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A curated collection of books that shaped my thinking on technology, design, productivity, and life.

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Biography, Politics

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

Robert A. Caro

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World
Science, Philosophy

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

David Deutsch

Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
Business, Philosophy

Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

Peter D. Kaufman

Thinking, Fast and Slow
Psychology

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

The Selfish Gene
Science, Biology

The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
History, Anthropology

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Yuval Noah Harari

Dune
Science Fiction

Dune

Frank Herbert

The Making of the Atomic Bomb
History, Science

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

Richard Rhodes

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Business, Startups

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel, Blake Masters

Meditations
Philosophy

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

High Output Management
Business, Management

High Output Management

Andrew S. Grove

The Fabric of Reality
Science, Philosophy

The Fabric of Reality

David Deutsch

I Am a Strange Loop
Philosophy, Cognitive Science

I Am a Strange Loop

Douglas Hofstadter

Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder
Philosophy, Economics

Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Animal Farm
Fiction, Classics

Animal Farm

George Orwell

Brave New World
Fiction, Classics

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley

Crime and Punishment
Fiction, Classics

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Stranger
Fiction, Philosophy

The Stranger

Albert Camus

The Myth of Sisyphus
Philosophy

The Myth of Sisyphus

Albert Camus

The Denial of Death
Psychology, Philosophy

The Denial of Death

Ernest Becker

Notes from Underground
Fiction, Classics

Notes from Underground

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Stories of Your Life and Others
Science Fiction, Short Stories

Stories of Your Life and Others

Ted Chiang

Exhalation: Stories
Science Fiction, Short Stories

Exhalation: Stories

Ted Chiang

Solaris
Science Fiction

Solaris

Stanislaw Lem

Remembrance of Earth’s Past (The Three-Body Problem)
Science Fiction

Remembrance of Earth’s Past (The Three-Body Problem)

Cixin Liu

Dragon's Egg
Science Fiction

Dragon's Egg

Robert L. Forward

Permutation City
Science Fiction

Permutation City

Greg Egan

The Player of Games
Science Fiction

The Player of Games

Iain M. Banks

Excession
Science Fiction

Excession

Iain M. Banks

Surface Detail
Science Fiction

Surface Detail

Iain M. Banks

Atlas Shrugged
Fiction, Philosophy

Atlas Shrugged

Ayn Rand

Siddhartha
Fiction, Philosophy

Siddhartha

Hermann Hesse

Ficciones
Fiction, Short Stories

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges

Thinking in Systems: A Primer
Science, Systems Thinking

Thinking in Systems: A Primer

Donella H. Meadows

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
Technology

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

Charles Petzold

The Design of Everyday Things
Technology, Design

The Design of Everyday Things

Don Norman

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements
Philosophy, Sociology

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

Eric Hoffer

How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method
Science, Math

How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method

G. Polya

The Evolution of God
History, Religion

The Evolution of God

Robert Wright

The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life
Science, Biology

The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life

Nick Lane

7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy
Business, Strategy

7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy

Hamilton Helmer

The Innovator's Dilemma
Business

The Innovator's Dilemma

Clayton M. Christensen

Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
Business, Technology

Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

Tony Fadell

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
Biography, Business

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Ron Chernow

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Biography

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Walter Isaacson

Leonardo da Vinci
Biography

Leonardo da Vinci

Walter Isaacson

Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
Biography, Science

Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman

James Gleick

A Man for All Markets
Biography, Finance

A Man for All Markets

Edward O. Thorp

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs
Business

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs

William N. Thorndike

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Psychology, Business

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Robert B. Cialdini

Superforecasting
Psychology, Business

Superforecasting

Philip E. Tetlock, Dan Gardner

The Scout Mindset
Psychology

The Scout Mindset

Julia Galef

Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models
Psychology, Business

Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models

Gabriel Weinberg, Lauren McCann

Never Split the Difference
Business, Psychology

Never Split the Difference

Chris Voss

The Art of Strategy
Business, Game Theory

The Art of Strategy

Avinash K. Dixit, Barry J. Nalebuff

The Origin of Wealth
Economics

The Origin of Wealth

Eric D. Beinhocker

The Ascent of Money
History, Finance

The Ascent of Money

Niall Ferguson

Basic Economics
Economics

Basic Economics

Thomas Sowell

Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science
Economics

Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science

Charles Wheelan

How the World Really Works
Science, Economics

How the World Really Works

Vaclav Smil

Guns, Germs, and Steel
History, Anthropology

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Jared Diamond

The Dawn of Everything
History, Anthropology

The Dawn of Everything

David Graeber, David Wengrow

From Third World to First
History, Politics

From Third World to First

Lee Kuan Yew

The Lessons of History
History

The Lessons of History

Will & Ariel Durant

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
Science, Psychology

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

Robert M. Sapolsky

The Emperor of All Maladies
Science, Medicine

The Emperor of All Maladies

Siddhartha Mukherjee

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Science, Medicine

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity

Peter Attia

The Story of the Human Body
Science, Evolution

The Story of the Human Body

Daniel Lieberman

A Short History of Nearly Everything
Science, History

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

Cosmos
Science

Cosmos

Carl Sagan

The Big Picture
Science, Philosophy

The Big Picture

Sean Carroll

Reality Is Not What It Seems
Science, Physics

Reality Is Not What It Seems

Carlo Rovelli

How Not to Be Wrong
Science, Math

How Not to Be Wrong

Jordan Ellenberg

Stuff Matters
Science, Materials

Stuff Matters

Mark Miodownik

Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
Psychology

Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life

Luke Burgis

The Elephant in the Brain
Psychology

The Elephant in the Brain

Kevin Simler, Robin Hanson

How to Read a Book
Education

How to Read a Book

Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren

The Geography of Thought
Psychology

The Geography of Thought

Richard E. Nisbett

Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans
Technology, AI

Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans

Melanie Mitchell

Origins: How the Earth Made Us
Science, History

Origins: How the Earth Made Us

Lewis Dartnell