Michael Nielsen Book Recommendations & Book Mentions
This list consists of recommendations or mentions of books spotted in media, social media accounts, podcasts or other public websites.
Michael Nielsen on X
Michael Nielsen is a writer, scientist, and programmer. Searching for the numinous ๐ฆ๐บ ๐จ๐ฆ, home in ๐บ๐ธ Research @AsteraInstitute https://t.co/maezekzRUb

Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein
Abraham Pais
Incidentally, my comments above about history of science were written with Abraham Pais' wonderful bio of Albert Einstein, "Subtle is the Lord", in mind, including this fact: https://t.co/0RwuMsZcEW
Paperback, 2005
$41.99Member price:$41.99 + Free shipping0% off(Limited Discount Book)
Deschooling Society
Ivan Illich
Ivan Illich, "Deschooling Society": https://t.co/YIMfcLOFYi
Paperback, 2000
$14.95Member price:$14.95 + Free shipping0% off(Limited Discount Book)
Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information Before the Modern Age
Ann M. Blair
Ann Blair's book, "Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age" https://t.co/1cedOMhn98
Paperback, 2011
$27.50Member price:$27.50 + Free shipping0% off(Limited Discount Book)
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
Hannah Arendt
@lexfridman Fun list. Hard not to make it sound like bragging, but I've honestly read and enjoyed almost everything on that list. Especially endorse Anne Frank & Machiavelli from the "maybe" list. For a very different view from Frank, Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem" is also great
Paperback, 2006
$19.00Member price:$9.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Science of Science
Dashun Wang
Fascinating argument for why the distribution in number of papers published is so heavy-tailed (most scientists publish few, a few scientists publish many): (From Wang & Barabasi's book "The Science of Science") https://t.co/dYuVQyQE8Q
Paperback, 2021
$36.00Member price:$34.20 + Free shipping5% off
Last and First Men
Olaf Stapledon
Olaf Stapledon's "Last and First Men" and "Starmaker". I've never read "Odd John", and should.
Paperback, 2008
$14.95Member price:$7.47 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Lathe of Heaven
Ursula K. Le Guin
"A Canticle for Leibowitz" (Walter Miller) "The Curve of Binding Energy" (John McPhee, who has many beautiful titles) "The Lathe of Heaven" (Ursula K. Le Guin)
Paperback, 2023
$17.99Member price:$8.99 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Cosmos
Carl Sagan
From Carl Sagan's Cosmos. I wonder, today, would he have written "Wikipedia Galactica"? Fun to think about the contents of such. Also, about edit wars between the denizens of Aldebaran and Betelgeuse... https://t.co/oB0GpZWDXM
Paperback, 2013
$21.00Member price:$10.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Future Shock
Alvin Toffler
Fun to think of Alvin and Heidi Toffler's "Future Shock" as what happens when human beings are asked to behave out-of-distribution
Paperback, Mass Market, 1984
$9.99Member price:$4.99 + Free shipping50% off your first book
When Breath Becomes Air: Pulitzer Prize Finalist
Paul Kalanithi
"When Breath Becomes Air" (perhaps the only title that has ever made me gasp aloud, by the sadly deceased Paul Kalanithi)
Hardcover, 2016
$27.00Member price:$13.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book