Topic
History books recommended by writers, founders and scientists
The largest shelf in the directory. These picks range from Gibbon's six-volume Rome to 2024 histories of Byzantium and Indonesia, and from object-by-object world history to a single speech at Gettysburg.
345 books · 425 recommendations from 97 people
Where to start
The Discoverers
The only history book here chosen independently by three people — Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly and Brian Eno — for Long Now's library.
A History of the World in 100 Objects
Picked by both Brand and Eno; short chapters make it easy to dip into.
1491
Neal Stephenson's pick for understanding the Americas before Columbus.
Every history book in the directory
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8recommendersSapiens 8 recommendersDerek Sivers, Reid Hoffman, Sebastian Junger, James Clear, Mark Manson, Naval Ravikant, Daniel Ek, Matt Mullenweg
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5recommendersDemocracy in America 5 recommendersPatrick Collison, Francis Fukuyama, Karl Rove, Robert Reich, Mark Manson
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5recommendersEndurance 5 recommendersChris Guillebeau, Nat Eliason, Mark Manson, Chris Williamson, Sam Parr
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5recommendersThe Iliad 5 recommendersStewart Brand, Neal Stephenson, Stephen Fry, David Bowie, Mark Manson
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4recommendersBird by Bird 4 recommendersMaria Popova, James Clear, Ryan Holiday, Mark Manson
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4recommendersShoe Dog 4 recommendersBill Gates, Ryan Holiday, Mark Manson, Tom Bilyeu
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4recommendersSurely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! 4 recommendersPeter Attia, James Clear, Scott H. Young, Tim Ferriss
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4recommendersThe Better Angels of Our Nature 4 recommendersStewart Brand, Bruce Schneier, Mark Manson, Fareed Zakaria
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4recommendersThe Odyssey 4 recommendersStewart Brand, Neal Stephenson, Stephen Fry, Mark Manson
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4recommendersThinking, Fast and Slow 4 recommendersStewart Brand, James Clear, Mark Manson, Thomas Frank
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3recommendersThe Discoverers 3 recommendersStewart Brand, Kevin Kelly, Brian Eno
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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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3recommendersThe Lessons of History 3 recommendersDavid Perell, Mark Manson, Naval Ravikant
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2recommenders1491 2 recommendersNeal Stephenson, Mark Manson
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2recommenders21 Lessons for the 21st Century 2 recommendersBill Gates, Matt Mullenweg
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2recommendersA History of the World in 100 Objects 2 recommendersStewart Brand, Brian Eno
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2recommendersA Manual for Living 2 recommendersDarius Foroux, James Clear
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2recommendersA Million Miles in a Thousand Years 2 recommendersNoah Kagan, Codie Sanchez
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2recommendersA People’s Tragedy 2 recommendersThomas Keneally, David Bowie
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2recommendersBloodlands 2 recommendersAntony Beevor, Norman Naimark
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2recommendersCan't Hurt Me 2 recommendersChris Koerner, Darius Foroux
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2recommendersCivilization and Capitalism, 15th–18th Century 2 recommendersBrian Eno, Neal Stephenson
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2recommendersCollapse 2 recommendersStewart Brand, Matthew Yglesias
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2recommendersComplications 2 recommendersJames Clear, Aaron Swartz
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2recommendersEducated 2 recommendersBill Gates, Mark Manson
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2recommendersGuns, Germs, and Steel 2 recommendersJames Clear, Daniel Ek
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2recommendersHomage to Catalonia 2 recommendersTimothy Snyder, Timothy Garton Ash
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2recommendersHunger 2 recommendersMark Manson, Debbie Millman
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2recommendersInto Thin Air 2 recommendersJames Clear, Mark Manson
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2recommendersLife and Fate 2 recommendersMichael Howard, Antony Beevor
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2recommendersMountains Beyond Mountains 2 recommendersChris Guillebeau, James Clear
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2recommendersNative Nations 2 recommendersTyler Cowen, The Pulitzer Prizes
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2recommendersNight 2 recommendersJames Clear, Mark Manson
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2recommendersOn Tyranny 2 recommendersAustin Kleon, Mark Manson
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2recommendersOrdinary Men 2 recommendersNorman Naimark, Jordan Peterson
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2recommendersStill Writing 2 recommendersMaria Popova, Mark Manson
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2recommendersThe Argumentative Indian 2 recommendersWilliam Dalrymple, Pankaj Mishra
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2recommendersThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin 2 recommendersGretchen Rubin, James Clear
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2recommendersThe Captive Mind 2 recommendersTimothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum
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2recommendersThe Emperor of All Maladies 2 recommendersJames Clear, Mark Manson
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2recommendersThe Fish that Ate the Whale 2 recommendersNat Eliason, Ryan Holiday
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2recommendersThe Glass Castle 2 recommendersJames Clear, Mark Manson
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2recommendersThe Great Influenza 2 recommendersBill Gates, Ryan Holiday
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2recommendersThe Gulag Archipelago 2 recommendersSheila Fitzpatrick, Jordan Peterson
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2recommendersThe Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper 2 recommendersRyan Holiday, Austin Kleon
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2recommendersThe Republic 2 recommendersJames Clear, Mark Manson
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2recommendersThe Rise and Fall of American Growth 2 recommendersPatrick Collison, Martin Wolf
