Library
The people I learn from, famous and not. Pull a book off the shelf to see the idea each one gave me.
Every quote here comes from my notes in Yadi.
Books I’d hand you
- Fooled by Randomness Nassim Nicholas Taleb Start here. Its point runs through everything I build: we can’t predict how things will go, so build for the many ways they might.
- Poor Charlie’s Almanack Charlie Munger His talks, collected. Read the first one (worldly wisdom) first, and again last.
- Distant Force George A. Roberts, with Robert J. McVicker Teledyne from the inside, by Henry Singleton’s partner of 27 years: the capital allocator Buffett and Munger rated above almost anyone.
- Against the Odds James Dyson Senra’s top recommendation from 200-plus episodes: 5,127 prototypes in five years, and why ‘vision’ is often another word for stubbornness.
- Born of This Land Chung Ju-yung Senra called it the most inspiring autobiography he’d read. Hyundai’s founder lost his repair shop to fire and asked for another chance.
- Land’s Polaroid Peter C. Wensberg By a man who worked beside Edwin Land for 24 years: the scientist who would only do what no one else could.
- Nomad Investment Partnership Letters Nick Sleep and Qais Zakaria Two people, fifteen businesses on a whiteboard, and the thinking that got them down to three.
- Margin of Safety Seth Klarman Being wrong is certain; the question is how much it costs when you are.
- A Man for All Markets Edward O. Thorp Having an edge and surviving are different things, and the first needs the second.
- Made in Japan Akio Morita Sony’s co-founder on paying his harshest critic, and turning down a huge order to keep his own name on the product.
- Nuts! Kevin and Jackie Freiberg Southwest Airlines, and the discipline to say no to growth that would raise its costs.
- The Richest Man Who Ever Lived Greg Steinmetz Jacob Fugger, who closed his books every year and had three people prepare every statement.
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Walter Isaacson A printer’s apprentice who taught himself, then started a club and a library so others could too.
- Creative Selection Ken Kocienda How Apple made things: build it, look at it, decide, repeat.
- Jony Ive Leander Kahney The question Ive asked of every part: do we need it?