How to Fly a Horse
The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery
by Kevin Ashton
Recommended by Joel McHale and Horace Dediu
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
How to Fly a Horse by Kevin Ashton stitches wide-ranging historical and modern examples into a single argument: creation is ordinary, slow, and iterative rather than the product of sudden inspiration. Its useful part is morale and language for everyday makers—stories that debunk the myth of instant genius and normalize persistence. Its main limitation is method: the book leans heavily on anecdotes and rhetorical restatement rather than systematic analysis or practical steps, so readers seeking dense data or a how-to will feel shortchanged.
Read this if...
- •an early-career engineer shipping product features who feels imposter syndrome — the book reframes success as steady iteration, which can reduce pressure to find one ‘perfect’ idea immediately.
- •a creative-team manager arguing for longer timelines and tolerance for failure — contains readable historical cases to help justify process and patience to stakeholders.
- •a hobbyist writer or visual artist stuck waiting for inspiration — useful morale boost that reframes creativity as daily work rather than occasional revelation.
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the anecdote treadmill piles up — midbook repetition and wandering digressions sap momentum.
- •annoying if you prefer tightly cited, data-driven analysis — the book favors storytelling over systematic evidence or meta-analysis.
- •frustrating if you wanted concrete steps, templates, or exercises — no hands-on exercises or step-by-step method are provided.
To create is human. Technology, pioneer Kevin Ashton has experienced firsthand the allconsuming challenge of creating something new. Now, in a tourdeforce narrative twenty years in the making, Ashton demystifies the sacred act, leading us on a journey through humanity’s greatest creations to uncover the surprising truth behind who creates and how...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:medium
Audience Fit
- an early-career engineer shipping product features who feels imposter syndrome — the book reframes success as steady iteration, which can reduce pressure to find one ‘perfect’ idea immediately.
- a creative-team manager arguing for longer timelines and tolerance for failure — contains readable historical cases to help justify process and patience to stakeholders.
- a hobbyist writer or visual artist stuck waiting for inspiration — useful morale boost that reframes creativity as daily work rather than occasional revelation.
- you'll likely put it down when the anecdote treadmill piles up — midbook repetition and wandering digressions sap momentum.
- annoying if you prefer tightly cited, data-driven analysis — the book favors storytelling over systematic evidence or meta-analysis.
- frustrating if you wanted concrete steps, templates, or exercises — no hands-on exercises or step-by-step method are provided.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 3 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Psychology, and Business.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Joel McHale
“Among many, many other things that it illuminates, one of the most revelatory things is that being creative is not just a unique trait in a few select people—it’s written in our DNA. Everyone’s DNA. | How to Fly a Horse by @kevin_Ashton is the best book I read this year. Outstanding. Should be obligatory reading.”
View sources (2) ▾80%
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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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.