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The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time
by Will Durant • 2002
Genius, not economics, is the engine of history: a tour of the minds that built civilization.
3.72
3k+
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time Summary
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time 93%
Genius, not economics, is the engine of history: a tour of the minds that built civilization.
by Will Durant 2002
3.72
3k+ ratings
Soul Machine
by George Makari • 2015
Science couldn't find the soul. So early modern Europe invented the mind to take its place.
3.82
157
Soul Machine Summary
Soul Machine 92%
Science couldn't find the soul. So early modern Europe invented the mind to take its place.
by George Makari 2015
3.82
157 ratings
Dangerous Games
by Margaret MacMillan • 2008
History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.
3.64
2k+
Dangerous Games Summary
Dangerous Games 92%
History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.
by Margaret MacMillan 2008
3.64
2k+ ratings
Buddhism
by Damien Keown • 1996
Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?
3.74
3k+
Buddhism Summary
Buddhism 92%
Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?
by Damien Keown 1996
3.74
3k+ ratings
The Swerve
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2011
One manuscript, hunted across monasteries, reintroduced a dangerous idea: the soul is mortal.
3.87
35k+
The Swerve Summary
The Swerve 92%
One manuscript, hunted across monasteries, reintroduced a dangerous idea: the soul is mortal.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2011
3.87
35k+ ratings
Tacitus' Annals
by Ronald Mellor • 2010
Tacitus turned history into a mirror for tyrants. Here is how to read his darkest masterpiece.
4.21
24
Tacitus' Annals Summary
Tacitus' Annals 92%
Tacitus turned history into a mirror for tyrants. Here is how to read his darkest masterpiece.
by Ronald Mellor 2010
4.21
24 ratings
The Philosophy of the Enlightenment
by Ernst Cassirer • 1932
The Enlightenment remade reason: not a storehouse of truths, but a way of discovering them.
4.11
258
The Philosophy of the Enlightenment Summary
The Philosophy of the Enlightenment 92%
The Enlightenment remade reason: not a storehouse of truths, but a way of discovering them.
by Ernst Cassirer 1932
4.11
258 ratings
Humanly Possible
by Sarah Bakewell • 2023
Humanism's 700-year bet: that reason and kindness, not gods or ideologies, will save us.
4.01
2k+
Humanly Possible Summary
Humanly Possible 92%
Humanism's 700-year bet: that reason and kindness, not gods or ideologies, will save us.
by Sarah Bakewell 2023
4.01
2k+ ratings
Magnificent Rebels
by Andrea Wulf • 2022
A handful of quarrelsome friends in a German backwater invented the way you think about yourself.
4.19
2k+
Magnificent Rebels Summary
Magnificent Rebels 92%
A handful of quarrelsome friends in a German backwater invented the way you think about yourself.
by Andrea Wulf 2022
4.19
2k+ ratings
Ancient Philosophy
by Anthony Kenny • 2004
The questions the ancient Greeks asked still define philosophy, and still resist easy answers.
3.95
580
Ancient Philosophy Summary
Ancient Philosophy 92%
The questions the ancient Greeks asked still define philosophy, and still resist easy answers.
by Anthony Kenny 2004
3.95
580 ratings
The Frontiers of Knowledge
by A.C. Grayling • 2021
Physics, history, brain science: three frontiers where every answer opens a bigger question.
3.99
344
The Frontiers of Knowledge Summary
The Frontiers of Knowledge 91%
Physics, history, brain science: three frontiers where every answer opens a bigger question.
by A.C. Grayling 2021
3.99
344 ratings
The Book on the Bookshelf
by Henry Petroski • 1999
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
3.75
1k+
The Book on the Bookshelf Summary
The Book on the Bookshelf 91%
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
by Henry Petroski 1999
3.75
1k+ ratings
A Study of History, Abridgement of Vols 1-6
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee • 1987
History's pattern: empires die, and their true heirs are the churches they tried to crush.
4.11
543
A Study of History, Abridgement of Vols 1-6 Summary
A Study of History, Abridgement of Vols 1-6 91%
History's pattern: empires die, and their true heirs are the churches they tried to crush.
