50 Books like The Man in the High Castle

Speculative Everything

by Anthony Dunne • 2013

Most design fixes problems. This design invents fictional worlds to test-drive better ones.

4.12

999

🧐 Design Criticism 🔮 Futures Thinking ⚙️ Technology Studies 💭 Social Imagination 🌍 World Building

Speculative Everything 92%

Most design fixes problems. This design invents fictional worlds to test-drive better ones.

by Anthony Dunne 2013

4.12

999 ratings

🧐 Design Criticism 🔮 Futures Thinking ⚙️ Technology Studies 💭 Social Imagination 🌍 World Building

Indiana Jones and Philosophy

by Dean Kowalski • 2023

Beneath the fedora: a philosophy seminar on heroism, faith, aging, and who really owns the past.

3.71

🎬 Pop Culture Philosophy 🎥 Film Philosophy 🏛️ Cultural Heritage 🧠 Applied Philosophy 🗺️ Adventure Cinema

Indiana Jones and Philosophy 92%

Beneath the fedora: a philosophy seminar on heroism, faith, aging, and who really owns the past.

by Dean Kowalski 2023

3.71

21 ratings

🎬 Pop Culture Philosophy 🎥 Film Philosophy 🏛️ Cultural Heritage 🧠 Applied Philosophy 🗺️ Adventure Cinema

Buddhism

by Damien Keown • 1996

Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?

3.74

3k+

📖 Introductory Buddhism ☸️ Buddhist Philosophy 🛕 Theravada Buddhism 🪷 Mahayana Buddhism 🧘 Meditation Practice

Buddhism 92%

Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?

by Damien Keown 1996

3.74

3k+ ratings

📖 Introductory Buddhism ☸️ Buddhist Philosophy 🛕 Theravada Buddhism 🪷 Mahayana Buddhism 🧘 Meditation Practice

A History of India, Vol. 1

by Romila Thapar • 1990

How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.

3.63

2k+

🎬 Film Criticism 📖 Cultural Theory 🏛️ Postmodernism 📡 Media Theory 🕶️ Hyperreality

A History of India, Vol. 1 92%

How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.

by Romila Thapar 1990

3.63

2k+ ratings

🎬 Film Criticism 📖 Cultural Theory 🏛️ Postmodernism 📡 Media Theory 🕶️ Hyperreality

Cinema Speculation

by Quentin Tarantino • 2022

How a child snuck into adult movies in 1970s Los Angeles and came out a filmmaker.

4.04

15k+

🎬 New Hollywood 🎞️ Cinephilia 🎥 Genre Cinema 💥 Exploitation Films 📖 Auteur Theory

Cinema Speculation 92%

How a child snuck into adult movies in 1970s Los Angeles and came out a filmmaker.

by Quentin Tarantino 2022

4.04

15k+ ratings

🎬 New Hollywood 🎞️ Cinephilia 🎥 Genre Cinema 💥 Exploitation Films 📖 Auteur Theory

You Are What You Watch

by Walter Hickey • 2023

Horror films thicken your blood. Violent movies cut crime. What we watch remakes us without asking.

3.65

761

🎬 Media Effects 🎥 Entertainment Industry 👁️ Visual Perception 🌏 Cultural Exports 📼 Nostalgia In Media

You Are What You Watch 92%

Horror films thicken your blood. Violent movies cut crime. What we watch remakes us without asking.

by Walter Hickey 2023

3.65

761 ratings

🎬 Media Effects 🎥 Entertainment Industry 👁️ Visual Perception 🌏 Cultural Exports 📼 Nostalgia In Media

The Things We Make

by Bill Hammack • 2023

Engineering isn't applied science: it's the art of solving problems before anyone understands them.

3.75

1k+

🛠️ History Of Technology 🏗️ Engineering Culture 💡 Design Thinking 🧭 Heuristics 🔧 Incremental Innovation

The Things We Make 92%

Engineering isn't applied science: it's the art of solving problems before anyone understands them.

by Bill Hammack 2023

3.75

1k+ ratings

🛠️ History Of Technology 🏗️ Engineering Culture 💡 Design Thinking 🧭 Heuristics 🔧 Incremental Innovation

The Evolution of Useful Things

by Henry Petroski • 1994

Annoyance, not function, gave us forks, zippers, paper clips. The real driver of everyday design.

