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The Anatomy of Influence
by Harold Bloom • 2011
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
3.93
477
The Anatomy of Influence Summary
The Anatomy of Influence 94%
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
by Harold Bloom 2011
3.93
477 ratings
William Blake vs the World
by John Higgs • 2021
Blake saw angels and mapped the mind. Modern neuroscience is just catching up.
4.15
1k+
William Blake vs the World Summary
William Blake vs the World 94%
Blake saw angels and mapped the mind. Modern neuroscience is just catching up.
by John Higgs 2021
4.15
1k+ ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 94%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
The Courage to Create
by Rollo May • 1975
Creativity needs limits, not freedom. Anxiety is the proof you are close to a breakthrough.
4.07
4k+
The Courage to Create Summary
The Courage to Create 94%
Creativity needs limits, not freedom. Anxiety is the proof you are close to a breakthrough.
by Rollo May 1975
4.07
4k+ ratings
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
by Curtis Smith • 2016
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
4.27
41
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Summary
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five 94%
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
by Curtis Smith 2016
4.27
41 ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 94%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ 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 93%
Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?
by Damien Keown 1996
3.74
3k+ ratings
Shakespeare's Freedom
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2010
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
3.83
175
Shakespeare's Freedom Summary
Shakespeare's Freedom 93%
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2010
3.83
175 ratings
The Art of Subtext
by Charles Baxter • 2007
What a character won't say, can't hear, and can't admit: the hidden engine of unforgettable fiction.
4.02
1k+
The Art of Subtext Summary
The Art of Subtext 93%
What a character won't say, can't hear, and can't admit: the hidden engine of unforgettable fiction.
by Charles Baxter 2007
4.02
1k+ ratings
How Proust Can Change Your Life
by Alain de Botton • 1998
The practical life advice hidden inside a 3,000-page French novel about memory and jealousy.
3.76
19k+
How Proust Can Change Your Life Summary
How Proust Can Change Your Life 93%
The practical life advice hidden inside a 3,000-page French novel about memory and jealousy.
by Alain de Botton 1998
3.76
19k+ ratings
Awake!
by Mark Vernon • 2025
What if imagination isn't fantasy but reality itself? Blake's vision makes the case.
4.35
60
Awake! Summary
Awake! 93%
What if imagination isn't fantasy but reality itself? Blake's vision makes the case.
by Mark Vernon 2025
4.35
60 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 93%
Skip the mystique: nonfiction writing is a system, and the outline is its non-negotiable start.
by Ayn Rand 2001
3.98
537 ratings
Heaven and Hell
by Aldous Huxley • 1956
Art transports us because it mirrors visionary depths, and fear can turn heaven into hell.
3.52
1k+
Heaven and Hell Summary
Heaven and Hell 93%
Art transports us because it mirrors visionary depths, and fear can turn heaven into hell.
by Aldous Huxley 1956
3.52
1k+ ratings
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard • 2020
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
3.44
5k+
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Summary
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read 93%
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
by Pierre Bayard 2020
3.44
5k+ 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 93%
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
by Michael Holquist 1990
4.09
88 ratings
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince
by Pierre Lassus • 2014
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
3.31
51
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince Summary
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince 93%
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
by Pierre Lassus 2014
3.31
51 ratings
Why Write?
by Mark Edmundson • 2016
Writing is the art of becoming nobody's fool, especially your own.
3.65
222
Why Write? Summary
Why Write? 92%
Writing is the art of becoming nobody's fool, especially your own.
by Mark Edmundson 2016
3.65
222 ratings
The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx • 1848
History is class war. Capitalism narrowed the fight to two sides, and one is learning the rules.
3.69
202k+
The Communist Manifesto Summary
The Communist Manifesto 92%
History is class war. Capitalism narrowed the fight to two sides, and one is learning the rules.
by Karl Marx 1848
3.69
202k+ ratings
In Praise of Risk
by Anne Dufourmantelle • 2011
To avoid risk is to refuse life. A philosopher's argument for love, beauty, and freedom.
4.12
613
In Praise of Risk Summary
In Praise of Risk 92%
To avoid risk is to refuse life. A philosopher's argument for love, beauty, and freedom.
by Anne Dufourmantelle 2011
4.12
613 ratings
Susan Sontag
by Jonathan Cott • 1978
Intelligence as a pulse, illness as biology, art as a body: the complete Sontag interview.
4.22
3k+
Susan Sontag Summary
Susan Sontag 92%
Intelligence as a pulse, illness as biology, art as a body: the complete Sontag interview.
by Jonathan Cott 1978
4.22
3k+ ratings
Lost in Thought
by Zena Hitz • 2020
The intellectual life as a secret refuge: why the best thinking happens far from ambition.
