Writers & editors
Books recommended by Alain de Botton
Swiss-born British philosopher and writer
Swiss-born British philosopher and writer. Their picks here come from a Five Books interview, on Illuminating Essays.
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Writing, art & ideasPsychology & decisionsPolitics & societyPhilosophy & how to liveFiction & literature
Photo: Fronteiras do Pensamento, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is a selection of sourced recommendations, not a complete list of everything Alain de Botton has read or praised. How we choose.
Recommendations
Books Alain de Botton recommends
7 books from 2 sources. Each one links to the place where Alain recommended it.
Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays
Five Books interview in which Alain de Botton chooses and discusses five books.
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The Crowded Dance of Modern Life
Explicit recommendationOne of five picks in the 2009 Five Books interview “Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays”.
Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays Interviewfivebooks.com
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Home Is Where We Start From
Explicit recommendationOne of five picks in the 2009 Five Books interview “Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays”.
Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays Interviewfivebooks.com
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The Wisdom of Life
Explicit recommendationOne of five picks in the 2009 Five Books interview “Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays”.
Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays Interviewfivebooks.com
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The Secret Power of Beauty
Explicit recommendationOne of five picks in the 2009 Five Books interview “Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays”.
Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays Interviewfivebooks.com
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Yoga for People Who Can’t Be Bothered to Do It
Explicit recommendationOne of five picks in the 2009 Five Books interview “Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays”.
Alain de Botton on Illuminating Essays Interviewfivebooks.com
The Unusual Books That Shaped 50+ Billionaires, Mega-Bestselling Authors, and Other Prodigies
Alain de Botton answered Tim Ferriss's interview question "What book have you gifted most to others?". Only the most-gifted answers (bolded in the post) are listed here.
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Explicit recommendationAlain de Botton named it as a book they have given as a gift more than any other, answering Tim Ferriss's interview question.
The Unusual Books That Shaped 50+ Billionaires, Mega-Bestselling Authors, and Other Prodigies Interviewtim.blog
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The Complete Essays
Explicit recommendationAlain de Botton named it as a book they have given as a gift more than any other, answering Tim Ferriss's interview question.
The Unusual Books That Shaped 50+ Billionaires, Mega-Bestselling Authors, and Other Prodigies Interviewtim.blog
Written by Alain de Botton
Books Alain de Botton wrote
Their most-published books, from Open Library. These are books they wrote, not recommendations.
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