Writers & editors
Books recommended by Neal Stephenson
Novelist
Author of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Anathem and the Baroque Cycle, novels that weave deep historical and technical research into fiction.
On lists:Authors
HistoryScienceWar & violenceFiction & literatureEconomics & progress
Photo: Christopher Michel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is a selection of sourced recommendations, not a complete list of everything Neal Stephenson has read or praised. How we choose.
Recommendations
Books Neal Stephenson recommends
11 books from 1 source. Each one links to the place where Neal recommended it.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization
Stephenson walked Long Now staff through his home library and chose these titles.
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The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Canon selectionFirst pick on the list Stephenson selected from his home library for the Manual for Civilization.
Listed in the source as “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volumes 1-6”.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
+2 other recommenders: Stewart Brand, Tom Holland
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The Iliad
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization in Robert Fagles's translation.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
+4 other recommenders: Stewart Brand, Stephen Fry, David Bowie, Mark Manson
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The Odyssey
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization in Robert Fagles's translation.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
+3 other recommenders: Stewart Brand, Stephen Fry, Mark Manson
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Civilization and Capitalism, 15th–18th Century
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization (all three volumes).
Listed in the source as “Civilization & Capitalism 15th-18th Century, Volumes 1-3”.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
+1 other recommender: Brian Eno
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1491
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
+1 other recommender: Mark Manson
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Newton's Principia for the Common Reader
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization; Newton is a central figure in his Baroque Cycle novels.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
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Leviathan
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
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The American Practical Navigator
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
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Dark Sun
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization alongside Rhodes's earlier atomic-bomb history.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
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The Road to Reality
Canon selectionSelected for the Manual for Civilization.
Neal Stephenson's Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization Organization pagelongnow.org
Written by Neal Stephenson
Books Neal Stephenson wrote
Their most-published books, from Open Library. These are books they wrote, not recommendations.
Cross-recommendations
Picks others agree on
5 books Neal recommends that at least one other person in the directory also recommends, each from their own source.
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5recommendersThe Iliad 5 recommendersStewart Brand, Neal Stephenson, Stephen Fry, David Bowie, Mark Manson
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4recommendersThe Odyssey 4 recommendersStewart Brand, Neal Stephenson, Stephen Fry, Mark Manson
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3recommendersThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 3 recommendersStewart Brand, Neal Stephenson, Tom Holland
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2recommenders1491 2 recommendersNeal Stephenson, Mark Manson
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2recommendersCivilization and Capitalism, 15th–18th Century 2 recommendersBrian Eno, Neal Stephenson
Cross-recommendations
Who agrees with Neal
People in the directory who recommended at least one of the same books.
Stewart Brand3 books in commonThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · The Iliad · The Odyssey
Mark Manson3 books in commonThe Iliad · The Odyssey · 1491
Stephen Fry2 books in commonThe Iliad · The Odyssey
Tom Holland1 book in commonThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
David Bowie1 book in commonThe Iliad
Brian Eno1 book in commonCivilization and Capitalism, 15th–18th Century
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