3.64
2k+
Lost in Thought Summary
Lost in Thought 92%
The intellectual life as a secret refuge: why the best thinking happens far from ambition.
by Zena Hitz 2020
3.64
2k+ ratings
The Man Without Content
by Giorgio Agamben • 1970
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
4.15
383
The Man Without Content Summary
The Man Without Content 92%
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
by Giorgio Agamben 1970
4.15
383 ratings
Lost Knowledge of the Imagination
by Gary Lachman • 2017
Before science, imagination was a legitimate way of knowing. The case for taking it back.
4.25
246
Lost Knowledge of the Imagination Summary
Lost Knowledge of the Imagination 92%
Before science, imagination was a legitimate way of knowing. The case for taking it back.
by Gary Lachman 2017
4.25
246 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 92%
Everything a Pulitzer winner and his editor know about writing nonfiction that people finish.
by Tracy Kidder 2013
3.92
1k+ ratings
Beyond the Robot
by Gary Lachman • 2016
A philosopher who used the occult, crime, and desire to map consciousness most people never reach.
4.42
109
Beyond the Robot Summary
Beyond the Robot 92%
A philosopher who used the occult, crime, and desire to map consciousness most people never reach.
by Gary Lachman 2016
4.42
109 ratings
The Artist's Journey
by Steven Pressfield • 2018
The hero's journey ends. The artist's begins: reaching past resistance into unknown creative ground.
4.13
2k+
The Artist's Journey Summary
The Artist's Journey 92%
The hero's journey ends. The artist's begins: reaching past resistance into unknown creative ground.
by Steven Pressfield 2018
4.13
2k+ ratings
Becoming a Writer
by Dorothea Brande • 1934
Rise early, write before your inner critic wakes, and discover the other half of your writer's mind.
4
6k+
Becoming a Writer Summary
Becoming a Writer 92%
Rise early, write before your inner critic wakes, and discover the other half of your writer's mind.
by Dorothea Brande 1934
4
6k+ ratings
Solitude
by Anthony Storr • 1988
Relationships aren't the only way to live fully. A psychiatrist on the creative force of solitude.
3.90
2k+
Solitude Summary
Solitude 92%
Relationships aren't the only way to live fully. A psychiatrist on the creative force of solitude.
by Anthony Storr 1988
3.90
2k+ ratings
Big Magic
by Elizabeth Gilbert • 2015
What if creativity isn't something you summon but something that's already looking for you?
3.96
236k+
Big Magic Summary
Big Magic 92%
What if creativity isn't something you summon but something that's already looking for you?
by Elizabeth Gilbert 2015
3.96
236k+ 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 92%
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
Make Good Art
by Neil Gaiman • 2013
When your career, heart, or world falls apart, you have one creative option.
4.28
10k+
Make Good Art Summary
Make Good Art 92%
When your career, heart, or world falls apart, you have one creative option.
by Neil Gaiman 2013
4.28
10k+ ratings
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+
Looking Awry Summary
Looking Awry 92%
Lacan's hardest ideas become visible when you watch Hitchcock with the wrong kind of attention.
by Slavoj Žižek 1991
4.02
2k+ ratings
Mystery
by Jonah Lehrer • 2021
Clarity is overrated: why your brain needs the unknown to stay curious, creative, and connected.
3.84
189
Mystery Summary
Mystery 92%
Clarity is overrated: why your brain needs the unknown to stay curious, creative, and connected.
by Jonah Lehrer 2021
3.84
189 ratings
Critique of Judgment
by Immanuel Kant • 1790
Beauty demands universal agreement from nothing more than your own private feeling.
4.10
10k+
Critique of Judgment Summary
Critique of Judgment 92%
Beauty demands universal agreement from nothing more than your own private feeling.
by Immanuel Kant 1790
4.10
10k+ ratings
How to Live
by Derek Sivers • 2021
The case for 27 incompatible ways to live, and the one surprise that resolves them all.
4.16
3k+
How to Live Summary
How to Live 92%
The case for 27 incompatible ways to live, and the one surprise that resolves them all.
by Derek Sivers 2021
4.16
3k+ ratings
The Art Spirit
by Robert Henri • 1929
Art isn't a specialist's skill: it's a way of being. Henri's 1929 manifesto still startles.
3.87
27k+
The Art Spirit Summary
The Art Spirit 92%
Art isn't a specialist's skill: it's a way of being. Henri's 1929 manifesto still startles.
by Robert Henri 1929
3.87
27k+ ratings
Free Play
by Stephen Nachmanovitch • 1990
Creativity is improvisation: learn your craft until it disappears, then get out of your own way.
