Episode · How I Write · 2024-03-06
Books mentioned on Write Like Wall Street’s Best | Michael Mauboussin | How I Write Podcast
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Sense of Style
Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style offers a comprehensive guide to modern writing by blending traditional grammar with linguistics and cognitive psychology.
Discussed“And then I'll go back to Pinker, Pinker wrote in that same book, the sense of style. Chapter two is actually about this. It's all about classic style.”
Where to get it
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The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. & How To Speak And Write Correctly by Joseph Devlin
Discussed“So for example, Strunk and White, which is another classic book I'm writing, is more of a practical style.”
Where to get it
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Letters of E. B. White
Discussed“So for example, Strunk and White, which is another classic book I'm writing, is more of a practical style.”
Where to get it
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Understanding Media
Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan is a classic media theory text that examines how various communication channels shape human thought, culture, and society.
Discussed“And I had this with Marsh McLennan. I read Understanding Media when I was fresh out of college, and there was something about the way that McLennan explained the similarities”
Where to get it
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The Wisdom of Crowds:Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations
The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations by James Surowiecki is a thought-provoking nonfiction exploration of how the aggregation of information in groups can often result in remarkably intelligent decisions, surpassing the capabilities of even the smartest individuals within those groups.
Discussed“Fast-forward, and this also ties into the work at the Santa Fe Institute, but Jim Surowiecki writes The Wisdom of Crowds and the ideas have been percolating for a while.”
Where to get it
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The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, published in 1776, is a foundational text of classical economics that explores the nature of market systems, the division of labor, and the concept of the invisible hand.
Discussed“Increasing returns, first described by Adam Smith and Wealth of Nations in 1776. You remember the pin factory idea?”
Where to get it
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Fooled by Randomness
Fooled by Randomness is a provocative and influential book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb that explores the massive, often unrecognized role of luck, probability, and randomness in financial markets and daily life.
Discussed“One was Fooled by Randomness, where that came out in 2001. And I read it and I was like, absolutely makes sense.”
Where to get it
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Full House
Discussed“I got that from reading his book, Full House, in the book. I give him full attribution.”
Where to get it
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On Writing
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King is part memoir and part practical guide detailing Stephen King's journey as an author alongside valuable advice for aspiring writers.
Discussed“No, over the last year, I'm embarrassed to say this, I hadn't read it before, but I read Stephen King's book on writing. Have you read that book?”
Where to get it
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The success equation
The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing by Michael J.
Recommended“Thanks for all your writing and The Success Equation in particular. I love that book. I love the idea of the paradox of skill.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“So I wrote a book in 2009 called 2010, 2009 called Think Twice. And it's about exactly what the title says, when you are faced with certain types of situations,”