This book opened my eyes to what a small team can do in a short time if they are dedicated to the mission and masters of their craft. It’s an inspiring read for anyone who’s interested in the history of technical innovation in aerospace or in learning more about the Skunkworks philosophy.
Sister book to Lightness, this is also an inspiring consolidation of ideas on structural optimization, but this one focuses solely on transportation. If you also share a passion for sustainable transportation, this is the book for you. You’ll likely only be able to find this book used, but it’s absolutely worth the effort!
An inspiring consolidation of ideas and technologies around the subject of structural optimization in many fields — primarily architecture. Though difficult to find and somewhat challenging to read (you’ve never seen captions like these!), this book will be an absolute inspiration for anyone interested in the pursuit of structural purity and performance.
With our singular focus on NPD, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the same tools we use to develop new products, packages and medical devices have been used by the most innovative organizations on the planet to inspire some of the greatest achievements of humanity. The Art of NASA is a powerful and inspiring reminder of how powerful are the tools of design.
If you’re interested in a brilliant coffee table book with rich visuals and a tangible reminder of design’s power to inspire intellectual and scientific greatness, click here to buy this title on Amazon.
It’s no overstatement to say that this book is life-changing. I had been screwing around with bread baking for years with almost zero success. When this book was recommended by Allez Bakery owner Thomas McKenna, I had essentially given up on ever being able to bake an airy, crusty, delicious loaf of bread. This book taught me to think of bread-making as a fermentation process. (And as someone who regularly makes 3 - 5 gallon batches of homemade kimchi and home-brewed beer, this revelation was mind-blowing!)
Perhaps equally important — and unlike other cookbooks I’ve read — Flour Water Salt Yeast is written to truly educate its reader rather than provide rote instructions. For just one example, ingredients are listed in such a way as to allow the reader to compare recipes at a glance and to develop an understanding of how the proportions of each recipe — combined with temperature, humidity and time — can be adjusted to achieve different results. (it sort of reminds me of how tables of offsets are used to describe boat hulls.)
If you’ve always wanted to make amazing bread, pick this book up immediately. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Sister book to Lightness, this is also an inspiring consolidation of ideas on structural optimization, but this one focuses solely on transportation. If you also share a passion for sustainable transportation, this is the book for you. You’ll likely only be able to find this book used, but it’s absolutely worth the effort!
An inspiring consolidation of ideas and technologies around the subject of structural optimization in many fields — primarily architecture. Though difficult to find and somewhat challenging to read (you’ve never seen captions like these!), this book will be an absolute inspiration for anyone interested in the pursuit of structural purity and performance.
With our singular focus on NPD, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the same tools we use to develop new products, packages and medical devices have been used by the most innovative organizations on the planet to inspire some of the greatest achievements of humanity. The Art of NASA is a powerful and inspiring reminder of how powerful are the tools of design.
If you’re interested in a brilliant coffee table book with rich visuals and a tangible reminder of design’s power to inspire intellectual and scientific greatness, click here to buy this title on Amazon.
It’s no overstatement to say that this book is life-changing. I had been screwing around with bread baking for years with almost zero success. When this book was recommended by Allez Bakery owner Thomas McKenna, I had essentially given up on ever being able to bake an airy, crusty, delicious loaf of bread. This book taught me to think of bread-making as a fermentation process. (And as someone who regularly makes 3 - 5 gallon batches of homemade kimchi and home-brewed beer, this revelation was mind-blowing!)
Perhaps equally important — and unlike other cookbooks I’ve read — Flour Water Salt Yeast is written to truly educate its reader rather than provide rote instructions. For just one example, ingredients are listed in such a way as to allow the reader to compare recipes at a glance and to develop an understanding of how the proportions of each recipe — combined with temperature, humidity and time — can be adjusted to achieve different results. (it sort of reminds me of how tables of offsets are used to describe boat hulls.)
If you’ve always wanted to make amazing bread, pick this book up immediately. Click here to buy on Amazon.
I refer a lot of new inventors to this book. It’s been on and off my shelf for a decade (the old edition, anyway), and I’ve lent and lost more than a few copies to students and clients. This book is an essential resource for entrepreneurs assembling their pitch decks. It includes a handful of useful tools for new and experienced entrepreneurs, including an outstanding set of pitch deck templates. And that’s just the 1.0 edition! The new version has been updated with all kinds of new content, including a section on crowdfunding! This book is an essential resource for all new product entrepreneurs. Click here to buy on Amazon.
How entrepreneurship and a midwestern work ethic changed the course of human history. Click here to buy on Amazon.
A comprehensive and accessible book on the subject of Tenkara fly fishing. Like the philosophy that underpins many of the books in this list, Tenkara celebrates the idea that "the more you know, the less you need." In this short text, Yvon Chouinard unpacks this simple fishing technique and the tools and techniques that make it beautiful. Click here to buy on Amazon.
