Person
Every book Ken Rogoff recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Ken Rogoff has recommended or discussed 4 books on podcasts, as of June 12, 2025.
- Ken Rogoff has talked about books on 2 podcasts, as of June 12, 2025.
- Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of June 12, 2025.
- The 3 books Ken Rogoff has mentioned in the most episodes, as of June 12, 2025: Benjamin Franklin, Muppets in Moscow and The Queen's gambit.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Ken Rogoff aired on June 12, 2025.
Updated
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Ken Rogoff appears on, in one place — not just one.
Kenneth Saul Rogoff is an American economist and chess Grandmaster. He appeared on programs such as The Ezra Klein Show and the Dwarkesh Podcast to discuss economic history, financial systems, and global affairs, while offering several book recommendations. Rogoff opened his recommendations by highlighting his wife's book, Muppets in Moscow by Natasha Lance Rogoff, which details the oversight and creation of Sesame Street in Russia during the 1990s. He also recommended Walter Tevis's novel The Queen's Gambit, describing it as one of the most perfect books ever written, and Walter Isaacson's biography Benjamin Franklin, noting that he learned a great deal about the historical figure through reading it. Furthermore, during a discussion about historical technology and inflation, Rogoff responded to an example from Charles C. Mann's book 1493, noting that while he had not read the text himself, he found the historical parallel regarding early paper currency and inflation to be a fascinating and useful example.
Books recommended by Ken Rogoff
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Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson is a comprehensive biographical work detailing the multifaceted life, scientific experiments, political career, and business acumen of one of America's founding fathers.
Recommended“And another book would be uh Walter Isacson's Ben Franklin. I just I I just hadn't known everything about him.”
Where to get it
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Muppets in Moscow
Muppets in Moscow by Natasha Lance Rogoff is a behind-the-scenes account of the creation of the Russian adaptation of Sesame Street during the tumultuous political and economic landscape of the 1990s.
Recommended“Well, I have uh I have a few books to recommend, but I have to start out with my wife's book, Muppets in Moscow, which I've given you as a present about the making of Sesame Street in the 1990s, which she oversaw hundreds of uh artists uh the making of it in Russia.”
Where to get it
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The Queen's gambit
The Queen's Gambit by Walter S.
Recommended“Another book that I think uh is I just love and people have seen the series but haven't read the book is the Queen's Gambit by Walter Tavis. It is one of the most perfect books ever written.”
Where to get it
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1493
1493 by Charles C.
Discussed“That’s a fascinating example you bring up. The Chinese actually invented the printing press. They invented paper currency way before the Europeans. But then, what do you know, they kept printing a lot of it and had a lot of inflation. I hadn’t read that book, but it’s a great example.”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“We had a different book that came out in 2009. I mostly write papers, but this was a book with Carmen Reinhart. It was called This Time Is Different.”