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2recommendersThe Snowball 2 recommendersDarius Foroux, Sam Parr
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2recommendersThe Story of Writing 2 recommendersStewart Brand, Kevin Kelly
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2recommendersTitan 2 recommendersRyan Holiday, Sam Parr
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A Grave for a Dolphin Picked by David Bowie
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A History of the Muslim World Picked by Tyler Cowen
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A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 Picked by Robert Barro
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A People's History of the United States Picked by David Bowie
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A Precocious Autobiography Picked by Sheila Fitzpatrick
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A Problem from Hell Picked by Norman Naimark
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A Promised Land Picked by Bill Gates
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A Walk in the Woods Picked by James Clear
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A Week with Gandhi Picked by Ramachandra Guha
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A Woman in Berlin Picked by Antony Beevor
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About Face Picked by Jocko Willink
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Alexander Hamilton Picked by Mark Manson
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All the Great Prizes Picked by Ryan Holiday
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All the Way to the River Picked by Oprah Winfrey
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American Prometheus Picked by Ben Carlson
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An Elegant Defense Picked by Bill Gates
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An Unfinished Love Story Picked by Bill Gates
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Ancient Goddesses Picked by Bettany Hughes
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Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology Picked by Mary Beard
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Arabs Picked by Derek Sivers
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Arctic Dreams Picked by Robert Macfarlane
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As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning Picked by Alastair Humphreys
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Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Picked by Bernard Bailyn
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Atomic Spaces Picked by Kate Brown
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Au Contraire Picked by Derek Sivers
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Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom Picked by David Bowie
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Bass Culture Picked by Daniel Ek
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Becoming Picked by Selena Gomez
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Becoming Steve Jobs Picked by Darius Foroux
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Before the Deluge Picked by David Bowie
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Being Nixon Picked by Bill Gates
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Benjamin Franklin Picked by Sam Parr
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Blood and Soil Picked by Norman Naimark
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Born a Crime Picked by Mark Manson
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Born Standing Up Picked by James Clear
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Bringing Up Bébé Picked by Codie Sanchez
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Built from Scratch Picked by Codie Sanchez
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Byzantium Picked by Bettany Hughes
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California Picked by Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Carrying the Fire Picked by Alastair Humphreys
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Caste Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Castes of Mind Picked by Thomas Piketty
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Chernobyl Picked by Kate Brown
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Citizens Picked by Lynn Hunt
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Citizenship between Empire and Nation Picked by Thomas Piketty
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City of Gold Picked by Derek Sivers
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Civilization and Its Discontents Picked by Mark Manson
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Clementine Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Cold Crematorium Picked by The New York Times Book Review: 10 Best Books
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Combee Picked by The Pulitzer Prizes
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Confederate Reckoning Picked by Drew Gilpin Faust
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Confessions Picked by Mark Manson
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Dancing in the Glory of Monsters Picked by Patrick Collison
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Dark Sun Picked by Neal Stephenson
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Darkness at Noon Picked by David Bowie
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Data Empire Picked by Barack Obama
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David Bomberg Picked by David Bowie
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Debt Picked by Mark Manson
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Desert Solitaire Picked by Robert Macfarlane
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Dictionary of Lost Words Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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Eat, Pray, Love Picked by Mark Manson
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Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet and the Enlightenment Picked by Brad Delong
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Einstein Picked by Mark Manson
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Embers of the Hands Picked by Helen King
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Empire of the Summer Moon Picked by Sam Parr
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Empires of the Atlantic World Picked by Bernard Bailyn
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Endless Frontier Picked by Bruce Sterling
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Eradication Picked by Bill Gates
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Essays in Persuasion Picked by Paul Krugman
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Essays on the Great Depression Picked by Robert Barro
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Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here Picked by The New York Times Book Review: 10 Best Books