3.52

1k+

🏭 Industrial Design 🥄 Everyday Objects 🔄 Design Evolution ⚙️ History Of Technology 🏺 Material Culture

The Evolution of Useful Things 91%

Annoyance, not function, gave us forks, zippers, paper clips. The real driver of everyday design.

by Henry Petroski 1994

3.52

1k+ ratings

🏭 Industrial Design 🥄 Everyday Objects 🔄 Design Evolution ⚙️ History Of Technology 🏺 Material Culture

Everything Bad is Good for You

by Steven Johnson • 2005

IQ scores keep rising, and your video game habit may explain why.

3.49

5k+

📡 Media Studies 🎭 Pop Culture Analysis 🎮 Video Game Cognition 🧩 Narrative Complexity 🧠 Flynn Effect

Everything Bad is Good for You 91%

IQ scores keep rising, and your video game habit may explain why.

by Steven Johnson 2005

3.49

5k+ ratings

📡 Media Studies 🎭 Pop Culture Analysis 🎮 Video Game Cognition 🧩 Narrative Complexity 🧠 Flynn Effect

Hitchcock/Truffaut

by François Truffaut • 1985

A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.

4.47

10k+

🧱 Film Craft 🎬 Auteur Theory ⏳ Suspense Mechanics ✍️ Screenwriting 🎙️ Director Interviews

Hitchcock/Truffaut 91%

A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.

by François Truffaut 1985

4.47

10k+ ratings

🧱 Film Craft 🎬 Auteur Theory ⏳ Suspense Mechanics ✍️ Screenwriting 🎙️ Director Interviews

How We Got to Now

by Steven Johnson • 2014

Six ordinary breakthroughs built the modern world; their biggest consequences were never planned.

4.12

16k+

🕰️ History Of Technology 💡 Everyday Inventions 🦋 Ripple Effects 🏙️ Hidden Systems 🤝 Collaborative Innovation

How We Got to Now 91%

Six ordinary breakthroughs built the modern world; their biggest consequences were never planned.

by Steven Johnson 2014

4.12

16k+ ratings

🕰️ History Of Technology 💡 Everyday Inventions 🦋 Ripple Effects 🏙️ Hidden Systems 🤝 Collaborative Innovation

The Image

by Daniel J. Boorstin • 1961

Most news is manufactured. We know it. And we still prefer the show over the real.

4.07

1k+

🎙️ Media Criticism 🎭 Manufactured Reality 🌟 Celebrity Culture 🏛️ Image Politics 📢 Advertising Critique

The Image 91%

Most news is manufactured. We know it. And we still prefer the show over the real.

by Daniel J. Boorstin 1961

4.07

1k+ ratings

🎙️ Media Criticism 🎭 Manufactured Reality 🌟 Celebrity Culture 🏛️ Image Politics 📢 Advertising Critique

National Security Cinema

by Matthew Alford • 2017

The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.

3.81

113

📢 Propaganda Studies 🎬 Military-Entertainment Complex 📺 Media Manipulation 📜 Historical Revisionism 🏢 Media Consolidation

National Security Cinema 91%

The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.

by Matthew Alford 2017

3.81

113 ratings

📢 Propaganda Studies 🎬 Military-Entertainment Complex 📺 Media Manipulation 📜 Historical Revisionism 🏢 Media Consolidation

Nightmare Fuel

by Nina Nesseth • 2022

What horror films reveal about your brain's fear machinery, and why you keep coming back.

3.82

1k+

🎬 Horror Cinema 🧠 Neuroscience Of Fear 😰 Cultural Anxieties 🔬 Pop Science 📖 Genre Studies

Nightmare Fuel 91%

What horror films reveal about your brain's fear machinery, and why you keep coming back.

by Nina Nesseth 2022

3.82

1k+ ratings

🎬 Horror Cinema 🧠 Neuroscience Of Fear 😰 Cultural Anxieties 🔬 Pop Science 📖 Genre Studies

Amusing Ourselves to Death

by Neil Postman • 1985

The real danger isn't censorship. It's a culture so entertained it forgets how to think.

