Best Anthropology Books
Topic List16 books curated113 recommendations totalAnthropology books, including titles recommended by Bill Gates, Derek Sivers and James Clear. Most recommended here: Sapiens, Guns, Germs, and Steel and Debt.
Where to start: Anthropology Books recommended most often
Recommended books, ranked by how many of the 82 people behind this list recommended each one.
- 1Sapiens88 recommendations · recommended by Mark Manson, Raoul Pal and Daniel Ek
- 2Guns, Germs, and Steel22 recommendations · recommended by Mark Manson, Joe Rogan and Raoul Pal
- 3Debt3 recommendations · recommended by Mark Manson, Seth Godin and David Heinemeier Hansson
A Brief History of Humankind
Recommended by Mark Manson, Raoul Pal, Daniel Ek and 69 others
A sweeping narrative history of Homo sapiens from the Cognitive Revolution to the present. Harari argues that what makes humans dominate the planet is not physical strength but collective myths: shared fictions like money, religion, and nations that allow millions of strangers to cooperate. The book moves fast through 70,000 years, making big, debatable claims about agriculture, empire, capitalism, and happiness. It is less a history textbook than a provocative essay in chronological form, and best read as an argument rather than a reference.
The Fates of Human Societies
Recommended by Mark Manson, Joe Rogan, Raoul Pal and 13 others
Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe? And what can it teach us about our current crisis? Jared Diamond puts the case that geography and biogeography, not race, moulded the contrasting fates of Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, sub-Saharan Africans,…
The First 5,000 Years
Recommended by Mark Manson, Seth Godin and David Heinemeier Hansson
"The most fascinating book I've read all year [in 2015]." - Seth Godin
The Astonishing Tale of Homo Naledi and the Discovery That Changed Our Human Story
Edward T. Hall opens up new dimensions of understanding and perception of human experience by helping us rethink our values in constructive ways. "A fascinating book." Ashley Montag, "Chicago Daily News"
How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century
Show 4 more books with a single recommendation
Recommended Anthropology Books by Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommends 3 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Mark Manson
Recommended Anthropology Books by Bill Gates
Bill Gates recommends 2 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Bill Gates
Recommended Anthropology Books by Daniel Ek
Daniel Ek recommends 2 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Daniel Ek
Anthropology Books: common questions
- What are the most recommended anthropology books?
- Sapiens, Guns, Germs, and Steel and Debt are the most recommended anthropology books on BookMentions, ranked by how many people recommended them.
- Who recommends anthropology books?
- Mark Manson, Bill Gates, Daniel Ek and Derek Sivers are among the people who recommend books on this list. Each name links to their full set of book recommendations.
- Which of these anthropology books should I read first?
- Sapiens is the most recommended here with 88 recommendations, which makes it the safest place to start.
Built from recommendation data, category signals, and source-backed book records. Use this list as a starting point; open any book to see proof, context, and Amazon options where available.
Explore more lists
Best World History Books
18 booksWorld History books, including titles recommended by Raoul Pal, Stewart Brand and Jocko Willink. Most recommended here: Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Lessons of History and The Ascent of Money.
Best Sociology Books
187 booksSociology recommended most by researchers and writers — inequality, cities, institutions, race and class. Including the fieldwork that changed how the questions get asked.
Best Ancient History Books
28 booksAncient History books, including titles recommended by Stewart Brand, Mark Zuckerberg and Paul Graham. Most recommended here: Sapiens, The Iliad and The Landmark Herodotus.
Best Psychology Books
58 booksThe psychology books clinicians, researchers and writers recommend most — cognitive bias, behavioural economics, memory and trauma. Including the original studies behind the popular science, with a source for every recommendation.
Best Economics Books
69 booksEconomics books, including titles recommended by Bill Gates, Marc Andreessen and Naval Ravikant. Most recommended here: Thinking, Fast and Slow, Factfulness and Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Best Art History Books
93 booksArt history recommended most by curators, critics and historians — movements, periods and the monographs that define them. Plus the survey works worth reading end to end.
About this list
This list aggregates books that appear in public recommendation sources, reader-interest signals, and category data. Books are ranked by their position from the source list; recommendation counts and ratings are shown where available. Open any book to see source-backed recommendation proof, editorial context, and Amazon options — the per-book detail page is where the trust signals live.
Recommended books by person: who recommends anthropology books
Books recommended by the people below. Open a profile to see everything they recommend, with the source behind each pick.
- Mark MansonBooks recommended by Mark: 3
- Bill GatesBooks recommended by Bill: 2
- Daniel EkBooks recommended by Daniel: 2
- Derek SiversBooks recommended by Derek: 2
- James ClearBooks recommended by James: 2
- Joe RoganBooks recommended by Joe: 2
- Raoul PalBooks recommended by Raoul: 2
- Scott FarquharBooks recommended by Scott: 2
- Akshay MBooks recommended by Akshay: 1
- Alastair HumphreysBooks recommended by Alastair: 1
- Alfred LinBooks recommended by Alfred: 1
- Ali AbdaalBooks recommended by Ali: 1