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Everything Happens for a Reason Picked by Bill Gates
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Feeding Ghosts Picked by The Pulitzer Prizes
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From Scratch Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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Galileo at Work Picked by Dava Sobel
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Gandhi's Religion Picked by Ramachandra Guha
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World Picked by Mark Manson
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Gold and Freedom Picked by Thomas Piketty
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Group Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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Growth Picked by Bill Gates
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Guernica! Guernica! Picked by Paul Preston
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H Is for Hawk Picked by Barack Obama
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Happiness Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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Hard Landing Picked by Patrick Collison
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Harilal Gandhi Picked by Ramachandra Guha
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Hiroshima Diary Picked by Nat Eliason
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Historical and Critical Essays Picked by Timothy Garton Ash
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Histories Picked by Timothy Garton Ash
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Hitler Picked by Antony Beevor
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How the Word Is Passed Picked by Ryan Holiday
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How to Change Your Mind Picked by Naval Ravikant
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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor Picked by Sam Parr
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Howard Hughes Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Huckleberry Finn Picked by Mark Manson
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Picked by Mark Manson
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I'm Still Here Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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Identifying Government Spending Shocks Picked by Robert Barro
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Imperial Spain 1469-1716 Picked by Rowan Williams
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In Bluebeard's Castle Picked by David Bowie
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In Spite of the Gods Picked by William Dalrymple
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In the Heart of the Sea Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Indefensible Picked by Aaron Swartz
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Indian Givers Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Indian Summer Picked by William Dalrymple
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Interpreting the French Revolution Picked by Lynn Hunt
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Interviews with Francis Bacon Picked by David Bowie
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Iron Kingdom Picked by Norman Davies
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It Would Be So Nice If You Weren’t Here Picked by Jon Favreau
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It's Your Ship Picked by Ramit Sethi
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Just Mercy Picked by James Clear
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Kafka Was the Rage Picked by David Bowie
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Karl Marx Picked by Brad Delong
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Keeping Together in Time Picked by Brian Eno
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Khrushchev Remembers Picked by Sheila Fitzpatrick
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King Picked by The Pulitzer Prizes
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Kitchen Confidential Picked by Sam Parr
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Leadership Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Leading Picked by Daniel Ek
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Leningrad Picked by Antony Beevor
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Leonardo da Vinci Picked by Bill Gates
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Let My People Go Surfing Picked by Codie Sanchez
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Levels of the Game Picked by Stephen Dubner
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Liar's Poker Picked by Mark Manson
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Life and Death of the Spanish Republic Picked by Paul Preston
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Lincoln at Gettysburg Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Lincoln's Virtues Picked by Cal Newport
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Lords of Finance Picked by Barry Ritholtz
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Magellan Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Mahatma Gandhi Picked by Ramachandra Guha
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Making Comics Picked by Aaron Swartz
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Marie Antoinette Picked by Robert Greene
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Masters of Doom Picked by Alexis Ohanian
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Merchant Princes Picked by Malcolm Gladwell
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Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonders Picked by David Bowie
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My Childhood Picked by Thomas Keneally
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My Days with Gandhi Picked by Ramachandra Guha
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My Personal Best Picked by James Clear
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Mystery Train Picked by David Bowie
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Picked by James Clear
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Natasha’s Dance Picked by Thomas Keneally
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Night of the Grizzlies Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Nixon Agonistes Picked by Patrick Collison
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Nixonland Picked by Aaron Swartz
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Not Fade Away Picked by James Clear
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Nowhere to Run Picked by David Bowie
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On the Move Picked by James Clear
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On the Rooftop Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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On War Picked by Michael Howard