4.20
3k+
Free Play Summary
Free Play 92%
Creativity is improvisation: learn your craft until it disappears, then get out of your own way.
by Stephen Nachmanovitch 1990
4.20
3k+ ratings
How Sondheim Can Change Your Life
by Richard Schoch • 2024
Regret, ambition, the terror of intimacy: the life lessons Sondheim smuggled into his musicals.
3.90
631
How Sondheim Can Change Your Life Summary
How Sondheim Can Change Your Life 92%
Regret, ambition, the terror of intimacy: the life lessons Sondheim smuggled into his musicals.
by Richard Schoch 2024
3.90
631 ratings
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+
The Longing for Less Summary
The Longing for Less 92%
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
Being and Nothingness
by Jean-Paul Sartre • 1943
Consciousness is a hole in being. What pours through is freedom, and it terrifies us.
3.99
35k+
Being and Nothingness Summary
Being and Nothingness 92%
Consciousness is a hole in being. What pours through is freedom, and it terrifies us.
by Jean-Paul Sartre 1943
3.99
35k+ ratings
Super Consciousness
by Colin Wilson • 2007
Peak experiences are a skill, not a gift. The neglected faculty that makes them trainable.
3.90
259
Super Consciousness Summary
Super Consciousness 92%
Peak experiences are a skill, not a gift. The neglected faculty that makes them trainable.
by Colin Wilson 2007
3.90
259 ratings
Think Like an Artist
by Will Gompertz • 2015
The artist's playbook for any career: turn failure into fuel and ideas into assets.
3.84
2k+
Think Like an Artist Summary
Think Like an Artist 92%
The artist's playbook for any career: turn failure into fuel and ideas into assets.
by Will Gompertz 2015
3.84
2k+ ratings
How to Read Lacan
by Slavoj Žižek • 2006
Canned laughter, borrowed desire, and the hidden logic that links sitcoms to totalitarianism.
3.94
4k+
How to Read Lacan Summary
How to Read Lacan 92%
Canned laughter, borrowed desire, and the hidden logic that links sitcoms to totalitarianism.
by Slavoj Žižek 2006
3.94
4k+ ratings
Slavoj Zizek
by Tony Myers • 2003
Your cynicism isn't rebellion. According to Žižek, it's the purest form of ideology.
3.82
266
Slavoj Zizek Summary
Slavoj Zizek 92%
Your cynicism isn't rebellion. According to Žižek, it's the purest form of ideology.
by Tony Myers 2003
3.82
266 ratings
Hypersanity
by Neel Burton • 2019
Logic fails at life's hardest problems. The tools you really use are older and stranger.
3.60
182
Hypersanity Summary
Hypersanity 92%
Logic fails at life's hardest problems. The tools you really use are older and stranger.
by Neel Burton 2019
3.60
182 ratings
Concerning the Spiritual in Art
by Wassily Kandinsky • 1912
Abstract painting is not emptiness but a spiritual language more direct than any image.
3.83
93k+
Concerning the Spiritual in Art Summary
Concerning the Spiritual in Art 92%
Abstract painting is not emptiness but a spiritual language more direct than any image.
by Wassily Kandinsky 1912
3.83
93k+ ratings
The Van Gogh Blues
by Eric Maisel • 2002
Creative people crash for a different reason: they demand meaning from a universe that offers none.
3.99
455
The Van Gogh Blues Summary
The Van Gogh Blues 92%
Creative people crash for a different reason: they demand meaning from a universe that offers none.
by Eric Maisel 2002
3.99
455 ratings
Flatline Constructs
by Mark Fisher • 2018
Reality flatlined into the undead where cybernetics, gothic horror, and theory-as-fiction converge.
4.13
345
Flatline Constructs Summary
Flatline Constructs 92%
Reality flatlined into the undead where cybernetics, gothic horror, and theory-as-fiction converge.
by Mark Fisher 2018
4.13
345 ratings
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel • 2004
Art makes truth visible, but the age when it could fully satisfy the spirit is over.
3.89
1k+
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics Summary
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics 92%
Art makes truth visible, but the age when it could fully satisfy the spirit is over.
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 2004
3.89
1k+ ratings
Very Little...Almost Nothing
by Simon Critchley • 2004
Nihilism is the norm after God. Creative resistance through literature is how meaning gets remade.
3.89
132
Very Little...Almost Nothing Summary
Very Little...Almost Nothing 92%
Nihilism is the norm after God. Creative resistance through literature is how meaning gets remade.
by Simon Critchley 2004
3.89
132 ratings
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