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee 1987
4.11
543 ratings
How the Scots Invented the Modern World
by Arthur Herman • 2001
From a poor nation on Europe's edge came free markets, social science, and the American character.
3.94
7k+
How the Scots Invented the Modern World Summary
How the Scots Invented the Modern World 91%
From a poor nation on Europe's edge came free markets, social science, and the American character.
by Arthur Herman 2001
3.94
7k+ ratings
The Notebook
by Roland Allen • 2023
A blank paper book reshaped finance, art, and the self long before any screen.
4.32
2k+
The Notebook Summary
The Notebook 91%
A blank paper book reshaped finance, art, and the self long before any screen.
by Roland Allen 2023
4.32
2k+ ratings
The Passion of the Western Mind
by Richard Tarnas • 1991
Western thought is a single dramatic story, from ancient archetypes to postmodern doubt.
4.24
2k+
The Passion of the Western Mind Summary
The Passion of the Western Mind 91%
Western thought is a single dramatic story, from ancient archetypes to postmodern doubt.
by Richard Tarnas 1991
4.24
2k+ ratings
A Culture of Growth
by Joel Mokyr • 2016
What fueled modern growth? Not property rights. A cultural shift that made nature a solvable puzzle.
3.94
427
A Culture of Growth Summary
A Culture of Growth 91%
What fueled modern growth? Not property rights. A cultural shift that made nature a solvable puzzle.
by Joel Mokyr 2016
3.94
427 ratings
A Little History of Philosophy
by Nigel Warburton • 2011
Forty thinkers, from Socrates to Singer, and the answers they gave to life's hardest questions.
4.12
16k+
A Little History of Philosophy Summary
A Little History of Philosophy 91%
Forty thinkers, from Socrates to Singer, and the answers they gave to life's hardest questions.
by Nigel Warburton 2011
4.12
16k+ ratings
A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives
by David Stuttard • 2014
From Homer to Plutarch, fifty Greek lives reveal a civilization built on myth, war, and reinvention.
3.82
233
A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives Summary
A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives 91%
From Homer to Plutarch, fifty Greek lives reveal a civilization built on myth, war, and reinvention.
by David Stuttard 2014
3.82
233 ratings
The Gutenberg Parenthesis
by Jeff Jarvis • 2023
Before print, knowledge was conversation. Then books fenced it in. The fences are coming down.
3.83
218
The Gutenberg Parenthesis Summary
The Gutenberg Parenthesis 91%
Before print, knowledge was conversation. Then books fenced it in. The fences are coming down.
by Jeff Jarvis 2023
3.83
218 ratings
The Art of Living
by John Sellars • 2003
Before philosophy became a classroom subject, it was a set of exercises for curing the soul.
4.09
75
The Art of Living Summary
The Art of Living 91%
Before philosophy became a classroom subject, it was a set of exercises for curing the soul.
by John Sellars 2003
4.09
75 ratings
The Well-Educated Mind
by Susan Wise Bauer • 2003
A classical education for play readers: what the best seats in the house still hide.
4.00
4k+
The Well-Educated Mind Summary
The Well-Educated Mind 91%
A classical education for play readers: what the best seats in the house still hide.
by Susan Wise Bauer 2003
4.00
4k+ ratings
The Polymath
by Peter Burke • 2020
From Leonardo to the web: how polymaths weathered information overloads, and why we need them again.
3.27
387
The Polymath Summary
The Polymath 91%
From Leonardo to the web: how polymaths weathered information overloads, and why we need them again.
by Peter Burke 2020
3.27
387 ratings
A Little History of the World
by E.H. Gombrich • 1936
The whole human story, from cave paintings to the Cold War, in one short, elegant book.
4.10
32k+
A Little History of the World Summary
A Little History of the World 91%
The whole human story, from cave paintings to the Cold War, in one short, elegant book.
by E.H. Gombrich 1936
4.10
32k+ ratings
The Meaning of Everything
by Simon Winchester • 2003
A garden shed, an unpaid army, five million slips: the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.
3.99
5k+
The Meaning of Everything Summary
The Meaning of Everything 91%
A garden shed, an unpaid army, five million slips: the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.
by Simon Winchester 2003
3.99
5k+ ratings
A Short History of the World
by Christopher Lascelles • 2011
Thirteen billion years in one short book: why empires fall, ideas spread, and everything connects.
