Person
Every book Ken Burns recommended on podcasts
Across 6 podcasts. Every show Ken Burns appears on, in one place — not just one.
Ken Burns’s most recommended books
- The Great Bridge by David McCullough
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Victor, E Marsden
- Common Sense by Thomas Paine
- Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
- Notes on the state of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson, Logan, James
- On Photography by Susan Sontag
- The Central Park Five by Sarah Burns
Ken Burns is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker known for his extensive historical series. He has discussed numerous historical texts and influences on podcasts such as This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, The Joe Rogan Experience, and People I (Mostly) Admire. Burns mentioned Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense when talking about the writings surrounding the American Revolution, and he referenced Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia while exploring how early American figures viewed slavery. He frequently discussed David McCullough's book The Great Bridge, explaining how devouring the epic story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge inspired him to pitch and create his documentary on the subject. Burns also mentioned Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi when discussing a piece of prose about Hannibal that he ultimately chose to cut from his own Twain documentary. Furthermore, Burns talked about The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious anti-Semitic hoax written in Russia, detailing how Henry Ford infamously purchased a newspaper and printed the text across multiple editions during his controversial history.
Books recommended by Ken Burns
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The Great Bridge
The Great Bridge by David McCullough is a sweeping historical narrative detailing the epic engineering challenges, political corruption, and human sacrifices involved in the monumental construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Discussed“I had read David McCulla's um The Great Bridge, the epic story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.”
Where to get it
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The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Victor E.
Discussed“He bought a newspaper and he printed over many editions the protocols of the Elders of Zion which is the worst anti-semitic track a hoax written in Russia”
Where to get it
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Common Sense
Common Sense by Thomas Paine is a deeply influential 1776 political pamphlet that articulated arguments for American independence from Great Britain and helped ignite the American Revolution.
Discussed“At that point, the war has already started at Lexington and Concord the previous April, but nobody's really sure what we're going to do with this rebellion. And certainly independency, as they called it, is not on the mind of everybody. But he writes this thing called Common Sense.”
Where to get it
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Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi is a famous memoir and travel book by Mark Twain that recounts his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War, alongside a later journey through the region.
Discussed“I took out this beautiful pros thing from Life on the Mississippi called White Town Drowsing about Hannibal”
Where to get it
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Notes on the state of Virginia
Notes on the State of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson is the only book published by the Founding Father during his lifetime, originally written as an extensive defense and description of America for a French audience that encompasses geographic, social, and political observations.
Discussed“Thomas Jefferson did a little bit in his notes on the state of Virginia. It's very very complicated, but we're always looking for a way to say that some people are more equal than others.”
Where to get it
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On Photography
Discussed“you know Susan Sontag wrote an amazing essay called on photography in which she understands the negative parts of it”
Where to get it
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The Central Park Five
Discussed“I have to admit the team, my oldest daughter Sarah Burns, and her husband David McMahon, and I, we made 'The Central Park Five' and 'Jackie Robinson'.”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #615 - Ken Burns | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von | 2025-10-07 | 2 |
| #2336 - Ken Burns | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2025-06-11 | 2 |
| Ken Burns on Heroism, Horror, and History | People I (Mostly) Admire | Episode 88 | People I (Mostly) Admire | 2023-01-18 | 4 |
| Ken Burns on the Complications of History | Conversations with Tyler | 2022-11-16 | 1 |
| Extra: Ken Burns | People I (Mostly) Admire | Freakonomics Radio | 2022-09-19 | 1 |
| Ken Burns | SmartLess | 2021-09-20 | 2 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“in fact coincidentally a touring exhibition location of of some of my quilts published a beautiful book that came out in September about my quilts called uncovered the Ken Burns collection”
“I got nominated twice for Brooklyn Bridge, which was one hour and for Statue of Liberty, which was one hour, and we didn't win, which was fine.”