Writers & editors
Books recommended by Maria Popova
Writer and founder of The Marginalian
Essayist who has written The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) since 2006, a long-running blog about books, art, science and philosophy.
Philosophy & how to liveWriting, art & ideasScienceHistoryFiction & literature
Photo: FontShop, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is a selection of sourced recommendations, not a complete list of everything Maria Popova has read or praised. How we choose.
Recommendations
Books Maria Popova recommends
13 books from 3 sources. Each one links to the place where Maria recommended it.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization
Popova's own contribution to the Manual for Civilization, written partly in response to the scarcity of women authors on earlier lists.
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Man's Search for Meaning
Canon selectionOne of her '33 books on how to live', contributed to the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
+8 other recommenders: Shane Parrish, Tony Robbins, Chris Guillebeau, Darius Foroux, Mark Manson, Matt D'Avella, Jordan Peterson, Sam Parr
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
+3 other recommenders: Stewart Brand, James Clear, Mark Manson
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The Information
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
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Ways of Seeing
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
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On Photography
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
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The Wisdom of Insecurity
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
+1 other recommender: Dan Koe
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How to Live: A Life of Montaigne
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
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Bird by Bird
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
+3 other recommenders: James Clear, Ryan Holiday, Mark Manson
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The Accidental Universe
Canon selectionOne of her 33 books for the Manual for Civilization.
33 Books on How to Live: My Reading List for the Long Now Foundation's Manual for Civilization Blog postthemarginalian.org
The Unusual Books That Shaped 50+ Billionaires, Mega-Bestselling Authors, and Other Prodigies
Maria Popova 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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Still Writing
Explicit recommendationMaria Popova 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
+1 other recommender: Mark Manson
#436: Books I've Loved — Maria Popova and Tyler Cowen
Episode of The Tim Ferriss Show's "Books I've Loved" series, in which Maria Popova talks through favourite books. The show notes list them.
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Letter to a Hostage
Explicit recommendationOne of the favourite books Maria Popova chose for the "Books I've Loved" series on The Tim Ferriss Show.
#436: Books I've Loved — Maria Popova and Tyler Cowen Podcast episodetim.blog
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Love and Saint Augustine
Explicit recommendationOne of the favourite books Maria Popova chose for the "Books I've Loved" series on The Tim Ferriss Show.
#436: Books I've Loved — Maria Popova and Tyler Cowen Podcast episodetim.blog
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A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines
Explicit recommendationOne of the favourite books Maria Popova chose for the "Books I've Loved" series on The Tim Ferriss Show.
#436: Books I've Loved — Maria Popova and Tyler Cowen Podcast episodetim.blog
Cross-recommendations
Picks others agree on
5 books Maria recommends that at least one other person in the directory also recommends, each from their own source.
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9recommendersMan's Search for Meaning 9 recommendersMaria Popova, Shane Parrish, Tony Robbins, Chris Guillebeau, Darius Foroux, Mark Manson, Matt D'Avella, Jordan Peterson, Sam Parr
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4recommendersA Short History of Nearly Everything 4 recommendersStewart Brand, Maria Popova, James Clear, Mark Manson
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4recommendersBird by Bird 4 recommendersMaria Popova, James Clear, Ryan Holiday, Mark Manson
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2recommendersStill Writing 2 recommendersMaria Popova, Mark Manson
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2recommendersThe Wisdom of Insecurity 2 recommendersMaria Popova, Dan Koe
Cross-recommendations
Who agrees with Maria
People in the directory who recommended at least one of the same books.
Mark Manson4 books in commonMan's Search for Meaning · A Short History of Nearly Everything · Bird by Bird · Still Writing
James Clear2 books in commonA Short History of Nearly Everything · Bird by Bird- SPShane Parrish1 book in commonMan's Search for Meaning
Tony Robbins1 book in commonMan's Search for Meaning
Chris Guillebeau1 book in commonMan's Search for Meaning- DFDarius Foroux1 book in commonMan's Search for Meaning
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