Shane Parrish Book Recommendations

A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis

The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving

by Eugene S. Bardach

"Not as boring as it sounds but not as thoughtful as I had hoped." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Shortcut

How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas

by John Pollack

"I thought I’d skim this book but I had a hard time putting it down." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Lives of the Eminent Philosophers

by Diogenes Laertius

"I picked up this book as there is a small section on [Bion of Borysthenes]." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Mindware

Tools for Smart Thinking

by Richard E. Nisbett

"Explores how scientific and philosophical concepts change the way we solve problems by helping us think better." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Back of the Napkin

Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

by Dan Roam

"Consider this a smart primer on visual thinking." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Soul of the World

by Roger Scruton

Shane Parrish recommended this book in his blog. (Source)

The Devil's Financial Dictionary

by Jason Zweig

"Takes an equally beautiful and cynical view of the entire finance industry." - Shane Parrish (Source)

City of the Century

The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America

by Donald L. Miller

"The most referenced book I could find [about the history of the Chicago fire] and it did not disappoint." - Shane Parrish (Source)

101 Things I Learned® in Engineering School

by John Kuprenas

"You can read it in a night and walk away thinking about materials differently." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Primed to Perform

How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation

by Neel Doshi

"Yet another book on unleashing human performance." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Art of the Deal

by Donald Trump

"It’s clear he’s honed his persuasion skills over many years and he’s one of the best." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Art Of Scientific Investigation

by W. I. B. Beveridge

"Endeavors to understand the methods by which discoveries have been made and form some general observations." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Maestro

A Surprising Story About Leading by Listening

by Roger Nierenberg

"Exceptional." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Filters Against Folly

How To Survive Despite Economists, Ecologists, and the Merely Eloquent

by Garrett Hardin

"One man’s attempt to answer the question of how we, as laymen, can survive in a world increasingly dominated by experts." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Walden

by Henry David Thoreau

"A reflection on simplicity." - Shane Parrish (Source)

In Praise of Slowness

Challenging the Cult of Speed

by Carl Honore

"An interesting history of our relationship with time." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Charlie Munger

The Complete Investor

by Tren Griffin

"Does an extraordinary job of curating, synthesizing, and organizing the vast wisdom Munger has left for humanity." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Adventures of Henry Thoreau

A Young Man's Unlikely Path to Walden Pond

by Michael Sims

"A worthwhile chronicle of Thoreau’s formative years." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Emotionally Intelligent Investor

How self-awareness, empathy and intuition drive performance

by Ravee Mehta

"Has less to do with investing and more to do with decision making." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership

Classical Wisdom for Modern Leaders

by M. Soupio

"Offers a practical philosophical underpinning that fosters mental discipline and a spirit of critical self-examination." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Laws of Thermodynamics

A Very Short Introduction

by Peter Atkins

"Explains the four laws and how they work in relatively accessible language." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Simple Rules

How to Thrive in a Complex World

by Donald Sull

"Way more useful than I would have guessed based on the title." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Information

A Very Short Introduction

by Luciano Floridi

"Explores information as it relates to both philosophy and science." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Pebbles of Perception

How a Few Good Choices Make All The Difference

by Laurence Endersen

"An invitation to be curious, build character, and make better choices." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Wild

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

by Cheryl Strayed

"Ran me through the range of emotions from happy to crying." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Tiny Beautiful Things

Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

by Cheryl Strayed

"Ran me through the range of emotions from happy to crying." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Living within Limits

Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos

by Garrett Hardin

"You need to read the source material over and over in order to soak up the available wisdom." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Rework

by David “DHH” Heinemeier Hansson

"This book showed me that I wasn’t alone or crazy." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Man's Search for Meaning

by Viktor E. Frankl

"As hard as you think your life is, it pales in comparison to Auschwitz." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius

"Really helped foster my interest in philosophy." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Lessons of History

by Will & Ariel Durant

"I’ll be re-reading this a few times." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Superforecasting

The Art and Science of Prediction

by Philip E. Tetlock

Shane Parrish recommended this book in his blog. (Source)

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

by Eric Jorgenson

"Packed with unforgettable wisdom and penetrating insights, your mental gears will be working overtime." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Antifragile

Incerto, Book 3

by Nassim Taleb

"Changed how I see the world." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Sam Walton

Made In America

by Sam Walton

"The big lesson I took away from [this book] is that you don’t need to come up with all the ideas yourself." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Seeking Wisdom

From Darwin to Munger

by Peter Bevelin

"Inspired by Munger, [the author's] put together a book of the big ideas that carry a lot of weight in life." - Shane Parrish (Source)

How to Read a Book

The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

by Mortimer J. Adler

"If you believe that you’re not getting everything out of your reading that you should, this book is awesome." - Shane Parrish (Source)

When Genius Failed

The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management

by Roger Lowenstein

"It was great to re-read this." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Power Broker

Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

by Robert A. Caro

"It’s amazing. But it’s not a light read." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Poor Charlie's Almanack

The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

by Charlie Munger

"If it’s knowledge and not credentials you’re after, [read this book]." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Mindfulness in Plain English

by Henepola Gunaratana

"Deepens our understanding of the nuts-and-bolts of meditation." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Think Twice

Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition

by Michael Mauboussin

"I highly recommend reading [this book]." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Managing Oneself

by Peter Drucker

"An excellent short read." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Thinking with type

A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students

by Ellen Lupton

"The foundational book that’s used around the world." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Buffett

The Making of an American Capitalist

by Roger Lowenstein

"By pure luck I came across this book and it introduced me to the thinking of Warren Buffett and his partner Charlie Munger." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Complete Essays

by Michel de Montaigne

"Really helped foster my interest in philosophy." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Stopwatch Gang

by Greg Weston

"The first book I ever read cover to cover for pleasure." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Creative Society

How the Future Can Be Won

by Lars Tvede

"An interesting take that creative decay is normal a la revision to the mean." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin

An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution

by David Quammen

"A short biography of Darwin." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Letters to a Young Scientist

by Edward O. Wilson

"Partly a memoir and partly a how-to guide for a thoughtful young person interested in making a dent in science." - Shane Parrish (Source)

Brave Enough

by Cheryl Strayed

"Well worth picking up and makes the perfect gift for anyone going through something difficult in life." - Shane Parrish (Source)

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty

How We Lie to Everyone--Especially Ourselves

by Dan Ariely

"A fascinating look at our own propensity to cheat and rationalize our dishonesty." - Shane Parrish (Source)