3.86
2k+
A Short History of the World Summary
A Short History of the World 91%
Thirteen billion years in one short book: why empires fall, ideas spread, and everything connects.
by Christopher Lascelles 2011
3.86
2k+ ratings
The Anatomy of Genres
by John Truby • 2022
Genres are philosophies disguised as story types. Crack the beats and you crack writing and life.
4.21
607
The Anatomy of Genres Summary
The Anatomy of Genres 91%
Genres are philosophies disguised as story types. Crack the beats and you crack writing and life.
by John Truby 2022
4.21
607 ratings
A Short History of the World in 50 Lies
by Natasha Tidd • 2023
A forged document, a faked war, an imaginary country: the lies that changed history.
3.60
2k+
A Short History of the World in 50 Lies Summary
A Short History of the World in 50 Lies 91%
A forged document, a faked war, an imaginary country: the lies that changed history.
by Natasha Tidd 2023
3.60
2k+ ratings
Good Prose
by Tracy Kidder • 2013
Everything a Pulitzer winner and his editor know about writing nonfiction that people finish.
3.92
1k+
Good Prose Summary
Good Prose 91%
Everything a Pulitzer winner and his editor know about writing nonfiction that people finish.
by Tracy Kidder 2013
3.92
1k+ ratings
Intellectuals
by Paul Johnson • 2007
Rousseau, Marx, Sartre: they loved humanity. Their wives, children, and friends knew the truth.
3.87
3k+
Intellectuals Summary
Intellectuals 91%
Rousseau, Marx, Sartre: they loved humanity. Their wives, children, and friends knew the truth.
by Paul Johnson 2007
3.87
3k+ ratings
The Art of Nonfiction
by Ayn Rand • 2001
Skip the mystique: nonfiction writing is a system, and the outline is its non-negotiable start.
3.98
537
The Art of Nonfiction Summary
The Art of Nonfiction 91%
Skip the mystique: nonfiction writing is a system, and the outline is its non-negotiable start.
by Ayn Rand 2001
3.98
537 ratings
Semicolon
by Cecelia Watson • 2019
How a semicolon started a grammar war: the rules we invented, the people they hurt.
3.68
2k+
Semicolon Summary
Semicolon 91%
How a semicolon started a grammar war: the rules we invented, the people they hurt.
by Cecelia Watson 2019
3.68
2k+ ratings
History of English literature
by Edward Albert • 1923
From Beowulf to Eliot: the full sweep of English literature, century by century.
3.90
257
History of English literature Summary
History of English literature 91%
From Beowulf to Eliot: the full sweep of English literature, century by century.
by Edward Albert 1923
3.90
257 ratings
The Order of Things
by Michel Foucault • 1966
Thought is governed by hidden rules that have collapsed twice. 'Man' was their latest product.
4.12
10k+
The Order of Things Summary
The Order of Things 91%
Thought is governed by hidden rules that have collapsed twice. 'Man' was their latest product.
by Michel Foucault 1966
4.12
10k+ ratings
Cynicism
by Ansgar Allen • 2014
Cynicism once meant tearing everything down. Now it just means giving up.
3.71
146
Cynicism Summary
Cynicism 90%
Cynicism once meant tearing everything down. Now it just means giving up.
by Ansgar Allen 2014
3.71
146 ratings
The Story of Philosophy
by Will Durant • 1991
Philosophy's greatest minds, from Plato to Dewey, on the one question science cannot answer.
4.15
18k+
The Story of Philosophy Summary
The Story of Philosophy 90%
Philosophy's greatest minds, from Plato to Dewey, on the one question science cannot answer.
by Will Durant 1991
4.15
18k+ ratings
A Study of History, abridged
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee • 1957
History's real units are civilizations, not nations. Their collapses conceal a spiritual purpose.
4.10
224
A Study of History, abridged Summary
A Study of History, abridged 90%
History's real units are civilizations, not nations. Their collapses conceal a spiritual purpose.
