The books Hacker News keeps recommending.
443 “what should I read” threads, 48,845 comments, 10,046 recommendations, counted. Every book below is ranked by how many different people vouched for it, and each page shows you their exact words.
Hot this year see the last 30, 90 and 365 days
The all-time top 100
- 1
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas Hofstadter
82 people recommended it in 23 threads, 2007–2025
“I devoured it at the time, and it fired my imagination for many years later.” mwfunk
- 2
The Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins
75 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2007–2024
““The Selfish Gene” and “The Extended Phenotype” were world altering for me. Like integral calculus, I rarely have cause to apply the concept in the domain in which it was described…” obelos
- 3
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
58 people recommended it in 15 threads, 2012–2024
“The notion that we have limited access to the workings of our minds is difficult to accept because, naturally, it is alien to our experience, but it is true: you know far less abou…” mitchelldeacon9
- 4
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
57 people recommended it in 16 threads, 2007–2024
“As such, the first book I would recommend would be the classic "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.” jason_tko
- 5
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand
51 people recommended it in 13 threads, 2007–2024
“It has its issues, but it's absolutely a book everyone should read, whether you agree with Rand's ideology or not. And if you aren't familiar enough to Rand's ideology to know if y…” mindcrime
- 6Dune
Dune
Frank Herbert
50 people recommended it in 15 threads, 2007–2024
“Dune (the notion of mental discipline, at least as idealized by Frank Herbert, made an impression on me)” rcarmo
- 7
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman, Julie Sussman
49 people recommended it in 26 threads, 2007–2025
“Even though I had worked through SICP I still watched all the lectures again and implemented all the examples with benchmarks and unit tests.” nikcub
- 8
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert Pirsig
49 people recommended it in 15 threads, 2007–2024
“It's not a travel book. It's a personal journey of discovery that just happens to be on a motorcycle. Essentially, Pirsig's bike trip is a metaphor to revisit his fragmented past a…” randcraw
- 9
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
41 people recommended it in 13 threads, 2017–2024
“Sapiens - It finally connected a lot of dots on how things work in the world (money, governments, religions, companies etc) and how humans communicate at scale.” fillskills
- 10The Design of Everyday Things
The Design of Everyday Things
Don Norman
38 people recommended it in 14 threads, 2007–2024
“The Design of Everyday Things makes me rethink every user interaction or problem I face, and not just at work. Every time I open a door, I begin to think about that experience.” Saturdays
- 11The Three-Body Problem
The Three-Body Problem
Liu Cixin
36 people recommended it in 14 threads, 2017–2024
“The moment you find out what the title is referring to gave me goosebumps.” careersuicide
- 12Neuromancer
Neuromancer
William Gibson
36 people recommended it in 9 threads, 2007–2024
“Seeing all the influences Neuromancer had on books, movies, anime/manga, and even half life mods was a real treat.” tb_technical
- 13Meditations
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
35 people recommended it in 11 threads, 2014–2024
“It's my all time favorite book for keeping life in perspective.” k4ch0w
- 14The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
32 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2012–2024
“And though I don't care for it now, Ayn Rand's works, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, had great impact on me at the time I read them.” otakucode
- 15Antifragile
Antifragile
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
29 people recommended it in 11 threads, 2012–2024
“It has motivated me to start a business and to connect more with my loved ones, changed my perspective on research, what's important and the power of the passing of time. It defini…” superpermutat0r
- 16The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita
Mikhail Bulgakov
28 people recommended it in 6 threads, 2019–2024
“It was the first book I started reading I could not put down until the end.” nikivi
- 17
Code
Charles Petzold
27 people recommended it in 15 threads, 2011–2024
“After reading Code my hacking skills increased considerably. I am never comfortable relying on abstractions so understanding more of the programming stacks I use increased my willi…” michaeldhopkins
- 18Snow Crash
Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
27 people recommended it in 12 threads, 2007–2024
“Of course, I'll also second Snowcrash as a must-read. Same with Cryptonomicon.” lee
- 19The Mythical Man-Month
The Mythical Man-Month
Frederick Brooks Jr.
