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Paul Graham Book Recommendations (82 Books)

Paul Graham is an English-born American computer scientist, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, and essayist.

82 Recommended 3 Written
Books Recommended by Paul Graham
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The Making of Europe

The Making of Europe

Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950-1350

Robert Bartlett

Source: "I know I've recommended this book already, but it's so good I have to do it again. [The author] brings history to life by explaining how and why the things happened that other books merely tell you happened." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein

Creator and Rebel

Banesh Hoffmann

Source: "The most exciting [biography of Einstein] I've read. The author is a physicist who is genuinely excited about Einstein's discoveries, and it moves fast instead of trying to leave no detail unpublished." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Double Helix

The Double Helix

A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

James D. Watson Ph.D.

Source: "The most impressive feature of [this book] is how much [the author] admits he didn't know. He's constantly talking about papers he couldn't understand and important concepts he didn't grasp." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

Harold Abelson

Source: "This is one of the great classics of computer science. I bought my first copy 15 years ago, and I still don't feel I have learned everything the book has to teach." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Power Law

The Power Law

Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future

Sebastian Mallaby

Source: "If you want to understand how venture capital works and the effect it has had on the US economy, this is the book to read." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes, Book 18

Bill Watterson

Source: "Watterson is like Wodehouse. Because he works in an unpretentious medium, few realize how timelessly great he is." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
How To Win Friends and Influence People

How To Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie

Source: "The one book we encourage startup founders to read. [...] It's critically important for anyone in business." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
How to Be Topp

How to Be Topp

Ronald Searle

Source: "I read this during dinner and laughed so much that people must have wondered what was wrong with me." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Concorde

Concorde

The Inside Story

Geoffrey Knight

Source: "[The author] was in charge of BAC's Commercial Aircraft Division, and thus the British side of Concorde development." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Plagues and Peoples

Plagues and Peoples

William McNeill

Source: "I suspect if you'd read 'Guns, Sails, and Empires' and [this book], little in 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' would surprise you." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Barbarian Days

Barbarian Days

A Surfing Life

William Finnegan

Source: "It's one of those rare books that divide your life into two parts: before you read it, and after." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Copernican Revolution

The Copernican Revolution

Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought

Thomas S. Kuhn

Source: "Kuhn was surely most influenced by the Copernican Revolution. [This is an] excellent book incidentally." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Old Way

The Old Way

A Story of the First People

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Source: "If you want to learn more about hunter gatherers I strongly recommend [this book]." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Harmless People

The Harmless People

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Source: "If you want to learn more about hunter gatherers I strongly recommend [this book]." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Sunset at Blandings

Sunset at Blandings

PG Wodehouse

Source: "The writing in the novel Wodehouse left unfinished when he died at 93 is crisp as ever." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Sea Flight

Sea Flight

The Wartime Memoirs of a Fleet Air Arm Pilot

Hugh Popham

Source: "A wonderful book. I'm looking at the few pages left and wishing there were more." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Quest for El Cid

The Quest for El Cid

Richard Fletcher

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "are there any books on medieval history you can recommend?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen

The Complete Novels of Jane Austen

Jane Austen

Source: Paul Graham's answer to "examples of books that you reread years later, & found to be much better?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Iliad

The Iliad

Source: Paul Graham's (funny) answer to "what are your favourite books with a politics very different to your own?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Mathematician's Delight

Mathematician's Delight

W. Sawyer

Source: "[One of ] the best [books] I can think of [to learn what math is really about]." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Euclid's Elements

Euclid's Elements

Euclid

Source: "[One of ] the best [books] I can think of [to learn what math is really about]." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Origin of Species

The Origin of Species

Charles Darwin

Source: Paul Graham used this book as an example that one scientist's "take" can be very convincing.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The German Generals Talk

The German Generals Talk

Basil H. Liddell Hart

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what’s your favorite book that almost nobody else knows or talks about?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Wing Leader

Wing Leader

The Top Scoring Allied Fighter Pilot of WWII

Johnnie Johnson

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what’s your favorite book that almost nobody else knows or talks about?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Life in the English Country House

Life in the English Country House

A Social and Architectural History

Mark Girouard

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what’s your favorite book that almost nobody else knows or talks about?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Collected Works of P. G. Wodehouse

The Collected Works of P. G. Wodehouse

PG Wodehouse

Source: "[The author] is so good that I get distracted by his perfection. Not a word wrong." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
No Easy Day

No Easy Day

The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden

Mark Owen

Source: "Simultaneously reading Rousseau's Confessions and [this book]. Triangulating..." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Very Good, Jeeves!

Very Good, Jeeves!

Jeeves, Book 4

PG Wodehouse

Source: "Wodehouse is so good that I get distracted by his perfection. Not a word wrong." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Founders at Work

Founders at Work

Stories of Startups' Early Days

Jessica Livingston

Source: "Probably the single most valuable book a startup founder could read." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
A History of Rome

A History of Rome

From its Origins to 529 A.D.

