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.
The Art of War - Sun Tzu
Originally published in the 5th century BC, The Art of War served as the fundamental military strategy text in east Asia. The text is divided into 13 chapters, each devoted to a specific aspect of warfare. In recent history it has gained popularity with applications in business strategy, legal tactics, and beyond. The wisdom and verbiage of Sun Tzu may be ancient, but the applications are as timely as ever. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
Couched in a long and uncomfortable narrative, this book conveys probably the best description of Quality I've ever read. For better or worse, you can't just skip to the quality part. It's part of the ride. Click here to buy on Amazon.
The Aubrey/Maturin Novels
Yes, they're novels. No description I can write will properly convey how fantastic they are. I recommend that you read every single one of them... Except the last. Click to buy the whole set on Amazon.
The Sailmaker's Apprentice - Emiliano Marino
Good products teach their user how to use them. For books — traditional teaching tools — the bar for great teaching is higher. In addition to providing a fantastic written guide to making traditional and modern sails, including the fundamentals of sail design, broad-seaming, and sewing, this book guides the reader through a "Ditty Bag Apprenticeship" during which he/she completes a simple project that conveys many of the basic skills. Click to buy on Amazon.
Consilience - E.O. Wilson
This book puts into words thoughts that every designer has had around the subject of interconnectivity and elevates them to include science, art, religion... everything. It's typical E.O. Wilson brilliance but applied to an idea that will change the way you think about design. Click to buy on Amazon.
My First Summer In The Sierra - John Muir
John Muir can wax poetic about exploring a forest better than any writer I've read to date. When I am frazzled and frustrated (and can't go for a hike myself), reading this is the next best path to calm. Click to buy on Amazon.
The Laws of Simplicity - John Maeda
This shiny little book provides ten easily digestible guidelines around Maeda's philosophy of simplicity in product design. It serves as a great reminder (and loaner) for those of us who sometimes find it difficult to describe to others the beauty and benefits of simplicity. I've lent this to students more than any other book. (That is, I've had several copies. You know who you are.) Click to buy your own copy on Amazon.
Simple Fly Fishing - Yvon Chouinard
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 to buy on Amazon.
The Anarchist's Tool Chest — Christopher Schwarz
A tome on self-reliance as much as it is on woodworking, the Anarchist's Tool Chest, by Christopher Schwarz takes you from an enthusiast with no tools and no skills to a skilled user of traditional hand tools armed with knowledge borne of creating a chest to store them in. Click to buy on Amazon.