by John McPhee
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American businessperson and board member, former CEO of Corteva
“Draft No 4 by John MacPhee is the single best book I read on book arcs and pacing. Leaves the others in the dust. King and Lamott and others are more aimed at fiction. Have them read Erik Larson Devil in the White Citynonfiction that reads like fiction.”
Source →“Draft No 4 by John MacPhee is the single best book I read on book arcs and pacing. Leaves the others in the dust. King and Lamott and others are more aimed at fiction. Have them read Erik Larson Devil in the White Citynonfiction that reads like fiction.”
Source →Recommended by 4 notable people, including Tim Ferriss and Daniel Pink
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See customer reviews on Amazon →Recommended by 6 sources and appears in Books Recommended by Tim Ferriss and Most Recommended Books.
The longawaited guide to writing longform nonfiction by the legendary author and teacherDraft No. 4 is a master class on the writer's craft. In a series of playful, expertly wrought essays, John McPhee shares insights he has gathered over his career and has refined while teaching at Princeton University, where he has nurtured some of the most est...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 6 sources and appears in Books Recommended by Tim Ferriss and Most Recommended Books.
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Sarah Parcak
“Draft No 4 by John MacPhee is the single best book I read on book arcs and pacing. Leaves the others in the dust. King and Lamott and others are more aimed at fiction. Have them read Erik Larson Devil in the White Citynonfiction that reads like fiction.”
Check formats, pricing, and availability options directly on Amazon.
Consider The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. Recommended by 54 sources.
“A blunt, conversational tour through the worst parts of building a company. Horowitz shares personal stories from his own startup failures and recoveries, offering practical wisdom on layoffs, pivots, CEO loneliness, and managing when times are bad. The value is in the honest, experience-based insight you won't get from business school. The limitation is its narrow focus on venture-backed tech startups—if you're not in that world, some advice may feel irrelevant. Reads like a wise mentor telling you what nobody else will.”
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