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Open Picked by Mark Manson
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Origin Story Picked by Bill Gates
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Pagans and Christians Picked by Tom Holland
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Papyrus Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Philosophy as a Way of Life Picked by Darius Foroux
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Pivot Picked by Thomas Frank
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Plain Speaking Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Political Fictions Picked by Aaron Swartz
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Pontius Pilate Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Portrait of a Priestess Picked by Bettany Hughes
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Presidents of War Picked by Bill Gates
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Printing and the Mind of Man Picked by Brian Eno
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Producing Power Picked by Kate Brown
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Purity and Danger Picked by Mary Beard
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Race and Reunion Picked by Drew Gilpin Faust
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Reading Lolita in Tehran Picked by Mark Manson
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Realm of the Black Mountain Picked by Norman Davies
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Revolusi Picked by Tyler Cowen
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Round Ireland with a Fridge Picked by John Green
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Ruth Burrows Picked by Rowan Williams
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Seabiscuit Picked by James Clear
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Seven Brief Lessons on Physics Picked by Naval Ravikant
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Sexual Personae Picked by David Bowie
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Sherman Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Sidereus Nuncius Picked by Dava Sobel
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Silence Picked by David Bowie
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Six Easy Pieces Picked by Naval Ravikant
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Stalin Picked by Robert Greene
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Stay Hungry Picked by Darius Foroux
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Stealing Fire Picked by Tom Bilyeu
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Survivors Picked by Helen King
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Sweet Soul Music Picked by David Bowie
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Tadanori Yokoo Picked by David Bowie
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Teenage Picked by David Bowie
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Teresa of Avila Picked by Rowan Williams
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The American Political Tradition Picked by Matthew Yglesias
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The Ancien Régime and the Revolution Picked by Lynn Hunt
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The Annals Picked by Mary Beard
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The Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant Picked by Drew Gilpin Faust
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The Art of Learning Picked by James Clear
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The Art of War Picked by Michael Howard
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The Assassination of Federico García Lorca Picked by Paul Preston
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The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie Picked by James Clear
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The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Picked by Chris Guillebeau
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The Avila of Saint Teresa Picked by Rowan Williams
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The Blind Side Picked by James Clear
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The Book Nobody Read Picked by Dava Sobel
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The Book of Her Life Picked by Rowan Williams
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The Book of Laughter and Forgetting Picked by Timothy Snyder
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The Boys in the Boat Picked by James Clear
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The British Atlantic World, 1500-1800 Picked by Bernard Bailyn
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The Bully Pulpit Picked by Bill Gates
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The Chimp Paradox Picked by Steven Bartlett
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The Church and the Left Picked by Timothy Snyder
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The Churchill Factor Picked by Arnold Schwarzenegger
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The Classical Economists Revisited Picked by Brad Delong
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The Coast of Utopia Picked by David Bowie
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The Copernican Question Picked by Dava Sobel
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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Picked by Mark Manson
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The Diaries of Evelyn Waugh Picked by Timothy Garton Ash
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The Diary of a Young Girl Picked by Mark Manson
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The Downstairs Girl Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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The Dream Machine Picked by Patrick Collison
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The Eagle and the Hart Picked by Helen King
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The Emergence of Globalism Picked by Thomas Piketty
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The eXile Picked by Aaron Swartz
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The Face of Battle Picked by Brian Eno
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The Fiery Trial Picked by Drew Gilpin Faust
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The Forgotten Highlander Picked by Chris Williamson
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The General Picked by Michael Howard
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The Goths Picked by Norman Davies
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The Great Demarcation Picked by Thomas Piketty
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The Great Depression in the United States from a Neoclassical Perspective Picked by Robert Barro
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The Greeks and the Irrational Picked by Mary Beard