4.17

39k+

🏞️ Media Ecology 📰 Media Criticism 🗳️ Political Communication 📡 Medium Theory 👁️ Attention Economy

Amusing Ourselves to Death 91%

The real danger isn't censorship. It's a culture so entertained it forgets how to think.

by Neil Postman 1985

4.17

39k+ ratings

🏞️ Media Ecology 📰 Media Criticism 🗳️ Political Communication 📡 Medium Theory 👁️ Attention Economy

When Clothes Become Fashion

by Ingrid Loschek • 2009

Clothing stays clothing until it's copied. Fashion runs on imitation, not originality.

4.04

👗 Fashion Theory 🔧 Design Systems 🔄 Social Systems Theory 🏺 Material Culture 🔤 Semiotics Of Dress

When Clothes Become Fashion 91%

Clothing stays clothing until it's copied. Fashion runs on imitation, not originality.

by Ingrid Loschek 2009

4.04

26 ratings

👗 Fashion Theory 🔧 Design Systems 🔄 Social Systems Theory 🏺 Material Culture 🔤 Semiotics Of Dress

Dark Star Rising

by Gary Lachman • 2018

How the occult belief that mind shapes reality captured Trump, Putin, and the alt-right.

3.85

517

🔮 Occult Politics 🌀 Postmodern Politics ⚡ Chaos Magic 🧠 New Thought 🏛️ Traditionalism

Dark Star Rising 91%

How the occult belief that mind shapes reality captured Trump, Putin, and the alt-right.

by Gary Lachman 2018

3.85

517 ratings

🔮 Occult Politics 🌀 Postmodern Politics ⚡ Chaos Magic 🧠 New Thought 🏛️ Traditionalism

Slavoj Zizek

by Tony Myers • 2003

Your cynicism isn't rebellion. According to Žižek, it's the purest form of ideology.

3.82

266

🧠 Continental Philosophy 📖 Critical Theory 🛋️ Lacanian Psychoanalysis 🎭 Ideology Critique 🎬 Cultural Criticism

Slavoj Zizek 91%

Your cynicism isn't rebellion. According to Žižek, it's the purest form of ideology.

by Tony Myers 2003

3.82

266 ratings

🧠 Continental Philosophy 📖 Critical Theory 🛋️ Lacanian Psychoanalysis 🎭 Ideology Critique 🎬 Cultural Criticism

Looking Awry

by Slavoj Žižek • 1991

Lacan's hardest ideas become visible when you watch Hitchcock with the wrong kind of attention.

4.02

2k+

🧠 Lacanian Theory 🎭 Cultural Theory 🏛️ Ideology Critique 📖 Continental Philosophy 📋 Critical Theory

Looking Awry 91%

Lacan's hardest ideas become visible when you watch Hitchcock with the wrong kind of attention.

by Slavoj Žižek 1991

4.02

2k+ ratings

🧠 Lacanian Theory 🎭 Cultural Theory 🏛️ Ideology Critique 📖 Continental Philosophy 📋 Critical Theory

The Pencil

by Henry Petroski • 1992

A pencil hides centuries of engineering failures, global trade, and the secret to good design.

3.80

657

🏭 History Of Technology 🏺 Material Culture ⚙️ Engineering Design 🏗️ Industrial History 🌐 Global Supply Chains

The Pencil 91%

A pencil hides centuries of engineering failures, global trade, and the secret to good design.

by Henry Petroski 1992

3.80

657 ratings

🏭 History Of Technology 🏺 Material Culture ⚙️ Engineering Design 🏗️ Industrial History 🌐 Global Supply Chains

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho

by Stephen Rebello • 1990

Bored with his own glamour, Hitchcock gambled his fortune on a cheap psycho thriller and won.

