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Simon's 150 Most Intelligent and Essential Non-Fiction Books

The top 150 non-fiction & science books any erudite should read on a variety of topics ranging from.. well, the natural- and non-natural sciences, along with life & love. A mix of the great and the absolutely astounding. Don't forget the great reading tips!
The principal reason for adding the list was that the earlier one's tended to be uninteresting, substandard and/or plainly ignorant – and, more often than not, all three. For simplicity's sake, the list is tilted toward books written in US or UK and mainly consists of books published within the last decade.
This revised and updated list contains a few additions from a previous version.
574 users · 6,465 views
 
made by Simon Hann*s
avg. score: 4 of 150 (3%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 

How smart are you anyway?

Page 1 of 4
1
How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company... (William Poundstone)
How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company...
William Poundstone
2
Stumbling on Happiness (Daniel Gilbert)
Stumbling on Happiness
Daniel Gilbert
3
Liar's Poker
Liar's Poker
4
Animals Make Us Human (Temple Grandin)
Animals Make Us Human
Temple Grandin
5
Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
6
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (Steven Pinker)
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
Steven Pinker
7
Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior (Leonard Mlodinow)
Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
Leonard Mlodinow
8
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
9
The Stars of Heaven (Clifford A. Pickover)
The Stars of Heaven
Clifford A. Pickover
10
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow
11
A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market (John Allen Paulos)
A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market
John Allen Paulos
12
All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis (Bethany McLean, Joe Nocera)
All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis
Bethany McLean, Joe Nocera
13
Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain–For Life (David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg)
Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain–For Life
David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg
14
Dreams From My Father (Barack Obama)
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
15
Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron (Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind)
Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind
16
Luck Factor (Richard Wiseman)
Luck Factor
Richard Wiseman
17
Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?: Trick Questions, Zen-Like Riddles, Insanely Difficult... (William Poundstone)
Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?: Trick Questions, Zen-Like Riddles, Insanely Difficult...
William Poundstone
18
Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises (Tim Geithner)
Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises
Tim Geithner
19
Iwoz (Steve Wozniak)
Iwoz
Steve Wozniak
20
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin)
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
21
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (Leonard Mlodinow)
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
Leonard Mlodinow
22
Animal Liberation
Animal Liberation
23
Confidence Game: How Hedge Fund Manager Bill Ackman Called Wall Street's Bluff (Christine S. Richard)
Confidence Game: How Hedge Fund Manager Bill Ackman Called Wall Street's Bluff
Christine S. Richard
24
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management (Roger Lowenstein)
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
Roger Lowenstein
25
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (John J.  Ratey, Eric Hagerman)
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
John J. Ratey, Eric Hagerman
26
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (Christopher Hitchens)
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Christopher Hitchens
27
Welcome to Your Brain (Sandra Aamodt, Sam Wang)
Welcome to Your Brain
Sandra Aamodt, Sam Wang
28
The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-The-Sce​Nes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street... (Gregory Zuckerman)
The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-The-Sce​Nes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street...
Gregory Zuckerman
29
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla
30
ELON MUSK (Ashlee Vance)
ELON MUSK
Ashlee Vance
31
The Brain That Changes Itself (Norman Doidge, M.D.)
The Brain That Changes Itself
Norman Doidge, M.D.
32
Fool's Gold: How the Bold Dream of a Small Tribe at J.P. Morgan Was Corrupted by Wall Street Greed.. (Gillian Tett)
Fool's Gold: How the Bold Dream of a Small Tribe at J.P. Morgan Was Corrupted by Wall Street Greed..
Gillian Tett
33
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
34
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein)
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
35
God: The Failed Hypothesis
God: The Failed Hypothesis
36
Open: An Autobiography (Andre Agassi)
Open: An Autobiography
Andre Agassi
37
The Red Queen by Mark Ridley
The Red Queen by Mark Ridley
38
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (John Medina)
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
John Medina
39
Freakonomics (Steven D. Levitt)
Freakonomics
Steven D. Levitt
40
Journeys in English (Bill Bryson)
Journeys in English
Bill Bryson
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