Y Hacker News Books

Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time? ↗

The books people recommended

2018-09-04 · 134 points · 86 comments · 131 books named by at least one person here and at least 3 people overall. The number on the left is how many people named it in this thread.

  1. 4

    Sapiens

    Yuval Noah Harari

    4 here · 197 all-time · #4 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 133,705 ratings on Amazon
  2. 3

    Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas Hofstadter

    3 here · 347 all-time · #1 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 2,713 ratings on Amazon
  3. 3

    Thinking, Fast and Slow

    Daniel Kahneman

    3 here · 178 all-time · #6 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 48,679 ratings on Amazon
  4. 3

    The Selfish Gene

    Richard Dawkins

    3 here · 178 all-time · #7 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 8,966 ratings on Amazon
  5. 3Superintelligence

    Superintelligence

    Nick Bostrom

    3 here · 18 all-time · #352 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 4,884 ratings on Amazon
  6. 3The Story of Civilization

    The Story of Civilization

    Will Durant

    3 here · 12 all-time · #533 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 427 ratings on Amazon
  7. 2

    How to Win Friends and Influence People

    Dale Carnegie

    2 here · 175 all-time · #8 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 106,505 ratings on Amazon
  8. 2

    Zero to One

    Peter Thiel, Blake Masters

    2 here · 89 all-time · #37 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 40,093 ratings on Amazon
  9. 2

    Getting Things Done

    David Allen

    2 here · 62 all-time · #61 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 10,742 ratings on Amazon
  10. 2

    A Guide to the Good Life

    William B. Irvine

    2 here · 53 all-time · #74 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 6,528 ratings on Amazon
  11. 2Rework

    Rework

    Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson

    2 here · 43 all-time · #106 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 11,954 ratings on Amazon
  12. 2

    The Making of the Atomic Bomb

    Richard Rhodes

    2 here · 42 all-time · #114 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 4,174 ratings on Amazon
  13. 2The 4-Hour Workweek

    The 4-Hour Workweek

    Timothy Ferriss

    2 here · 38 all-time · #130 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 29,714 ratings on Amazon
  14. 2

    The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

    Mark Manson

    2 here · 34 all-time · #156 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 162,044 ratings on Amazon
  15. 2The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    Stephen Covey

    2 here · 30 all-time · #186 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 20,573 ratings on Amazon
  16. 2

    A Short History of Nearly Everything

    Bill Bryson

    2 here · 30 all-time · #187 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 19,783 ratings on Amazon
  17. 2Rationality: From AI to Zombies

    Rationality: From AI to Zombies

    Eliezer Yudkowsky

    2 here · 24 all-time · #246 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 242 ratings on Amazon
  18. 2

    The Vital Question

    Nick Lane

    2 here · 21 all-time · #291 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 1,792 ratings on Amazon
  19. 2The Mind Illuminated

    The Mind Illuminated

    Culadasa

    2 here · 18 all-time · #356 overall

    Buy on Amazon3.5 out of 5, 2 ratings on Amazon
  20. 2Are Your Lights On?

    Are Your Lights On?

    Donald C. Gause

    2 here · 15 all-time · #421 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.0 out of 5, 264 ratings on Amazon
  21. 2Where Wizards Stay Up Late

    Where Wizards Stay Up Late

    Katie Hafner

    2 here · 12 all-time · #554 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 650 ratings on Amazon
  22. 2Models

    Models

    Mark Manson

    2 here · 11 all-time · #614 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 8,395 ratings on Amazon
  23. 1

    Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

    Harold Abelson

    1 here · 316 all-time · #2 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 742 ratings on Amazon
  24. 1

    Code

    Charles Petzold

    1 here · 147 all-time · #12 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,787 ratings on Amazon
  25. 1

    Black Swan

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    1 here · 110 all-time · #19 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 8,277 ratings on Amazon
  26. 1

    Antifragile

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    1 here · 100 all-time · #29 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 8,430 ratings on Amazon
  27. 1

    1984

    George Orwell

    1 here · 94 all-time · #34 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 126,118 ratings on Amazon
  28. 1

    Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

    Richard Feynman

    1 here · 90 all-time · #35 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 13,344 ratings on Amazon
  29. 1