3.91

2k+

🎬 Film Production 🔪 Horror Cinema 🧠 Psychological Horror 🎞️ Auteur Theory 🖤 True Crime Origins

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho Summary

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho 91%

Bored with his own glamour, Hitchcock gambled his fortune on a cheap psycho thriller and won.

by Stephen Rebello 1990

3.91

2k+ ratings

🎬 Film Production 🔪 Horror Cinema 🧠 Psychological Horror 🎞️ Auteur Theory 🖤 True Crime Origins

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

📖 Print Culture 📰 Media History ⚙️ History Of Technology 🗣️ Orality And Literacy 🧠 Knowledge Production

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

📖 Print Culture 📰 Media History ⚙️ History Of Technology 🗣️ Orality And Literacy 🧠 Knowledge Production

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+

📦 Material Culture 📖 History Of Reading 🏛️ Library History ⚠️ Engineering Failures 📚 Book Collecting

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

📦 Material Culture 📖 History Of Reading 🏛️ Library History ⚠️ Engineering Failures 📚 Book Collecting

Paperbacks from Hell

by Grady Hendrix • 2017

How three bestsellers made horror paperbacks a satanic, killer kid gold rush, then it imploded.

4.26

12k+

💀 Horror Fiction 📚 Publishing History 🎨 Cover Art 👹 Satanic Panic 🕯️ Gothic Romance

Paperbacks from Hell 91%

How three bestsellers made horror paperbacks a satanic, killer kid gold rush, then it imploded.

by Grady Hendrix 2017

4.26

12k+ ratings

💀 Horror Fiction 📚 Publishing History 🎨 Cover Art 👹 Satanic Panic 🕯️ Gothic Romance

The Edifice Complex

by Deyan Sudjic • 2006

From Hitler's Reich Chancellery to the Bilbao Guggenheim, what monuments are really for.

3.8

380

🏛️ Architecture And Power 🧠 Political Psychology ⭐ Starchitecture 🏗️ Authoritarian Architecture 🏙️ Skyscraper History

The Edifice Complex 91%

From Hitler's Reich Chancellery to the Bilbao Guggenheim, what monuments are really for.

by Deyan Sudjic 2006

3.8

380 ratings

🏛️ Architecture And Power 🧠 Political Psychology ⭐ Starchitecture 🏗️ Authoritarian Architecture 🏙️ Skyscraper History

The United States Constitution in Film

by Eric Kasper • 2018

How Hollywood has tracked and shaped America's constitutional debates, from presidents to privacy.

⚖️ Constitutional Law 🎬 Film And Law 🇺🇸 American Politics 🏛️ Popular Constitutionalism 🔍 Cultural Analysis

The United States Constitution in Film Summary

The United States Constitution in Film 91%

How Hollywood has tracked and shaped America's constitutional debates, from presidents to privacy.

by Eric Kasper 2018

⚖️ Constitutional Law 🎬 Film And Law 🇺🇸 American Politics 🏛️ Popular Constitutionalism 🔍 Cultural Analysis

The Sound of Music Story

by Tom Santopietro • 2015

Critics scorned it. The studio feared ruin. Then it ran in theaters for four straight years.

3.76

627

🎬 Film Production 🎵 Hollywood Musicals 🎥 Behind The Scenes 🎭 Stage To Screen 🎞️ True Story Films

The Sound of Music Story 91%

Critics scorned it. The studio feared ruin. Then it ran in theaters for four straight years.

by Tom Santopietro 2015

3.76

627 ratings

🎬 Film Production 🎵 Hollywood Musicals 🎥 Behind The Scenes 🎭 Stage To Screen 🎞️ True Story Films

The Perfectionists

by Simon Winchester • 2018

From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.

4.15

7k+

🔧 History Of Technology 🏭 Industrial Revolution 🔍 Microhistory 🏗️ Mass Production 💥 Scientific Failures

The Perfectionists 91%

From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.

by Simon Winchester 2018

4.15

7k+ ratings

🔧 History Of Technology 🏭 Industrial Revolution 🔍 Microhistory 🏗️ Mass Production 💥 Scientific Failures

Believe

by Jeremy Egner • 2024

The chaotic, lucky path from throwaway ad to the streaming era's most comforting hit.

