Books Recommended by John Carmack
Freedom's Forge
How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
Arthur Herman
Source: "A bit uncomfortable as an example of how a mass production strategy can overwhelm a generally technically superior adversary." - John Carmack
The Book of CP-System
Fabien Sanglard
Source: "I learned from [this book] that the arcade system had rarely used, dedicated hardware to render star fields." - John Carmack
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand
Source: "If you can't see its archetypes in the world around you, you aren't paying attention." - John Carmack
Zones of Thought (3 books)
Vernor Vinge
Source: John Carmack mentioned this series on Twitter.
Hackers
Heroes of the Computer Revolution
Steven Levy
Source: "A really formative book for me as a teenager." - John Carmack
Sprawl (3 books)
William Gibson
Source: John Carmack mentioned this series on Twitter.
FAQ
Did John Carmack recommend all these books?
Not necessarily. This book list has John Carmack must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know John Carmack mentioned these books?
Every suggestion made by John Carmack is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did John Carmack actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from John Carmack, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
51 books
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