These are the books that Seth Godin has most recommended over the years. There are his favourite books, the books that can make the most difference. These books make the most impact.
Fresh India by Meera Sodha
"Fresh India, by Meera Sodha, is the book I’m cooking from the most lately." Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
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The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt
"Everyone who eats should own a copy of The Food Lab." Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
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To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink
"What would happen if the next all hands meeting got cancelled and instead the organization had an all hands-on read instead?
Category: Entrepreneurship
Here are more than twenty books you might want to read at work today. You and ten co-workers reading together... it might change everything" Read more
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Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar
"The biggest challenge most executives face is selling their ideas, not their products. And selling internally is a lot like selling in the street. This is the best book I've ever read about selling anything at all..." Read more
Category: Entrepreneurship
Buy on AmazonWeapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto
"I end up recommending this book to parents again and again. It will transform the way you think of schooling." Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
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Whiplash by Joi Ito
"Joi's the head of MIT's Media Lab and an extraordinary thinker. Jeff brings the ideas and the lessons of the Lab to life. This is a big think, well worth a deep dive." Read more
Category: Innovation
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Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
"A key part of his thesis is that comic books work because the action takes place between the frames. Our imagination fills in the gaps between what happened in that frame and this frame, which means that we're as much involved as the illustrator and author are in telling the story.
Category: Psychology
Marketing, it turns out, works precisely the same way." Read more
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The Red Queen by Matt Ridley
"Little, irresistible and so important. One more way to help you understand how evolution works." Read more
Category: Fiction
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The Republic of Tea by Mel Ziegler
"Out of print, but findable, this is a book about an entrepreneur getting his head around the otaku of his audience." Read more
Category: Entrepreneurship
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The Tom Peters Seminar by Tom Peters
"The times are still crazy" Read more
Category: Culture
Buy on AmazonThe True Believer by Eric Hoffer
"More than fifty years ago, Eric Hoffer wrote this classic treatise on what creates a mass movement. Must-reading for all marketers who want to spread an idea." Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
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The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
"Steve Pressfield has written the most important book I've ever read on creativity and why it doesn't happen. The resistance is the most profound force in the life of the artist, the writer and the leader, and Steve has given it a name and called it out." Read more
Category: Creativity
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The Master Switch by Tim Wu
"This one really stuck with me--a top level analysis of how changes in media change the culture and change the structure of industry." Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
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The Mesh by Lisa Gansky
"This is hands-on, well-researched and inspiring. Halfway through, you can see how the new wave of business is going to unfold." Read more
Category: Entrepreneurship
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The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks
"Simple, useful analysis of a very complex topic, a new one for our age." Read more
Category: Leadership
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The Pema Chodron Audio Collection by Pema Chodron
"I hope you'll find this as unsettling, inspiring and eye-opening as I did." Read more
Category: Spirituality
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The Pursuit of Wow! by Tom Peters
"Tom Peters at his best--the book that will push you to do the safe (risky) thing you must do to make your products remarkable." Read more
Category: Entrepreneurship
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The Gift by Lewis Hyde
"Deep, astonishingly well researched and mindblowing. An exploration of one of the most basic (and least understood) human traits--our ability to create and share gifts." Read more
Category: Creativity
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The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
"I hear more about her work than any other author recently on the scene. Deeply personal, incredibly powerful stuff." Read more
Category: Spirituality
Buy on AmazonThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander
"And if you can only read one, pick this one." Read more
Category: Purpose
Buy on AmazonThe Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz
"An important book at a crucial time. A book that will show you that the world is much smaller than it was, and it's getting smaller daily." Read more
Category: Social
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The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson
"A coffee table book for the holidays. Not banal, not boring, but awfully close to pleasing just about everyone on your list." Read more
Category: Fiction
Buy on AmazonSix Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel
"Mitch Joel brings it home. Direct and clear advice about how new media changes your brand forever" Read more
Category: Marketing
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Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
"Neal Stephenson blends humor and pop culture and an expert's eye for science fiction. This book woke me up to the reality of the world we were about to enter, and it gave me the energy and confidence to imagine a world fundamentally different than the one we were leaving.