    Guns, Germs, and Steel

    Jared Diamond

    1 here · 83 all-time · #39 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 14,634 ratings on Amazon
  30. 1

    The Soul of a New Machine

    Tracy Kidder

    1 here · 76 all-time · #43 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 1,741 ratings on Amazon
  31. 1

    Deep Work

    Cal Newport

    1 here · 72 all-time · #46 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,713 ratings on Amazon
  32. 1

    Masters of Doom

    David Kushner

    1 here · 69 all-time · #53 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,851 ratings on Amazon
  33. 1

    Never Split the Difference

    Chris Voss

    1 here · 62 all-time · #60 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 51,660 ratings on Amazon
  34. 1

    Thinking in Systems

    Donella H. Meadows

    1 here · 55 all-time · #72 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 6,475 ratings on Amazon
  35. 1

    Shoe Dog

    Phil Knight

    1 here · 52 all-time · #79 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 63,714 ratings on Amazon
  36. 1

    Influence

    Robert Cialdini

    1 here · 50 all-time · #84 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 13,065 ratings on Amazon
  37. 1

    The Power Broker

    Robert Caro

    1 here · 50 all-time · #86 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 3,176 ratings on Amazon
  38. 1

    The Power of Habit

    Charles Duhigg

    1 here · 46 all-time · #97 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 40,333 ratings on Amazon
  39. 1

    Outliers

    Malcolm Gladwell

    1 here · 44 all-time · #103 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 39,353 ratings on Amazon
  40. 1

    Creativity Inc.

    Ed Catmull

    1 here · 43 all-time · #107 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 10,683 ratings on Amazon
  41. 1The Art of War

    The Art of War

    Sun Tzu

    1 here · 43 all-time · #110 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 9,633 ratings on Amazon
  42. 1

    The Beginning of Infinity

    David Deutsch

    1 here · 38 all-time · #128 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 2,382 ratings on Amazon
  43. 1

    The Elements of Style

    William Strunk Jr.

    1 here · 38 all-time · #129 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 7,297 ratings on Amazon
  44. 1Endurance

    Endurance

    Alfred Lansing

    1 here · 37 all-time · #135 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 27,447 ratings on Amazon
  45. 1

    On Intelligence

    Jeff Hawkins

    1 here · 36 all-time · #138 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 893 ratings on Amazon
  46. 1

    Hackers and Painters

    Paul Graham

    1 here · 36 all-time · #139 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 765 ratings on Amazon
  47. 1The Power of Now

    The Power of Now

    Eckhart Tolle

    1 here · 34 all-time · #155 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 54,841 ratings on Amazon
  48. 1

    I Am a Strange Loop

    Douglas Hofstadter

    1 here · 33 all-time · #159 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 1,069 ratings on Amazon
  49. 1

    Quiet

    Susan Cain

    1 here · 33 all-time · #165 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 35,789 ratings on Amazon
  50. 1

    Flow

    Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

    1 here · 33 all-time · #166 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 7,594 ratings on Amazon
  51. 1

    The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    Thomas S. Kuhn

    1 here · 33 all-time · #167 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 2,045 ratings on Amazon
  52. 1

    The Intelligent Investor

    Benjamin Graham

    1 here · 33 all-time · #169 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 52,344 ratings on Amazon
  53. 1

    The Art of Electronics

    Horowitz and Hill

    1 here · 33 all-time · #170 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 2,192 ratings on Amazon
  54. 1

    Elon Musk

    Ashlee Vance

    1 here · 32 all-time · #178 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 27,257 ratings on Amazon
  55. 1

    The Innovator's Dilemma

    Clayton Christensen

    1 here · 30 all-time · #185 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 4,076 ratings on Amazon
  56. 1

    Mindset

    Carol Dweck

    1 here · 26 all-time · #222 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 23,745 ratings on Amazon
  57. 1Poor Charlie's Almanack

    Poor Charlie's Almanack

    Charlie Munger

    1 here · 25 all-time · #230 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,930 ratings on Amazon
  58. 1

    Mastery

    Robert Greene

    1 here · 22 all-time · #268 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 11,553 ratings on Amazon
  59. 1The Box

    The Box

    Marc Levinson

    1 here · 21 all-time · #300 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 1,199 ratings on Amazon
  60. 1

    Getting Real

    37 Signals

    1 here · 20 all-time · #310 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 281 ratings on Amazon
  61. 1