This is currently my favorite book of 2019 and for good reason: It is decidedly contrary to pretty much every piece of modern advice about working in a creative field, and defends its position succinctly. While not quite demanding we become luddite hermits, it does encourage those of us that are in creative jobs to “go into airplane mode” more often, get fresh air, change your mind, and seek the long view. That last piece of advice has stuck with me every day since reading it. We are submerged in a culture of “overnight” successes and daily encouragement to share our newest work for the sake of “posting for our personal brand.” Kleon, in this brief book lays out why we might make better work (and communities) if we slow down a bit, and aim for creating in a time frame much larger than today’s Instagram story feed. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Some see creativity as a fickle muse, one that comes and goes on a whim, without any control or reason. Twyla Tharp, in this aptly subtitled “Practical Guide,” sets out to prove that wrong. Creativity is a habit that is practiced and nurtured through repetition and environment, not by an amorphous notion of “inspiration.” Tharp’s combination of solid advice and exercises along with her delightful personal stories as a legendary choreographer make this an easy read. And since I discovered this book in college, I’ve turned back to it whenever I’m in a rut, and it consistently breaks my brain wide open and gets me back into practice. Click here to buy on Amazon.
I love poring over this book and dreaming up building my own thru-hiking setup. The approach Ray Jardine takes to lightweight backpacking, “The Ray Way” as it’s known, at first seems a little extreme and dangerous — eschewing weight at all costs means going without some extra REI bells and whistles. But the gain is also extremely appealing: speed and enjoyment. By leveraging knowledge, planning, and an adaptable set of choice equipment, one can enjoy natural trails without the feeling of lugging heavy boots and bags every inch of the way. I’ve not built my own “ray way” backpack yet, but I’ve definitely lightened up my hiking gear and it’s made all the difference. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Natalie Goldberg takes a gentle, no-nonsense approach to the craft of writing that removes the pressure of the blank page and reminds readers that writing, like all skills, is a practice. Goldberg sees writing through a zen-like lens that is unlike other books about writing — and that means a lot of the lessons learned are applicable to other creative fields. Having read this book a few times over the last decade, the biggest takeaway for me is always the concept of morning pages, and it has changed the way I start my day. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Unlike the growing body of writings that belabor the romance and nostalgia of making things by hand, Craeft explores the history and meaning of the concept itself. In it, Langlands describes the concept through the lenses of several ancient crafts (of which he is an actual practitioner) and from his perspective as an experimental archaeologist. This book has the depth and intelligence of Richard Sennett's The Craftsman but with an historical scope that spans millennia. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Still as relevant today as when it was published in 1971, this industrial design classic delivers a square kick in the teeth to every budding product designer by demanding they consider the responsibility they wield. This classic text opens one's eyes to the potential for both good and bad we have in the design profession. If you're in the business of designing products or even just buying new products (yep, that means you), and you haven't read it yet, please take this opportunity to do so! Click here to buy on Amazon.
The Hokule'a is a modern marvel: a Polynesian style sailboat that circumnavigated the globe in the span of two years without modern navigation technology. By reviving the nearly forgotten Polynesian wayfinding techniques, the Polynesian Voyaging Society preserved a culture and showed the world it was more than possible. More importantly, their story is a great example of the feats we can accomplish when we understand the natural world, work with it, and preserve it. It's an enthralling read with gorgeous photography! Click here to buy on Amazon.
Patagonia is a company that P&T admires for a number of reasons, to say nothing of their amazing products. This book brings their most admirable achievement — the globally responsible business of Patagonia itself — to the forefront. While not exactly a manual for how to run any business the way Patagonia does, it makes a great case for why one should try. Plus, the simple rules of thumb for culture and decision making, paired with examples of their genuine success are always motivating to return to when the day's events have you feeling down. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Nick Offerman uses Gumption to tell the stories of the 21 historical figures who have inspired him to grow into the Ron-Swanson-esque human we all know and love today. Throughout the book he weaves historical anecdotes with light hearted humor to reveal hard truths such as the fact that it's incredibly unlikely that a young George Washington could have chopped down a cherry tree using nothing but a hatchet and an abundance of youthful energy. It's a fun, thought provoking read that finds a way to draw parallels between seemingly unlikely bedfellows, like Ben Franklin and Yoko Ono. Plus, this book is heartily loved and endorsed by every member of P&T — so read it already! Patagonia is a company that P&T admires for a number of reasons, to say nothing of their amazing products. This book brings their most admirable achievement — the globally responsible business of Patagonia itself — to the forefront. While not exactly a manual for how to run any business the way Patagonia does, it makes a great case for why one should try. Plus, the simple rules of thumb for culture and decision making, paired with examples of their genuine success are always motivating to return to when the day's events have you feeling down. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Research shows that most people would rather have satisfaction than balance in their lives. But if that's the case, why is it that every big corporation talks about helping their employees find work-life balance? Employees don't burn out because they work too many hours, they burn out because they are working for something they don't believe in. Off-Balance leads readers through the author's journey of finding personal and professional satisfaction, not work-life balance. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Part storybook, part actionable advice — the Go-Getter was originally published 80+ years ago, but its content hardly feels dated. Kyne tells a tale of a young employee sent on a wild goose chase to complete an almost impossible task, and it's packed full of great motivational tidbits. The Go-Getter is a quick read, but it's one that inspires readers to always put forth the extra effort. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Written by a group of venture capitalists, this book points out the 4 common traits that have been observed in successful business builders: heart, smarts, guts, and luck. Each individual will favor one trait over the others, and the authors help you decipher if you are heart-dominant, smarts-dominant, guts-dominant, or maybe you tend to be in the right place at the right time — luck-dominant. Knowing which trait drives you can help you make better decisions, and perhaps most importantly, help you build the right team. Click here to buy on Amazon.
