Browse all lists

American Civil War books recommended most by historians — campaign narratives, biography, slavery and emancipation. Including the works that reframed how the war is understood.

Art books recommended most by artists, curators and critics — monographs, movements and technique. Plus the art history that repays slow reading.

Picture books and board books recommended most for two-year-olds — read-aloud favourites, first words and bedtime rhyme. Drawn from parents, librarians and early-years educators rather than general reading lists.

Children's fiction recommended most by teachers, librarians and parents — chapter books, middle grade novels and modern classics. The stories that turn reluctant readers into committed ones.

Art 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.

Basketball books recommended most by players, coaches and sportswriters — biographies, dynasties and analytics. Plus the reporting behind the game's defining seasons.

Survival books recommended by people who have tested the advice — wilderness skills, bushcraft and disaster preparedness. Plus first-hand accounts of getting out alive.

Dog training books recommended most by trainers and behaviourists — positive reinforcement, puppy basics and reactivity. Plus the behavioural science underneath the methods.

Marketing books recommended most by operators and founders — positioning, brand, copywriting and growth. Plus the pricing case studies that hold up.

Statistics books recommended most by analysts and researchers — inference, probability and experimental design. Plus the books that teach you to spot a bad chart.

Large-format books recommended for the ones that stay out on the table — photography, art, design and travel. Chosen for the printing as much as the subject.

The biographies people recommend most — founders, scientists, politicians and builders, told by the writers who studied them. Ranked by how many distinct people recommended each title.

Filmmaking books recommended most by directors, editors and cinematographers — screenwriting, directing and editing. Plus the production stories worth learning from.

Children's books recommended most by teachers, librarians and parents — picture books, early readers and chapter books. Including the classics that survive every generation.

Books on marriage recommended most by therapists and long-married couples — communication, conflict and intimacy. Plus the research behind what actually keeps partners together.

Pregnancy and birth books recommended most by midwives, doctors and parents — trimester by trimester, birth options and postpartum recovery. With the evidence behind the advice.

Physics books recommended most by physicists and science writers — quantum mechanics, relativity and cosmology. Plus the popular accounts that keep the mathematics honest.

The startup books founders recommend most — lean methodology, venture funding, product-market fit and hiring. Plus the company histories worth reading before you repeat them.

Books recommended by venture capitalists, hedge fund managers and angel investors — valuation, market history, risk and decision-making under uncertainty. Each with the source behind it.

Books recommended by self-made billionaires — investing, business building, biography and the long-horizon thinking behind their decisions. Every pick names the person who recommended it and where.

Reading recommended by chief executives and senior operators — management, strategy, negotiation, organisational culture and the biographies they learn from. Each pick shows who recommended it.

The books startup founders recommend most — company building, product, hiring, fundraising and the histories of firms that got there first. Including picks from Paul Graham, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel.

Every book Bill Gates has recommended — on Gates Notes, in interviews and in his annual summer reading lists — with the source for each pick. Gates reads widely across global health, history, physics and business, and the list spans all of it.