Category: Fiction
When I ran Yoyodyne ten years ago, every one of my employees had to read this book." Read more
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Software Project Survival Guide by Steve McConnell
"Steve picks a particular area, but it's totally applicable to just about everything." Read more
Category: Leadership
Buy on AmazonStart Here Now by Susan Piver
"A book I wish I'd read earlier in my career" Read more
Category: Spirituality
Buy on AmazonStart with Why by Simon Sinek
"A book I wish I'd read earlier in my career" Read more
Category: Branding
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Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works by Erik Spiekermann
"This book helped me see design differently. Good design costs just as much as bad design, but it breaks through all sorts of clutter." Read more
Category: Design
Buy on AmazonSyrup by Max Barry
"Funny, thrilling, fast moving and about brand marketing and office politics. What more could you hope for in a novel?" Read more
Category: Fiction
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The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
"If you liked the Bootstrapper's Bible, this one is a keeper.
Category: Entrepreneurship
Side note: in the world of search boxes, Chris' last name is a serious impediment to user adoption. Hard to spell, hard to find, worth it." Read more
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Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
"Chock full of images and ideas that will stick with you for months." Read more
Category: Fiction
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Rocket Surgery Made Easy by Steve Krug
"The fast, easy and simple way to solve 95% of all broken problems." Read more
Category: Innovation
Buy on AmazonMakers by Cory Doctorow
"Cory's back, and this sprawling, compelling science fiction romp is even more than you might expect. He is a worthy successor to Robert Heinlein, and when I read his ideas about bottom up innovation, crowdsourcing and the new economy, they have even more power in fiction than they do in the stuff I often read. I cried a little at the end." Read more
Category: Fiction
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New Rules for the New Economy by Kevin Kelly
"Kevin Kelly does the non-fiction version of Snow Crash. Even a decade later, this book informs, provokes and guides.
Category: Entrepreneurship
The thing about the internet pioneers is that most of them weren't just a flash in the pan. Kevin co-founded Wired magazine and continues to be one of the most influential writers online.
It's hard to imagine spending time working online and not understanding what he wrote about here." Read more
Buy on AmazonOn Immunity by Eula Bliss
"An even-handed meditation on why people believe what they believe, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, this book is almost literary at times." Read more
Category: Psychology
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Hunch by Bernadette Jiwa
"The insightful Bernadette Jiwa's new book is on sale today. I highly recommend all of the books she's written. Go first, without being sure. I think you'll find something special." Read more
Category: Leadership
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Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod
"Hugh's stuff works on the Kindle, and it works for creatives, and it works for people who are stuck." Read more
Category: Psychology
Buy on AmazonJust Kids by Patti Smith
"The single best Audiobook ever recorded" Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
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Freedom is Blogging In Your Underwear by Hugh MacLeod
"Classic Hugh! And that's saying a lot. Another book that's fast and easy to read but will stick with you." Read more
Category: Purpose
Buy on AmazonGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
"Every one of Diamond's books is an eye opener. This one is a classic, and it will change the way you think about the world." Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
Buy on AmazonHere Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky
"Clay is both the erudite professor and the compelling author, a rare combination. This book will change the way you think about our revolution." Read more
Category: Non-Fiction
Buy on AmazonCrossing The Chasm by Geoffrey Moore
"This is a key component in my Purple Cow thinking, but with a twist. I'm not as worried about the chasm as I am about the desire of marketers to go for the big middle." Read more
Category: Marketing
Buy on AmazonDo the Work by Steven Pressfield
"If you don't have time, this calls your bluff. Less than a hundred pages, no holds barred. Time to get to it." Read more
Category: Creativity
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Don’t Bite the Hook by Pema Chodron
"Pema, a Buddhist nun who converted later in life from American roots, is my favorite teacher. She is able to simply and clearly connect with listeners and readers about a few powerful insights. In this book she talks about shenpa, the cycle of anxiety we buy into whenever confronted with a stressful situation." Read more
Category: Spirituality
Buy on AmazonEastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
"A great introdution to the books of Cory Doctorow. The later stuff is even better, but all of it is thought provoking." Read more
Category: Fiction
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A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan
"It's a worldview changer" Read more
Category: Entrepreneurship
Buy on AmazonAnything You Want by Derek Sivers
"Anything You Want is a business book like no other. Derek Sivers built a business a different way, a human way. He did it with no investment and a series of apparently crazy principles. And they work. They worked for him and they might work for you. A brilliant book." Read more
Category: Entrepreneurship
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Before and After Graphics for Business by John McWade
"Not a lot of theory, not a lot of rules, just useful approaches to common problems." Read more
Category: Design
Buy on AmazonBody of Work by Pamela Slim
"A book I wish I'd read earlier in my career" Read more
Category: Purpose
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