    The Prize

    Daniel Yergin

    1 here · 20 all-time · #314 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 2,705 ratings on Amazon
  62. 1

    Ghost in the Wires

    Kevin Mitnick

    1 here · 20 all-time · #318 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 4,520 ratings on Amazon
  63. 1

    Becoming a Technical Leader

    Gerald M. Weinberg

    1 here · 19 all-time · #338 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 363 ratings on Amazon
  64. 1Snowball

    Snowball

    Alice Schroeder

    1 here · 18 all-time · #346 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 5,023 ratings on Amazon
  65. 1The Innovators

    The Innovators

    Walter Isaacson

    1 here · 18 all-time · #351 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 6,179 ratings on Amazon
  66. 1When Breath Becomes Air

    When Breath Becomes Air

    Paul Kalanithi

    1 here · 16 all-time · #388 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 119,433 ratings on Amazon
  67. 1Start Small, Stay Small

    Start Small, Stay Small

    Rob Walling

    1 here · 16 all-time · #390 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 750 ratings on Amazon
  68. 1Orthodoxy

    Orthodoxy

    G.K. Chesterton

    1 here · 16 all-time · #393 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 2,701 ratings on Amazon
  69. 1Grit

    Grit

    Angela Duckworth

    1 here · 16 all-time · #395 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 20,854 ratings on Amazon
  70. 1The Book of Mormon

    The Book of Mormon

    Joseph Smith

    1 here · 15 all-time · #419 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 2,494 ratings on Amazon
  71. 1The Blank Slate

    The Blank Slate

    Steven Pinker

    1 here · 13 all-time · #487 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 1,915 ratings on Amazon
  72. 1Born a Crime

    Born a Crime

    Trevor Noah

    1 here · 12 all-time · #521 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 113,678 ratings on Amazon
  73. 1Titan

    Titan

    Ron Chernow

    1 here · 12 all-time · #536 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 4,201 ratings on Amazon
  74. 1Secrets of Consulting

    Secrets of Consulting

    Gerald M. Weinberg

    1 here · 11 all-time · #562 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 370 ratings on Amazon
  75. 1The New Jim Crow

    The New Jim Crow

    Michelle Alexander

    1 here · 11 all-time · #564 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 16,634 ratings on Amazon
  76. 1The Years of Lyndon Johnson

    The Years of Lyndon Johnson

    Robert Caro

    1 here · 11 all-time · #613 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 2,563 ratings on Amazon
  77. 1Against the Gods

