Episode · The Tim Ferriss Show · 2026-03-26
Books mentioned on #859: Q&A with Tim — The Upcoming AI Tsunami and Building Offline Advantage, Book Recommendations, Spotting Psychedelic Red Flags, Courage as a Learnable Skill, and More
Welcome back to another in-between-isode, with one of my favorite formats: the good old-fashioned Q&A. This episode is brought to you by: Our Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “forever chemicals”: FromOurPlace.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Travels with Charley in Search of America
Travels with Charley in Search of America is an engaging travelogue by John Steinbeck that chronicles a road trip across the United States in a makeshift camper truck accompanied by his standard poodle.
Discussed“It could be, let's just say, Travels with Charlie. Amazing book by John Steinbeck. Road trip in a makeshift RV with his dog Charlie.”
Where to get it
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The Effective Executive
Peter F.
Recommended“So, one is going to be The Effective Executive from Peter Ducker. Classic, old, short, incredible bang for the buck.”
Where to get it
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Of wolves and men
Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez is a classic work of natural history and environmental literature that examines the complex historical, biological, and cultural relationship between humans and wolves.
Recommended“There's a book back there called Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez who won I believe it was the Booker or Pulitzer Prize for another of his books called Arctic Dreams.”
Where to get it
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a celebrated 19th-century work of absurd literature that follows a young girl named Alice down a rabbit hole into a fantastical realm populated by peculiar creatures and illogical rules.
Recommended“If you haven't read I'll simplify the title here. Alice in Wonderland. You should go read Alice in Wonderland. Read the whole thing just quotes from it.”
Where to get it
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The 80/20 Principle
The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch explores the Pareto distribution, demonstrating how a small minority of inputs typically leads to the majority of results in business and daily life.
Recommended“the 8020 principle, Richard Kosh. That just never gets old. Just does not get old.”
Where to get it
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Living the 80/20 Way
Living the 80/20 Way by Richard Koch is a practical guide that applies the Pareto principle to everyday life, productivity, and personal happiness.
Recommended“And there's another book of his up there called Living the 8020 Principle. It might be living the 8020 way. And he really walks the talk.”
Where to get it
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High Growth Handbook
High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil is a comprehensive tactical guide designed to help entrepreneurs, executives, and startup founders navigate the complexities of scaling companies from early-stage operations to massive enterprises.
Recommended“is to read a book called the high growth handbook by Allad Gil E L A D G I L arguably the best one of the best certainly angel investors of the last few decades”
Where to get it
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The W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Blue Ocean Strategy Reader
The W.
Recommended“And then maybe last but not least, it's been a long time since I read it, but the blue ocean strategy probably worth checking out because if if you choose to compete in a crowded category...”
Where to get it
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Don't Shoot the Dog
Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor is a foundational text on behavioral training and the principles of positive reinforcement, applicable to both animals and humans.
Recommended“The books that I have found most helpful are Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Prior. I think everybody should read that.”
Where to get it
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Ozymandias
Ozymandias is a famous sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley that explores the inevitable decay of political power, human pride, and physical monuments over time.
Recommended“It's actually very freeing. It's like every everybody should read I think it's Percy Shelly. Azymandas. Yeah, Percy Shelly. Azymandas.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Honestly, if I were to tell you to go buy what color is my parachute or something, you might glean something from that. But I feel like in very dynamic times...”
“Barry Lopez who won I believe it was the Booker or Pulitzer Prize for another of his books called Arctic Dreams.”
“So I would just say probably unfairly but I would be biased towards people who have been doing this since before Michael Pollen's exceptional book how to change your mind right”
“I think they're in Tools of Titans, maybe Tribe of Mentors, but also on Tim.blog. There's a PDF with the 17 questions I most often ask myself.”
“I think they're in Tools of Titans, maybe Tribe of Mentors, but also on Tim.blog. There's a PDF with the 17 questions I most often ask myself.”