Moses Hadas

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Civilisation

Civilisation

Kenneth Clark

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders

The World We Have Lost

Kenneth Clark

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Extension of Man

The Extension of Man

A History of Physics before the Quantum

J.D. Bernal

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Mohammed and Charlemagne

Mohammed and Charlemagne

Henri Pirenne

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Lives of the Artists

The Lives of the Artists

Giorgio Vasari

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Fall of Constantinople

Fall of Constantinople

Steven Runciman

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Confessions

The Confessions

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Source: "Simultaneously reading [this book] and No Easy Day. Triangulating..." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Art of War in the Middle Ages

The Art of War in the Middle Ages

Charles Oman

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Gallic Wars

The Gallic Wars

Julius Caesar

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History

The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History

Colin McEvedy

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Golden Trade of the Moors

The Golden Trade of the Moors

West African Kingdoms in the Fourteenth Century

E. W. Bovill

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "what should I read to learn more about history?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Memoirs or Chronicle of the Fourth Crusade and the Conquest of Constantinople

Memoirs or Chronicle of the Fourth Crusade and the Conquest of Constantinople

Geoffrey de Villehardouin

Source: "I've read [this book] at least two times, maybe three." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
An Autobiography of Anthony Trollope

An Autobiography of Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope

Source: "[This] Autobiography is a wonderfully candid and inspiring one." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Ancient City

The Ancient City

Life in Classical Athens and Rome

Peter Connolly

Source: "One of the best books I've found for explaining history to kids." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Maisy Mouse Collection

Maisy Mouse Collection

10 Books Set

Lucy Cousins

Source: "My favorite books for bedtime reading to 2 year olds." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
From Galileo to Newton

From Galileo to Newton

A. Rupert Hall

Source: "Particularly good at getting into contemporaries' heads." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
A Sense of Where You Are

A Sense of Where You Are

Bill Bradley at Princeton

John McPhee

Source: Paul Graham's answer to "what’s the most beautiful book you’ve ever read?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Guns, Sails, and Empires

Guns, Sails, and Empires

Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion, 1400- 1700

Carlo M. Cipolla

Source: "[Amazing.] An indictment of publishing that it's out of print." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Soul of A New Machine

The Soul of A New Machine

Tracy Kidder

Source: One of Paul Graham's answers to "do you know of any good books about startups?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Blankie

Blankie

Leslie Patricelli Board, Book 4

Leslie Patricelli

Source: "Will be deeply pleasing to [its respective audience]." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Diocletian and the Roman Recovery

Diocletian and the Roman Recovery

Stephen Williams

Source: "One of the best books about the late 3rd century." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Inimitable Jeeves

The Inimitable Jeeves

Jeeves and Wooster Book 2

PG Wodehouse

Source: Paul Graham's answer to "which P. G. Wodehouse book do you recommend?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Robert A. Heinlein

Source: "Made me want to work on AI, which led to Lisp." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Source: "A great book, probably in my all time top 100." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Moab Is My Washpot

Moab Is My Washpot

A Memoir

Stephen Fry

Source: Paul Graham's answer to "which Stephen Fry book do you recommend?"
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Thomas S. Kuhn

Source: Paul Graham mentioned re-reading this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
My Family and Other Animals

My Family and Other Animals

Gerald Durrell

Source: "A wonderful book, though only implicitly about 'parenting.'" - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Fauna & Family

Fauna & Family

More Adventures of the Durrell Family of Corfu

Gerald Durrell

Source: "So good I'm reading slow to make it last." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
On Bullshit

On Bullshit

Harry G. Frankfurt

Source: According to a Twitter thread, Paul Graham praised this book.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Spectator

The Spectator

Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays

Joseph Addison

Source: Paul Graham mentioned reading this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
A Mathematician's Apology

A Mathematician's Apology

G. H. Hardy

Source: "Among the most inspiring books I know." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Man Who Knew Infinity

The Man Who Knew Infinity

A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

Robert Kanigel

Source: "Great biography of Ramanujan." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Kelly

Kelly

More Than My Share of It All

Clarence L. Johnson

Source: "How did I not know about this book til now?" - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Clocks and Culture

Clocks and Culture

1300-1700

Carlo M. Cipolla

Source: "I also recommend [this book]." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

An Inquiry Into Values

Robert M. Pirsig

Source: Paul Graham mentioned this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
History of the World

History of the World

J.M. Roberts

Source: Paul Graham mentioned this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Autobiographies

Autobiographies

Charles Darwin

Source: Paul Graham mentioned this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy

Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy

A Primer in the Social History of Pictorial Style

Michael Baxandall

Source: Paul Graham mentioned this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Memoirs of My Life

Memoirs of My Life

Edward Gibbon

Source: Paul Graham mentioned this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Good Night, Little Bear

Good Night, Little Bear

Patsy Scarry

Source: Paul Graham mentioned this book on Twitter.
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Fry Chronicles

The Fry Chronicles

An Autobiography

Stephen Fry

Source: "As perfect as Wodehouse." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Born Red

Born Red

A Chronicle of the Cultural Revolution

Gao Yuan

Source: "Book recommendation." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
My Forty Years with Ford

My Forty Years with Ford

Charles E Sorensen

Source: "I particularly liked [this book]." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Oxford History of Britain

The Oxford History of Britain

Volume 1: Roman and Anglo-Saxon Britain

Peter Salway

Source: "Really excellent." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Medieval Technology and Social Change

Medieval Technology and Social Change

Lynn White

Source: "The most fabulous book." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Flying Start

Flying Start

Hugh Dundas

Source: "A wonderful book." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Moorish Spain

Moorish Spain

Richard Fletcher

Source: "A great book." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
With the Old Breed

With the Old Breed

At Peleliu and Okinawa

E. B. Sledge

Source: "Read this book." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
A Story Lately Told

A Story Lately Told

Coming of Age in Ireland, London, and New York

Anjelica Huston

Source: "Wonderful." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman

A Life in Science

John Gribbin

Source: "Excellent." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
The Battle of Alcazar

The Battle of Alcazar

E.W. Bovill

Source: "Excellent." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders
Hard Drive

Hard Drive

Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

James Wallace

Source: "Good." - Paul Graham
0 recommenders
0 recommenders

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