    Against the Gods

    Peter L. Bernstein

    1 here · 10 all-time · #642 overall

  78. 1The Wright Brothers

    The Wright Brothers

    David McCullough

    1 here · 10 all-time · #689 overall

  79. 1The Gene: An Intimate History

    The Gene: An Intimate History

    Siddhartha Mukherjee

    1 here · 9 all-time · #710 overall

  80. 1Metaphors We Live By

    Metaphors We Live By

    George Lakoff

    1 here · 9 all-time · #713 overall

  81. 1Daring Greatly

    Daring Greatly

    Brené Brown

    1 here · 9 all-time · #718 overall

  82. 1Dealers of Lightning

    Dealers of Lightning

    Michael Hiltzik

    1 here · 9 all-time · #746 overall

  83. 1How Will You Measure Your Life

    How Will You Measure Your Life

    Clayton Christensen

    1 here · 8 all-time · #786 overall

  84. 1Freedom from the Known

    Freedom from the Known

    Jiddu Krishnamurti

    1 here · 8 all-time · #806 overall

  85. 1In the Plex

    In the Plex

    Steven Levy

    1 here · 8 all-time · #820 overall

  86. 1Weapons of Math Destruction

    Weapons of Math Destruction

    Cathy O'Neil

    1 here · 8 all-time · #830 overall

  87. 1Apollo

    Apollo

    C. Murray, C. Cox

    1 here · 8 all-time · #867 overall

  88. 1You Just Don't Understand

    You Just Don't Understand

    Deborah Tannen

    1 here · 8 all-time · #900 overall

  89. 1Management: A Political Activity

    Management: A Political Activity

    Ted Stephenson

    1 here · 7 all-time · #925 overall

  90. 1Just for Fun

    Just for Fun

    Linus Torvalds

    1 here · 7 all-time · #929 overall

  91. 1Choose Yourself

    Choose Yourself

    James Altucher

    1 here · 7 all-time · #962 overall

  92. 1Voltaire's Bastards

    Voltaire's Bastards

    John Ralston Saul

    1 here · 7 all-time · #967 overall

  93. 1iWoz

    iWoz

    Steve Wozniak

    1 here · 7 all-time · #972 overall

  94. 1On Food and Cooking

    On Food and Cooking

    Harold McGee

    1 here · 7 all-time · #1015 overall

  95. 1Non-Violent Communication

    Non-Violent Communication

    Marshall Rosenberg

    1 here · 7 all-time · #1031 overall

  96. 1Tokyo Vice

    Tokyo Vice

    Jake Adelstein

    1 here · 7 all-time · #1049 overall

  97. 1Small Is Beautiful

    Small Is Beautiful

    E. F. Schumacher

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1083 overall

  98. 1How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

    How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

    Dale Carnegie

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1096 overall

  99. 1Command and Control

    Command and Control

    Eric Schlosser

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1174 overall

  100. 1Empires of Light

    Empires of Light

    Jill Jonnes

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1192 overall

  101. 1Badass: Making Users Awesome

    Badass: Making Users Awesome

    Kathy Sierra

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1236 overall

  102. 1The Problems of Philosophy

    The Problems of Philosophy

    Bertrand Russell

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1290 overall

  103. 1The Power of Vulnerability

    The Power of Vulnerability

    Brené Brown

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1292 overall

  104. 1The Secret of Our Success

    The Secret of Our Success

    Joseph Henrich

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1305 overall

  105. 1Stuff Matters

    Stuff Matters

    Mark Miodownik

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1308 overall

  106. 1Angel

    Angel

    Jason Calacanis

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1325 overall

  107. 1The Gift of Fear

    The Gift of Fear

    Gavin de Becker

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1379 overall

  108. 1The Problem of Pain

    The Problem of Pain

    C. S. Lewis

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1422 overall

  109. 1Philosophy In The Flesh

    Philosophy In The Flesh

    George Lakoff

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1433 overall

  110. 1Buffett

    Buffett

    Roger Lowenstein

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1442 overall

  111. 1Origins of Political Order

    Origins of Political Order

    Francis Fukuyama

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1453 overall

  112. 1The Language Instinct

    The Language Instinct

    Steven Pinker

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1467 overall

  113. 1Signals and Systems

    Signals and Systems

    Oppenheim, Willsky, and Nawab

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1507 overall

  114. 1Zero Bugs and Program Faster

    Zero Bugs and Program Faster

    Kate Thompson

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1650 overall

  115. 1Catch Me If You Can

    Catch Me If You Can

    Frank Abagnale

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1677 overall

  116. 1The Sixth Extinction

    The Sixth Extinction

    Elizabeth Kolbert

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1679 overall

  117. 1Lives

    Lives

    Plutarch

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1690 overall

  118. 1Serious Creativity

    Serious Creativity

    Edward de Bono

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1823 overall

  119. 1Hacking Growth

    Hacking Growth

    Sean Ellis

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1824 overall

  120. 1Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

    Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

    John Perkins

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1914 overall

  121. 1Games People Play

    Games People Play

    Eric Berne

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2002 overall

  122. 1Infidel

    Infidel

    Ayaan Hirsi Ali

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2025 overall

  123. 1Differential Equations

    Differential Equations

    Blanchard, Devaney and Hall

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2033 overall

  124. 1The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America

    The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America

    Warren Buffett

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2116 overall

  125. 1Being Wrong

    Being Wrong

    Kathryn Schulz

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2197 overall

  126. 1Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy

    Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy

    Kip Thorne

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2231 overall

  127. 1Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

    Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

    Dee Brown

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2262 overall

  128. 1Behind Closed Doors

    Behind Closed Doors

    Rothman, Derby

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2346 overall

  129. 1Spam Nation

    Spam Nation

    Brian Krebs

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2352 overall

  130. 1Programmers at Work

    Programmers at Work

    Lammers, Susan

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2353 overall

  131. 1Pre-Industrial Societies

    Pre-Industrial Societies

    Richard Blanton

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2581 overall