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The Grid Picked by Bill Gates
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The Hidden History of Women’s Ordination Picked by Bettany Hughes
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The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution Picked by Anne Applebaum
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The Information Picked by Maria Popova
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The Island of Missing Trees Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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The Last Days of Hitler Picked by Timothy Garton Ash
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The Last King of Poland Picked by Norman Davies
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The Last Lion Picked by Ryan Holiday
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The Leopard Picked by David Bowie
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The Library Book Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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The Life and Times of Little Richard Picked by David Bowie
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The Life of Samuel Johnson Picked by Gretchen Rubin
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The Living Mountain Picked by Robert Macfarlane
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The Mahabharata Picked by William Dalrymple
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb Picked by Neal Stephenson
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The Medieval Machine Picked by Daniel Suarez
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The Mediterranean in History Picked by Norman Davies
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The Mind in the Cave Picked by Brian Eno
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The Mosquito Picked by Mark Manson
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The Myth of the Strong Leader Picked by Bill Gates
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The New Regime Picked by Lynn Hunt
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The New Roman Empire Picked by Tyler Cowen
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The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind Picked by David Bowie
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The Origins of Political Order Picked by Mark Manson
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The Orphanage Picked by Serhii Plokhy
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The Politics of Invisibility Picked by Kate Brown
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The Power Broker Picked by Mark Manson
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The Power of the Powerless Picked by Timothy Snyder
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The Rape of Nanking Picked by Jordan Peterson
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The Rational Optimist Picked by Naval Ravikant
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The Reason I Jump Picked by James Clear
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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Picked by Mark Manson
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The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Picked by Sam Parr
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The Roman Revolution Picked by Tom Holland
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The Roman Triumph Picked by Tom Holland
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The Sleepwalkers Picked by Dava Sobel
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The Sound of the City Picked by David Bowie
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The Spanish Civil War Picked by Paul Preston
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The Spy and the Traitor Picked by Bill Gates
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The Story of My Life Picked by Darius Foroux
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The Swerve Picked by Mark Manson
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The Tiger Picked by Ryan Holiday
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The Trial Begins Picked by Sheila Fitzpatrick
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The Trial of Henry Kissinger Picked by David Bowie
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The Twelve Caesars Picked by Tom Holland
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The Undocumented Americans Picked by Selena Gomez
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The Wide Wide Sea Picked by Barack Obama
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The Woman's Hour Picked by Ryan Holiday
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The Worldly Philosophers Picked by Brad Delong
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The Years of Extermination Picked by Norman Naimark
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These Truths Picked by Bill Gates
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This Bloody Mary is the Last Thing I Own Picked by John Green
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This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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This Land is Your Land Picked by Barack Obama
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Total Recall Picked by Darius Foroux
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Tunnel 29 Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Turing's Cathedral Picked by Stewart Brand
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Twelve Who Ruled Picked by Lynn Hunt
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Twenty Letters to a Friend Picked by Sheila Fitzpatrick
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Ukraine Picked by Serhii Plokhy
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Ukraine and Russia Picked by Serhii Plokhy
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Ukraine in Histories and Stories Picked by Serhii Plokhy
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Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament Picked by Serhii Plokhy
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Untamed Picked by Reese Witherspoon
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Upheaval Picked by Bill Gates
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Victoria Picked by Ryan Holiday
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Violent Land Picked by Steven Pinker
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Voices from Chernobyl Picked by Kate Brown
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Washington Picked by Barack Obama
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What It Takes Picked by Aaron Swartz
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When Breath Becomes Air Picked by Matt Mullenweg
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When the Clock Broke Picked by Barack Obama
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Young Stalin Picked by Thomas Keneally
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