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Books

Experts vs. Imitators

If you want the highest quality information, you have to speak to the best people. The problem is many people claim to be experts, who really aren’t. Safeguard: Take time to distinguish real experts from imitators. Not everyone who …

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Simple Truths: Clear & Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues in Life

My Kindle Highlights from Kent Nerburn’s Simple Truths: Clear & Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues in Life *** “Education is one of the great joys and solaces of life. It gives us a framework for understanding the world around us …

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Why Read? Advice From Harold Bloom

The late Harold Bloom, literary critic and professor, may well have been one of the most prolific readers of all time. Given that, Bloom was uniquely well positioned to answer the question of why we should read and how we should go about …

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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Innovation doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Doers and thinkers from Shakespeare to Jobs, liberally “stole” inspiration from the doers and thinkers who came before. Here’s how to do it right. *** “If I have seen further,” Isaac Newton wrote in a …

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29 of the Most Gifted and Highly Recommended Books

It started with a simple question: What book (or books) have you given away to people the most and why? The email was sent to an interesting subset of people I’ve interacted with over the past year — CEOs, entrepreneurs, best-selling …

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The 16 Best Books of 2016

Rewarding reads on love, life, knowledge, history, the future, and tools for thinking. Out of all the books I read this year, here is a list of what I found most worth reading in 2016. 1. The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution These …

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Fiction that Influences and Inspires

Reading nonfiction is a fantastic way to expand your mind and give you an edge in this world. It’s especially useful when we have a specific idea or concept that we’d like to learn more about. However, it’s important not to over-look …

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Book Recommendations by the Legendary Washington Post CEO Don Graham

“My goal in reading a book is to entertain myself and perhaps to learn. You won’t read much unless what you read is enjoyable for you.” — Don Graham *** In 1973, Warren Buffett famously began investing in the stock of the newly …

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A Year of Books: 23 Book Recommendations from Mark Zuckerberg

In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg did something slightly unusual for a CEO of a major technology company: He started a book club! In that year, Zuckerberg ended up recommending and discussing 23 books with the group — about one every two …

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What Books Would You Recommend Someone Read to Improve their General Knowledge of the World?

Inspired by a reader’s question to me, I thought I’d ask our followers on Facebook and Twitter for an answer to the question: What books would you recommend someone read to improve their general knowledge of the world. I must …

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Spring 2016 Reading List — More Curated Recommendations For a Curious Mind

We hear a lot from people who want to read more. That’s a great sentiment. But it won’t actually happen until you decide what you’re going to do less of. We all get 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It’s up to you …

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How Clever Leaders Overcome More Talented and Better Funded Competitors

Talent and resources aren’t always enough to succeed. Doing incredible things requires true passion. Sometimes a driven, inspired team can succeed against one with more talent and funding. *** In the early 1900s Samuel Pierpont Langley …

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The Best Non-Fiction Books of 2015: The Year of the Biography

One of my favorite sources of reading material is Tyler Cowen. He’s consistently finding exceptional things that I’ve never heard of. His 2015 non-fiction list is no exception. If he had to pick four favorites out of this list …

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The 2015 Farnam Street Members Book List

Today’s book list is based on recommendations by Farnam Street Members on Slack over the last few months. If you’re not familiar with it, our community on Slack is a discussion area for members, and one of our ongoing discussions is book …

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How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas

Analogies are a means of drawing a parallel between two different things which we often use to convey complex ideas and to communicate effectively. We often use analogies to aid our reasoning. In this post, we explore how analogies work and …

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Reads for the Curious Mind

Out of the 44 books I read from January to June, here are the 7 that resonated with me the most. (For the curious see the 2012, 2013, I can’t find the 2014 edition.) Pebbles of Perception: How a Few Good Choices make All the …

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Books Everyone Should Read on Psychology and Behavioral Economics

Earlier this year, a prominent friend of mine was tasked with coming up with a list of behavioral economics book recommendations for the military leaders of a G7 country and I was on the limited email list asking for input. Yikes. While I …

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Rory Sutherland Offers 4 Interesting Reads

I asked Rory Sutherland (Vice Chairman: Ogilvy & Mather) what books stood out for him last year. I’ve had the privilege of chatting with Rory a few times now and I think you’ll agree, like most farnamstreeters not only is he …

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The Seven Books Bill Gates Thinks You Should Read This Summer

Bill Gates is out with his annual summer reading list and, while longer than last year’s, it’s a great place to kick off your summer reading. “Each of these books,” Gates writes, “made me think or laugh or, in some …

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Stephen King Shares His (Long) Reading List

At any question and answer session, a reader inevitably asks  Stephen King what he reads. Everyone, myself included, wants to know what’s on Stephen King’s reading list. Now we know. In On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft, he …

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The Books That Influenced Edward O. Wilson

Too often life gets in the way of reading and thinking. Rarely are we given a chance to look back at what influenced our thinking. Sometimes these are small fragments — words, thoughts, marginalia, ideas, or even a book. The Harvard Guide …

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Best Books for Investors: A Short Shelf

I’ve already outlined 12 books the sophisticated investor should read. Now Jason Zweig, Knowledge Project Guest and author of Your Money and Your Brain, chimes in with the books he recommends for investors. (If you’re not …

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The Surprising Books That Billionaires, Chess Prodigies, Performance Coaches, and Bestselling Authors Recommend

One question Tim Ferriss, the author of The Four Hour Workweek, asks people on his podcast is “What book have you gifted most often to others, and why?” This is one of my favorite parts of the show. Below are some of the answers from people …

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Books for Schools That Need Them

This might surprise you but I was never a big reader as a kid. In fact, I wouldn’t be caught dead with a book. This lasted all the way to university. While never lazy, I was ignorant to the infinite possibility that books opened up. …

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