3.93

2k+

🎬 Television Production 🎥 Behind The Scenes ⚽ Football Culture 💪 Modern Masculinity ❤️ Radical Kindness

Believe 91%

The chaotic, lucky path from throwaway ad to the streaming era's most comforting hit.

by Jeremy Egner 2024

3.93

2k+ ratings

🎬 Television Production 🎥 Behind The Scenes ⚽ Football Culture 💪 Modern Masculinity ❤️ Radical Kindness

The Big Picture

by Ben Fritz • 2018

How Marvel, Netflix, and the Chinese box office dismantled the movies you used to love.

4.02

2k+

🎬 Hollywood Economics 📺 Streaming Disruption 🎥 Franchise Filmmaking 🌏 Global Box Office 🏢 Media Consolidation

The Big Picture 91%

How Marvel, Netflix, and the Chinese box office dismantled the movies you used to love.

by Ben Fritz 2018

4.02

2k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Economics 📺 Streaming Disruption 🎥 Franchise Filmmaking 🌏 Global Box Office 🏢 Media Consolidation

Discursive Design

by Bruce M. Tharp • 2019

What if your toaster had an opinion? A field guide to design that argues.

4.36

🧠 Design Theory 🔮 Speculative Design 🔬 Design Research 🎓 Design Education ⚖️ Design Ethics

Discursive Design 91%

What if your toaster had an opinion? A field guide to design that argues.

by Bruce M. Tharp 2019

4.36

25 ratings

🧠 Design Theory 🔮 Speculative Design 🔬 Design Research 🎓 Design Education ⚖️ Design Ethics

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+

🌍 Historical Travelogue 🧠 Intellectual History 🔬 Creativity Research 🏛️ Comparative History 💡 Innovation Ecosystems

The Geography of Genius 91%

Why Athens, Renaissance Florence, and Silicon Valley each erupted with genius at particular moments.

by Eric Weiner 2016

3.80

4k+ ratings

🌍 Historical Travelogue 🧠 Intellectual History 🔬 Creativity Research 🏛️ Comparative History 💡 Innovation Ecosystems

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek

by Dave Marinaccio • 1994

The leadership and ethics curriculum hidden inside Star Trek, finally pulled into plain sight.

3.46

407

📺 Pop Culture Philosophy 🖖 Star Trek Fandom 👔 Leadership Lessons ⚖️ Ethical Dilemmas 🤝 Diverse Teams

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek Summary

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek 91%

The leadership and ethics curriculum hidden inside Star Trek, finally pulled into plain sight.

by Dave Marinaccio 1994

3.46

407 ratings

📺 Pop Culture Philosophy 🖖 Star Trek Fandom 👔 Leadership Lessons ⚖️ Ethical Dilemmas 🤝 Diverse Teams

Dangerous Games

by Margaret MacMillan • 2008

History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.

3.64

2k+

🏛️ Public History 🧠 Collective Memory 📜 Historiography 🎭 Invented Traditions ⚔️ History Wars

Dangerous Games 91%

History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.

by Margaret MacMillan 2008

3.64

2k+ ratings

🏛️ Public History 🧠 Collective Memory 📜 Historiography 🎭 Invented Traditions ⚔️ History Wars

Doppelganger

by Naomi Klein • 2023

Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.

4.19

37k+

🗳️ Political Memoir 🕳️ Conspiracy Theories 🎭 Digital Identity 📰 Media Criticism 🛡️ Information Warfare

Doppelganger 90%

Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.

by Naomi Klein 2023

4.19

37k+ ratings

🗳️ Political Memoir 🕳️ Conspiracy Theories 🎭 Digital Identity 📰 Media Criticism 🛡️ Information Warfare

You Belong to the Universe

by Jonathan Keats • 2016

Buckminster Fuller never built a world-saving machine. He invented a way of thinking that could.

3.65

393

🕸️ Systems Thinking 🦎 Biomimicry 🚀 Futurism 🏙️ Utopian Design 💡 Design Philosophy

You Belong to the Universe 90%

Buckminster Fuller never built a world-saving machine. He invented a way of thinking that could.

by Jonathan Keats 2016

3.65

393 ratings

🕸️ Systems Thinking 🦎 Biomimicry 🚀 Futurism 🏙️ Utopian Design 💡 Design Philosophy

Science of Coercion

by Christopher Simpson • 1994

Communication studies was secretly built by the Pentagon as a weapon, not a discipline.