26 people recommended it in 13 threads, 2007–2024
“That put into words so many things that I felt about computer programming, if nothing else the humanness of programming as a pursuit.” not_clear
- 20The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov
Fyodor Dostoevsky
26 people recommended it in 11 threads, 2012–2024
“And of course, the book finally convinced me that I should not give into nihilism and pessimism even when everyone around me does.” mikhmha
- 21The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams
26 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2007–2024
“Best book I ever read (for myriad other reasons) probably remains Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- never has a book amused me like that. I don't think much about my sensibility,…” Triphibian
- 22Siddhartha
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse
26 people recommended it in 9 threads, 2007–2024
“You start reading it and you don't want to stop reading it because you're now part of Siddharta's journey. You’re no expecting the punch line that has the lesson, you simply live t…” whoisjuan
- 23Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon
Neal Stephenson
25 people recommended it in 9 threads, 2007–2024
“Inspired most of the work on endergen(See Ender's Game Above). Introduced me to the concepts of privacy/security implemented in technical form and the conflict between the two.” endergen
- 24The Black Swan
The Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
24 people recommended it in 11 threads, 2016–2024
“One of the central arguments of the book is that people have been using tools from Mediocristan in Extremistan and that's what leads to these Black Swan phenomen, which in turn mig…” Pandabob
- 25
The C Programming Language
Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie
24 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2010–2023
“It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.” porpoisely
- 26The Goal
The Goal
Eliyahu M. Goldratt
24 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2016–2024
“Adopting a systems thinking mindset. When analysing problems looking for the bottleneck, then figuring out how to elevate that constraint.” he11ow
- 27Permutation City
Permutation City
Greg Egan
24 people recommended it in 6 threads, 2008–2024
“If you're interested in scifi about AI and brain simulation, this is it.” squeaky-clean
- 28Fooled by Randomness
Fooled by Randomness
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
23 people recommended it in 9 threads, 2014–2021
“Taleb's Incerto series changed how I thought about investing, risk, and life in general.” chrischattin
- 29Designing Data-Intensive Applications
Designing Data-Intensive Applications
Martin Kleppman
23 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2019–2023
“This book profoundly changed how I think about application performance and data. It describes so much about different kinds databases and query languages, that now I feel like I've…” JackMorgan
- 30The Art of Computer Programming
The Art of Computer Programming
Donald Knuth
23 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2011–2024
“Anyone who doesn't want to learn MIX can just ignore those few parts of TAOCP; there's enough value in those books without them.” svat
- 31Thinking in Systems
Thinking in Systems
Donella Meadows
23 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2018–2023
“useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of th…” amuresan
- 32Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Eliezer Yudkowsky
22 people recommended it in 13 threads, 2012–2025
“This book really taught me to think rationally and logically. I think I really did not understand the scientific method until this book.” JackMorgan
- 33The Righteous Mind
The Righteous Mind
Jonathan Haidt
22 people recommended it in 12 threads, 2013–2024
“Similarly, "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion" by Jonathan Haidt was very interesting as it suggests why people understand the world so diffe…” armagon
- 34Foundation
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
22 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2008–2022
“The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).” SwellJoe
- 351984
1984
George Orwell
22 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2008–2024
“Finally, I believe without a doubt, 1984 should certainly be required reading for all programmers - a single read is worth a great many 'ethics for technologists' courses.” feral
- 36Guns, Germs, and Steel
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Jared Diamond
21 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2007–2024
“The idea that external factors like geographical starting conditions can have a huge impact and shape things as complex as human culture is a powerful one, regardless of the conclu…” LyndsySimon
- 37Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman
Richard Feynman
21 people recommended it in 7 threads, 2007–2024
“As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense…” stevenj
- 38The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
21 people recommended it in 7 threads, 2012–2024
“This is an epic in its true sense, and you will feel a sense of amazement as you progress through the novel. I'm quite a reader, and I have not experienced such amazement when read…” palerdot
- 39Animal Farm
- 40Catch-22
- 41Why We Sleep
- 42Anathem
- 43Zero to One
- 44The Lord of the Rings
- 45Influence
- 46A Philosophy of Software Design
- 47Project Hail Mary
- 48Anna Karenina
- 49The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
Carl Sagan
18 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2017–2024
- 50Ender's Game
- 51The Phoenix Project
The Phoenix Project
Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford
18 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2018–2023
- 52Introduction to Algorithms
Introduction to Algorithms
Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein
18 people recommended it in 6 threads, 2011–2018
- 53Measure What Matters
- 54
The Little Schemer
Daniel P. Friedman, Matthias Felleisen
17 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2011–2024
- 55Getting Things Done
- 56Basic Economics
- 57Algorithms
- 58Blindsight
- 59The Beginning of Infinity
- 60How to Solve It
- 61Brave New World
- 62The Mom Test
- 63Diaspora
- 64Ruby Best Practices
- 65The Pragmatic Programmer
The Pragmatic Programmer
Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
15 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2007–2023
- 66Man's Search for Meaning
- 67Peopleware
- 68The Martian
- 69Never Split the Difference
- 70The Dictator's Handbook
The Dictator's Handbook
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith
15 people recommended it in 7 threads, 2018–2024
- 71Discworld
- 72Masters of Doom
- 73Walden
- 74The Hard Thing About Hard Things
- 75The Dispossessed
- 76House of Leaves
- 77The Elements of Style
- 78Moby Dick
- 79High Output Management
- 80Concrete Mathematics
Concrete Mathematics
Ronald L. Graham, Donald E. Knuth, Oren Patashnik
14 people recommended it in 6 threads, 2009–2023
- 81The Illuminatus Trilogy
The Illuminatus Trilogy
Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson
14 people recommended it in 5 threads, 2007–2022
- 82The Dawn of Everything
- 83Nonviolent Communication
- 84Crime and Punishment
- 85The Lean Startup
- 86Tao Te Ching
- 87The Glass Bead Game
- 88Linear Algebra Done Right
- 89Infinite Jest
- 90A Canticle for Leibowitz
- 91Ishmael
- 92Ulysses
- 93A Thousand Plateaus
A Thousand Plateaus
Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari
13 people recommended it in 3 threads, 2017–2020
- 94The Left Hand of Darkness
- 95The Power of Habit
- 96Linear Algebra
- 97The Culture
- 98The Soul of a New Machine
- 99War and Peace
- 100The Alchemist