Farnam Street
Mastering the best of what other people have already figured out
Stories are the way in which we teach moral lessons, keep an audience engaged in what we’re saying, and convince others to pursue a course of action. In the business world, where time is short, and you need to make a point quickly the …
The legendary Italian writer Umberto Eco had over 50,000 books in his private library. When asked why so many, he had this to say: It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those …
I bet you’d like to read more this summer. Wouldn’t we all. Well, stop talking about it and start finding some books already. Here is a curated list of multi-disciplinary books that can help fill your brain and a few that might …
“The CEO who misleads others in public may eventually mislead himself in private.” — Warren Buffett *** Is there a link between candor and execution? L. J. Rittenhouse thinks so. Rittenhouse is the author of Investing Between the Lines: How …
If you missed out on attending the famous TED conference this year — you’re not alone. But now you can queue up some of the books that were available at the TED Bookstore for your spring reading pile. The bookstore was curated this …
Should we worry that we are increasingly moving towards a society where everything is for sale? In What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets, Michael Sandel argues that we should for two reasons: inequality and corruption. …
What we’re reading says a lot about who we are – or who we want to be. In a new feature in the Globe and Mail, Jane Mount asks 100 writers, artists, and foodies to describe the books that inspire them. I wanted to highlight …
Not my list but that of Publishers Weekly. Some interesting stuff made the cut. I picked up a few for stocking stuffers. My Cross to Bear — Gregg Allman, with Alan Light Like an old bluesman riffing through a tale of love, loss, and …
Michael Mauboussin is one of the smartest people you’ll ever meet. Need proof? Just listen to this podcast interview we did. If you’re looking to learn about behavioral economics, he recommends you start with the following books …
Ok, so you’ve seen the nine books Bill Gates is reading this summer. Gates has some pretty smart friends and they were kind enough to share what they were reading this summer too. ****** Vinod Khosla is one of the co-founders of Sun …
A reddit reader posed the question “I want to read 12 history books in one year to know ‘all the things’, what should be on the list?” After much debate, the 12 below were chosen. 1. A History of the Modern World …
A brief, no fluff, summary of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. If you want to learn what people want and use that knowledge to build stronger relationships, this book will help you. Let’s dive in. …
If you haven’t already decided on your summer reading list, here is a curated list of multi-disciplinary books that can help fill your brain. Explaining Social Behavior: More Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences Nassim Taleb reviews …
(Jan 2017) Perilous Interventions: The Security Council and the Politics of Chaos Solid Book on Interventionism, Should be Mandatory Reading in Foreign Affairs. This is an outstanding book on the side effects of interventionism, written in …
Psychologist Robert Cialdini wrote two of the the most important books on influence: Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive and The Psychology of Persuasion. Now he recommends five books for you: Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki …
Energy issues can be extremely complex and controversial. Bill Gates offers up 4 books that bring clarity and point to solutions: Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate I recommend this book to everyone who …
Heather Brooke, author of Your Right To Know: A Citizen’s Guide to the Freedom of Information Act, offers five picks on holding power to account. Animal Farm …it is an allegory about power and its seductive and corruptive …
Ted Cadsby writes “the following five books are a small sample from a longer list of must-reads, but they have two things in common. First, they forced me to confront how superficial and inadequate my thinking was in assessing …
Putting people and things into categories is something we all do. It’s a useful shortcut but reveals biases. And it plays a role in everything from ethnic violence to childhood development. The Browser’s excellent five-books interview …
You like to read? So does Bill Gates. And he reads a lot. Here’s a brief look at what he reads on topics such as education, energy, finance, and development. Education Work Hard, Be Nice “Jay did a great job writing this book. …
Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavorial economics, says we can all be more aware of our surroundings and our decision-making process. He suggests the following five books: The Invisible Gorilla We think we see with our eyes, but …
If you’d like to read more about economics issues try these 18 books recommended by Greg Mankiw, author of Principles of Economics. The Cartoon Introduction to Economics Basic economic principles, with humor. Spin-Free Economics A …
The challenges of climbing the corporate ladder are both fascinating and fluid. Whether you’re looking to improve your ability to influence or avoid some common pitfalls these books are a great place to start: 1. Corporate …
Right after Jamie Dimon unveiled his summer reading list for interns, Fortune polled a number of executives to find out what’s on their summer reading list. Brad Alford, Chairman and CEO, Nestlé USA 1776, by David McCullough Drive, by …