4.11

📜 Cold War History 📢 Propaganda Studies 🕵️ Covert Operations 🎓 Military-Academic Complex ⚖️ Research Ethics

Science of Coercion 90%

Communication studies was secretly built by the Pentagon as a weapon, not a discipline.

by Christopher Simpson 1994

4.11

89 ratings

📜 Cold War History 📢 Propaganda Studies 🕵️ Covert Operations 🎓 Military-Academic Complex ⚖️ Research Ethics

The Longing for Less

by Kyle Chayka • 2020

The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.

3.45

1k+

🎨 Modernist Art 📐 Design Philosophy 📰 Cultural Criticism 🇯🇵 Japanese Aesthetics 🚫 Anti-Consumerism

The Longing for Less 90%

The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.

by Kyle Chayka 2020

3.45

1k+ ratings

🎨 Modernist Art 📐 Design Philosophy 📰 Cultural Criticism 🇯🇵 Japanese Aesthetics 🚫 Anti-Consumerism

Action

by Robert McKee • 2022

Excitement on page and screen has rules. The villain’s scheme, not the spectacle, is its engine.

4.29

126

🎬 Modern Screenwriting 🏗️ Narrative Structure ⚙️ Genre Mechanics 📈 Plot Construction 😈 Antagonist Design

Action 90%

Excitement on page and screen has rules. The villain’s scheme, not the spectacle, is its engine.

by Robert McKee 2022

4.29

126 ratings

🎬 Modern Screenwriting 🏗️ Narrative Structure ⚙️ Genre Mechanics 📈 Plot Construction 😈 Antagonist Design

101 Amazing Facts about J.K. Rowling

by Holger Weßling • 2019

From welfare to a billion dollars: the backstory of Hogwarts in 101 digestible facts.

👤 Author Biography 📚 Literary Trivia 🔍 Behind The Books 💰 Rags To Riches 🧒 Children's Literature

101 Amazing Facts about J.K. Rowling Summary

101 Amazing Facts about J.K. Rowling 90%

From welfare to a billion dollars: the backstory of Hogwarts in 101 digestible facts.

by Holger Weßling 2019

👤 Author Biography 📚 Literary Trivia 🔍 Behind The Books 💰 Rags To Riches 🧒 Children's Literature

At Home

by Bill Bryson • 2010

Every room in your house conceals a history of bloodshed, invention, and empire.

3.99

99k+

🏠 Domestic History 🏺 Material Culture 🏛️ Architectural History 🔍 Microhistory 👥 Social History

At Home 90%

Every room in your house conceals a history of bloodshed, invention, and empire.

by Bill Bryson 2010

3.99

99k+ ratings

🏠 Domestic History 🏺 Material Culture 🏛️ Architectural History 🔍 Microhistory 👥 Social History

Small Things Considered

by Henry Petroski • 2003

Why nothing works perfectly: the constraints hiding inside every object you use.

3.40

334

📐 Everyday Design 🔧 Engineering Philosophy ⚖️ Design Constraints 🏛️ Form And Function 🔄 Iterative Improvement

Small Things Considered 90%

Why nothing works perfectly: the constraints hiding inside every object you use.

by Henry Petroski 2003

3.40

334 ratings

📐 Everyday Design 🔧 Engineering Philosophy ⚖️ Design Constraints 🏛️ Form And Function 🔄 Iterative Improvement

Cities

by Monica L. Smith • 2019

Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.

3.26

446

🏙️ Urban History 🏛️ Ancient Cities 🏺 Material Culture 🌆 Urban Anthropology 🚶 Everyday Urbanism

Cities 90%

Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.

by Monica L. Smith 2019

3.26

446 ratings

🏙️ Urban History 🏛️ Ancient Cities 🏺 Material Culture 🌆 Urban Anthropology 🚶 Everyday Urbanism

In the Long Run

by Jonathan White • 2024

The future made democracy possible. Calculated, secret, and algorithmic futures are dismantling it.

