Reading List

This page contains a listing, and in some cases reviews, of the books that have had some influence in my life.

Business

• The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael E. Gerber --- Goofy name, but a great book, highlighting that being good at something is very different than being at the business of that something.
• The Essential Drucker, by Peter Drucker
• Confessions of an Advertising Man, by David Ogilvy
• Ogilvy on Advertising, by David Ogilvy
• REWORK, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Politics, Economics & Society

• Free to Choose, by Milton Friedman
• How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, by Harry Browne

General Interest

• The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta
• Influence---The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini
• Innumeracy, by John Allen Paulos --- Entertaining presentation of examples like this one that show us how important a basic command of mathematics is.
• The Big Short, by Michael Lewis [My article]
• Waking Up, by Sam Harris --- Understanding the distinction between consciousness and thought is key to addressing much of human suffering.

Personal Finance & Investing

• Money for Something --- I spent almost a year writing an introduction to investment, that can be read in an hour, while providing everything you need to get started. Start here.
• Fail-Safe Investing, by Harry Browne --- Guide to the principles that make successful investors.
• The Millionaire Next Door, by Tom Stanley and Bill Danko --- Results of a decade-long study, revealing who are, and aren't the world's millionaires.
• The Investor's Manifesto, by William Bernstein --- Goes a bit beyond my book, but still in the category of introduction.
• Rational Expectations, by William Bernstein --- Perhaps my favorite of all Bernstein books, focusing on asset allocation.
• Investing for Adults, by William Bernstein --- Three-part, advanced series of investment-related essays, including Deep Risk, Skating Where the Puck Was and The Ages of the Investor.
• The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham --- The great deep-dive into investing from the man who inspired Warren Buffet.

Health & Diet

• Why we get fat, by Gary Taubes --- Incredibly important book that turns old nutritional thinking on its head. [My article]
• The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf

Design & development

• The Non-Designers Design Book, by Robin Williams
• Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative, by Edward Tufte
• The Mythical Man-Month, by Frederick Brooks

Religion

• The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins
• Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris
• The End of Faith, by Sam Harris
• Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up, by John Allen Paulo