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John Carmack Recommended Books
John Carmack has recommended 14 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
John Carmack is an American computer programmer, video game developer and engineer.
(Read more on Wikipedia)14 Books Recommended
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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
by Robert A. Heinlein
John Carmack mentioned this book on Twitter. (Source)
Also recommended by
5 people
Elon Musk recommended this bookElon Musk
One of Elon Musk's favorite books about space.
Elon Musk's recommendation of this book 
Paul Graham recommended this bookPaul Graham
"Made me want to work on AI, which led to Lisp." - Paul Graham
Paul Graham's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"Probably the [science fiction book] I read the most when I was younger." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Christopher Sommer recommended this bookChristopher Sommer
"I’m a big fan of [the author]." - Christopher Sommer
Christopher Sommer's recommendation of this book 
Ryan Shea recommended this bookRyan Shea
Ryan Shea recommended this book on his website.
Ryan Shea's recommendation of this book
Lucifer's Hammer
by Larry Niven
John Carmack mentioned this book on Twitter. (Source)
Freedom's Forge
How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
by Arthur Herman
"A bit uncomfortable as an example of how a mass production strategy can overwhelm a generally technically superior adversary." - John Carmack (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Patrick Collison recommended this bookPatrick Collison
"About the logistical efforts -- led mostly by high school dropouts and immigrants -- that yielded the Arsenal of Democracy." - Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison's recommendation of this book
Zones of Thought (4 books)
John Carmack mentioned this series on Twitter. (Source)
Atlas Shrugged
by Ayn Rand
"If you can't see its archetypes in the world around you, you aren't paying attention." - John Carmack (Source)
Also recommended by
22 people- Elon Musk recommended this book
Elon Musk
"A counterpoint to communism and useful as such, but should be tempered with kindness." - Elon Musk
Elon Musk's recommendation of this book 
Steve Jobs recommended this bookSteve Jobs
Steve Wozniak said he thinks Steve Jobs mentioned this book and it really was a guide in his life.
Steve Jobs's recommendation of this book 
Peter Thiel recommended this bookPeter Thiel
"When I first read [Ayn Rand's books] in the late 80s, it felt pretty crazy. And in the last decades, it's in many ways felt much more correct." - Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel's recommendation of this book 
Shah Rukh Khan recommended this bookShah Rukh Khan
One of Shah Rukh Khan's favorite novels.
Shah Rukh Khan's recommendation of this book 
Joe De Sena recommended this bookJoe De Sena
"Loved [this book]. Read often." - Joe De Sena
Joe De Sena's recommendation of this book 
Peter Diamandis recommended this bookPeter Diamandis
"Something I’ve read multiple times to get me in the mindset of not letting anything stand in my way" - Peter Diamandis
Peter Diamandis's recommendation of this book +16
More recommendations
- Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
- Gabby Reece
"[I read this book when] I was 15, and I gave [it] to a lot of people because it shifted how I looked at certain things." - Gabby Reece
- Travis Kalanick
Travis Kalanick mentioned this book in a Washington Post interview.
- Brian Armstrong
"Celebrate the creators in the world (even when they struggle). They may be more valuable than we think." - Brian Armstrong
- Amelia Boone
"When I read [this book] in my teens, Dagny Taggart’s character spoke to me on a level I’d never experienced with any other novel." - Amelia Boone
- Bob Metcalfe
"My favorite book." - Bob Metcalfe
- Blake Scholl
"Far and away my favorite book." - Blake Scholl
- Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson recommended this book on his blog.
- Phil Jackson
"I consider it philosophical." - Phil Jackson
- Mark Cuban
"I'll read it again. So there goes another 3 weeks of me reading it for the tenth time." - Mark Cuban
- Ray Dalio
"Regarding economics, if you haven’t read [this author] lately, I suggest that you do." - Ray Dalio
- Austen Allred
"I really liked it." - Austen Allred
- Russell Brunson
"It is so good!!!" - Russell Brunson
- Paul Krugman
"About a fantasy world whose unrealism can seriously warp your personality and outlook." - Paul Krugman
- Rand Paul
On Rand Paul's website's "reading suggestions for students" section.
- Patrick Bet-David
Patrick Bet-David recommended this book on his website.
- Ev Williams
Reap3r
by Eliot Peper
"Ends very well." - John Carmack (Source)
Hackers
Heroes of the Computer Revolution
by Steven Levy
"A really formative book for me as a teenager." - John Carmack (Source)
Also recommended by
4 people
Donald Knuth recommended this bookDonald Knuth
"Incredibly well written tale of our times." - Donald Knuth
Donald Knuth's recommendation of this book 
Ev Williams recommended this bookEv Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book 
Zooko Wilcox recommended this bookZooko Wilcox
"This book changed my life when it came out. [...] It made me want to be a hacker. But not a criminal — a hero of the computer revolution." - Zooko Wilcox
Zooko Wilcox's recommendation of this book 
Austen Allred recommended this bookAusten Allred
"[One of] my favorite books for understanding the history of Silicon Valley." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book
The Book of CP-System
by Fabien Sanglard
"I learned from [this book] that the arcade system had rarely used, dedicated hardware to render star fields." - John Carmack (Source)
Edited by
Richard Reis
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
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Anurag Ramdasan
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
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