3.78

🗳️ Democratic Theory 📜 Intellectual History 💭 Political Imagination ⏳ Long-Term Thinking 🤖 Algorithmic Governance

In the Long Run 90%

The future made democracy possible. Calculated, secret, and algorithmic futures are dismantling it.

by Jonathan White 2024

3.78

85 ratings

🗳️ Democratic Theory 📜 Intellectual History 💭 Political Imagination ⏳ Long-Term Thinking 🤖 Algorithmic Governance

The Science of Star Wars

by Mark Brake • 2016

The real science of hyperspace, alien biology, and the Force: more surprising than Star Wars.

3.44

413

📘 Pop Science 🎬 Physics Of Sci-Fi 🚀 Space Science 🦠 Astrobiology 🪐 Exoplanet Science

The Science of Star Wars 90%

The real science of hyperspace, alien biology, and the Force: more surprising than Star Wars.

by Mark Brake 2016

3.44

413 ratings

📘 Pop Science 🎬 Physics Of Sci-Fi 🚀 Space Science 🦠 Astrobiology 🪐 Exoplanet Science

Mix It Up

by David Grazian • 2010

Rihanna, the Super Bowl, and Disney: how sociology reveals the social forces behind popular culture.

3.52

107

🎥 Media Sociology 🏭 Culture Industry Critique 🎉 Ritual And Solidarity 📡 Diffusion Of Culture 💎 Cultural Capital

Mix It Up 90%

Rihanna, the Super Bowl, and Disney: how sociology reveals the social forces behind popular culture.

by David Grazian 2010

3.52

107 ratings

🎥 Media Sociology 🏭 Culture Industry Critique 🎉 Ritual And Solidarity 📡 Diffusion Of Culture 💎 Cultural Capital

The Wrath to Come

by Sarah Churchwell • 2022

Thirty million copies of a single novel taught America to love a lie. The lost cause won.

4.22

528

🏚️ Lost Cause Mythology 💰 Racial Capitalism 📜 Historical Revisionism 🎬 Cultural Criticism 🧠 Collective Memory

The Wrath to Come 90%

Thirty million copies of a single novel taught America to love a lie. The lost cause won.

by Sarah Churchwell 2022

4.22

528 ratings

🏚️ Lost Cause Mythology 💰 Racial Capitalism 📜 Historical Revisionism 🎬 Cultural Criticism 🧠 Collective Memory

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+

🗺️ World History 🏛️ Political History 📢 Propaganda 📰 Media Manipulation 🤥 Historical Falsehoods

A Short History of the World in 50 Lies Summary

A Short History of the World in 50 Lies 90%

A forged document, a faked war, an imaginary country: the lies that changed history.

by Natasha Tidd 2023

3.60

2k+ ratings

🗺️ World History 🏛️ Political History 📢 Propaganda 📰 Media Manipulation 🤥 Historical Falsehoods

The Philosophy of Andy Warhol

by Andy Warhol • 1975

The most exciting thing is the thing you never do, and the best art is a dollar bill.

3.85

49k+

🎨 Pop Art 💭 Pop Philosophy ✍️ Artist Memoirs 💵 Art And Commerce 🌟 Fame And Celebrity

The Philosophy of Andy Warhol 90%

The most exciting thing is the thing you never do, and the best art is a dollar bill.

by Andy Warhol 1975

3.85

49k+ ratings

🎨 Pop Art 💭 Pop Philosophy ✍️ Artist Memoirs 💵 Art And Commerce 🌟 Fame And Celebrity

The Architecture of Happiness

by Alain de Botton • 2006

The buildings we love don't just look good. They model the person we want to be.

3.86

15k+

🧠 Environmental Psychology 📐 Architecture Theory 🎨 Design Psychology ✨ Beauty And Meaning 🏙️ Built Environment

The Architecture of Happiness 90%

The buildings we love don't just look good. They model the person we want to be.

by Alain de Botton 2006

3.86

15k+ ratings

🧠 Environmental Psychology 📐 Architecture Theory 🎨 Design Psychology ✨ Beauty And Meaning 🏙️ Built Environment

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