Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2026-04-24
Ezra Klein & Stewart Brand: books mentioned on The Ezra Klein Show
Stewart Brand on LSD, A.I. Black Boxes and the Beauty of Care | The Ezra Klein Show
Ezra Klein discussed How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand, Maintenance of Everything by Stewart Brand, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. Stewart Brand recommended The beginning of infinity by David Deutsch and The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester, and discussed The Encyclopædia Britannica by Hugh Chisholm.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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How Buildings Learn
How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand is an architectural study that explores how buildings adapt, evolve, and change over time in response to human use.
Discussed“It is very, very long, and along the way brand has been writing these very beautiful, unusual books, not just the whole Earth Catalog, but "How Buildings Learn" in 1994, which I love.”
Where to get it
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Maintenance of Everything
Discussed“And then most recently, this book "The Maintenance of Everything, Part One", which explores something many of us would rather avoid the constant and almost spiritually important work of fixing our cars, of doing home repairs, of caring for each other.”
Where to get it
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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M.
Discussed“And you quote quite a lot from "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," which is a classic book.”
Where to get it
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The beginning of infinity
The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch is a profound work of popular science and philosophy exploring human progress, knowledge creation, and cosmic optimism.
Recommended“What are three books you’d recommend to the audience? I recommend David Deutsch’s "The Beginning of Infinity" It’s basically optimism at a cosmic level, and it’s full of the realization that there are always problems and there are solutions, and that goes on infinitely.”
Where to get it
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The Perfectionists
The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester is a historical narrative that examines how precision engineering and the pursuit of exact measurements enabled the creation of the modern industrial world.
Recommended“I recommend a book by Simon Winchester called "The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World."”
Where to get it
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The Encyclopædia Britannica
Discussed“they came up with their own encyclopedia called the "Encyclopedia Britannica," which went from strength to strength for 100 years.”
Where to get it
