Books Recommended by Tyler Cowen

Garry Kasparov has been a true pioneer in both the theory and practice of human-machine intelligence. Deep Thinking encompasses his wisdom in these areas in a highly entertaining and informative manner. I couldn't put it down, and don't think you will be able to either.

Allison Schrager’s An Economist Walks Into a Brothel is the best, most readable, most informative, most adventurous, and most entertaining take on risk you will find.

Who are the Indian nouveau riche and what do they want? James Crabtree’s The Billionaire Raj will prove the defining work on these questions. It is a must-read for anyone interested in wealth, inequality, India, or the evolution of capitalism.

If I had to pick out two to top the list, perhaps they would be: Annie Jacobsen, Nuclear War: A Scenario, and Michael Cook, A History of the Muslim World: From its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity.

I wasn’t influenced so much by this book itself as by a long series of articles in Chess Life and Review, showing the analysis was full of holes. See my remarks on Kotov.

I am partial to David Edmonds on Parfit, but a lot of you already know you should be reading that.

I also consumed numerous sports memoirs, such as Jerry Kramer’s Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer and also the war memoir Guadalcanal Diary. From those I began to think about the relationships between character, work habits, teamwork, and success.

I also consumed numerous sports memoirs, such as Jerry Kramer’s Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer and also the war memoir Guadalcanal Diary. From those I began to think about the relationships between character, work habits, teamwork, and success.

I will opt for Eric Kaufmann's Whiteshift and also Pekka Hämäläinen's Lakota America, with Julia Lovell on Maoism and Alain Bertaud on cities as the runner-ups.

Bob Spitz, Led Zeppelin: The Biography. They always end up being better than you think they possibly could be, and this is the best and most serious book about them.

Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self. A+ academic gossip, so to speak.

Reflects a certain kind of classicism in thinking and method. Later, it was revealed much of the analysis was faulty and in part was from Larry Evans and not Fischer himself.

If I had to pick out two to top the list, perhaps they would be: Annie Jacobsen, Nuclear War: A Scenario, and Michael Cook, A History of the Muslim World: From its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity.

Of Boys and Men. One of America's biggest problems.

A remarkably high quality production, again showing McCartney's skill as manager and entrepreneur.

Beautifully written, very British, will frustrate those who seek generalization but recommended nonetheless.

But maybe the Kevin Kelly and the Catherine Rundell books, if I had to say?

I read this one quite young, and learned that problems are to be solved! I also developed some sense of what a history could look like and what a history should report. I recall my uncle thinking it deeply strange that a boy my age should be reading a book of such length.

Kevin Kelly, Vanishing Asia, three volumes, expensive, mostly photos, worth it.

I will opt for Eric Kaufmann's Whiteshift and also Pekka Hämäläinen's Lakota America, with Julia Lovell on Maoism and Alain Bertaud on cities as the runner-ups.

Also having a claim is Anil Ananthaswamy, Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI, though for many readers the math will be too much.

Perhaps my nudge is most valuable for Jonny Steinberg, Winny and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage? So that is my pick for the year!