People often ask me what kind of books they should read. The answer is: anything that interests you! But otherwise, here is a list of books I have read that I find compelling in some way.

If you work with data of any kind, I highly recommend the following (all by Edward Tufte):

  1. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
  2. Envisioning Information
  3. Visual Explanations


  Title Author Categories
Action in Perception Alva Noe perception, philosophy
Bad Science Ben Goldacre science, statistics, medicine
Beautiful Evidence Edward Tufte statistics, graphics, charts, diagrams
Biomimicry : Innovation Inspired by Nature Janine Benyus design, problem solving, systems thinking
Book of Why, The Judea Pearl statistics, computer science, A.I.
Brutal Simplicity of Thought Lord Saatchi philosophy?
Case for Working With Your Hands, The Matthew Crawford philosophy, work, management, epsitemology
Change by Design Tim Brown design, problem solving, business
Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales, The H.P. Lovecraft horror, fiction
Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, The Edgar Allan Poe horror, fiction
Count of Monte Cristo, The Alexandre Dumas drama, fiction, revenge
Data Analysis for Politics & Policy Edward Tufte statistics, management
Delft Design Guide, The TU Delft design, problem solving, engineering
Design of Everyday Things, The Don Norman design, psychology, human error
Dracula Bram Stoker horror, science, fiction
End of Science, The John Horgan science
Envisioning Information Edward Tufte statistics, graphics, charts, diagrams
Farewell to Reason Paul Feyerabend philosophy, science
Gulag Archipelago, The Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn history, politics
House of Leaves Mark Z. Danielewski horror
Human Error James Reason human error, psychology, management
I Think You’ll Find It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That Ben Goldacre science, statistics, medicine
Lateral Thinking Edward de Bono creativity, problem solving
Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, The Marie Kondo wellbeing
Living with Complexity Don Norman design, psychology
Logic of Scientific Discovery, The Karl Popper philosophy, science
Lost In Math Sabine Hossenfelder maths, physics, science
Mathematics and Art : A Cultural History Lynn Gamwell art, mathematics, culture
Noise : A Flaw in Human Judgement Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass Sunstein psychology, management
Principles of Scientific Management, The Frederick Taylor management, production, lean
Signal & The Noise: The Art and Science of Prediction, The Nate Silver statistics, data, prediction, forecasting
Six Thinking Hats Edward de Bono creativity, problem solving, management
Solving Complex Problems Alexander de Haan systems thinking, problem solving
Start With Why Simon Sinek management, business, philosophy
Strategic Design Giulia Calabretta design, management, business
Structure of Scientific Revolutions, The Thomas Kuhn science, philosophy
Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman psychology, management, human error
Thinking in Systems : A Primer Donella Meadows systems thinking, problem solving
To Be A Machine Mark O’Connell philosophy, science, A.I.
Today and Tomorrow Henry Ford management, production, lean, business
Toyota Production System : Beyond Large Scale Production Taiichi Ohno management, production, lean
Toyota Way : 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer, The Jeffrey Liker management, production, lean, business
Visual Display of Quantitative Information, The Edward Tufte statistics, graphics, charts, diagrams
Visual Explanations Edward Tufte statistics, graphics, charts, diagrams
Wizard of Oz, The L. Frank Baum fiction, fantasy
World Beyond Your Head, The Matthew Crawford philosophy, wellbeing, perception
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Robert Pirsig philosophy

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