation of pragmatic plutocrats and ruthlessly dedicated students destined to rule the global economy-or an addled Goliath, riddled with corruption and on the edge of stagnation. What we don't see is how both powerful and ordinary people are remaking
www.amazon.com
3 Recommenders
FROM THE REVIEWS: �Webb offers coherent, understandable, and sometimes humorous coverage of a diverse range of topics. He provides readers with non-trivial insights into research fields they may not have encountered previously . . . I think everyone who has ever considered the possibility that other
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World
www.amazon.com
13 Recommenders
How do great writers do it? From James M. Cain's hard-nosed observation that "writing a novel is like working on foreign policy. There are problems to be solved. It's not all inspirational," to Joan Didion's account of how she composes a book--"I constantly retype my own sentences. Every day I go ba
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
<b>The book that started the computer revolution in schools<br /><br /></b>Computers have completely changed the way we teach children. We have <i>Mindstorms </i>to thank for that. In this book, pioneering computer scientist Seymour Papert uses the invention of LOGO, the first child-friendly program
www.amazon.com
2 Recommenders
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