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee 1957
4.10
224 ratings
The Lost History of Liberalism
by Helena Rosenblatt • 2018
Liberalism was born as duty and generosity. The individual-rights version is only seventy years old.
4.04
448
The Lost History of Liberalism Summary
The Lost History of Liberalism 90%
Liberalism was born as duty and generosity. The individual-rights version is only seventy years old.
by Helena Rosenblatt 2018
4.04
448 ratings
The Socrates Express
by Eric Weiner • 2020
A ticket, a train, and the dead philosophers who can still teach you how to live.
4.14
4k+
The Socrates Express Summary
The Socrates Express 90%
A ticket, a train, and the dead philosophers who can still teach you how to live.
by Eric Weiner 2020
4.14
4k+ ratings
The Geography of Genius
by Eric Weiner • 2016
Why Athens, Renaissance Florence, and Silicon Valley each erupted with genius at particular moments.
3.80
4k+
The Geography of Genius Summary
The Geography of Genius 90%
Why Athens, Renaissance Florence, and Silicon Valley each erupted with genius at particular moments.
by Eric Weiner 2016
3.80
4k+ ratings
A Dark Muse
by Gary Lachman • 2003
The hidden lineage of poets and magicians who mapped the interior worlds that science denied.
3.76
235
A Dark Muse Summary
A Dark Muse 90%
The hidden lineage of poets and magicians who mapped the interior worlds that science denied.
by Gary Lachman 2003
3.76
235 ratings
The Theological Origins of Modernity
by Michael Allen Gillespie • 2008
The modern world is a theological argument that left the church and took over everything.
4.23
270
The Theological Origins of Modernity Summary
The Theological Origins of Modernity 90%
The modern world is a theological argument that left the church and took over everything.
by Michael Allen Gillespie 2008
4.23
270 ratings
Friendship
by A.C. Grayling • 2013
2,500 years of philosophy on why friendship is a requirement, not a bonus.
3.27
117
Friendship Summary
Friendship 90%
2,500 years of philosophy on why friendship is a requirement, not a bonus.
by A.C. Grayling 2013
3.27
117 ratings
The Philosophy of History
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel • 1831
History's chaos is an illusion: a hidden reason channels our passions toward a single goal.
3.82
4k+
The Philosophy of History Summary
The Philosophy of History 90%
History's chaos is an illusion: a hidden reason channels our passions toward a single goal.
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 1831
3.82
4k+ ratings
The Great Agnostic
by Susan Jacoby • 2013
The man who drew thousands to hear him speak: why America forgot Robert Ingersoll.
4.04
720
The Great Agnostic Summary
The Great Agnostic 90%
The man who drew thousands to hear him speak: why America forgot Robert Ingersoll.
by Susan Jacoby 2013
4.04
720 ratings
Great Thinkers
by The School of Life • 2016
From Plato's cave to Freud's couch: the ideas that built our world, made practical for yours.
4.35
2k+
Great Thinkers Summary
Great Thinkers 90%
From Plato's cave to Freud's couch: the ideas that built our world, made practical for yours.
by The School of Life 2016
4.35
2k+ ratings
10 Books That Screwed Up the World
by Benjamin Wiker • 2008
Fifteen books rejected God and morality, then the 20th century drowned in blood.
3.43
1k+
10 Books That Screwed Up the World Summary
10 Books That Screwed Up the World 90%
Fifteen books rejected God and morality, then the 20th century drowned in blood.
by Benjamin Wiker 2008
3.43
1k+ ratings
Dialogism
by Michael Holquist • 1990
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
4.09
88
Dialogism Summary
Dialogism 90%
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
by Michael Holquist 1990
4.09
88 ratings
Main Currents Of Marxism
by Leszek Kołakowski • 2005
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
4.25
455
Main Currents Of Marxism Summary
Main Currents Of Marxism 90%
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
by Leszek Kołakowski 2005
4.25
455 ratings
Modern Times
by Paul Johnson • 1983
Einstein and Freud dismantled the old moral universe. Into the void stepped the totalitarians.
4.29
3k+
Modern Times Summary
Modern Times 90%
Einstein and Freud dismantled the old moral universe. Into the void stepped the totalitarians.
by Paul Johnson 1983
4.29
3k+ ratings
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