Person
Every book Kevin Kelly recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Kevin Kelly has recommended or discussed 22 books on podcasts, as of October 31, 2025.
- Kevin Kelly has talked about books on 10 podcasts, as of October 31, 2025.
- Those books came up in 12 episodes, as of October 31, 2025.
- The 3 books Kevin Kelly has mentioned in the most episodes, not counting Kevin Kelly's own, as of October 31, 2025: Humankind, Walden and A Writer's Time, a Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision Through Revision, 1st, First Edition.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Kevin Kelly aired on October 31, 2025.
Updated
Across 10 podcasts. Every show Kevin Kelly appears on, in one place — not just one.
Kevin Kelly’s most recommended books
- Humankind by Rutger Bregman
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- A Writer's Time, a Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision Through Revision, 1st, First Edition by Kenneth Atchity
- Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
- Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
- So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport
- The Adventures of Johnny Bunko by Daniel H. Pink
- The Secrets of Happy Families by Bruce Feiler
- Die Broke by Stephen Pollan
- Die with Zero by Bill Perkins
Kevin Kelly is an author, futurist, and co-founder of Wired magazine who is widely known for his writings on technology, culture, and economics. Appearing on podcasts like The Tim Ferriss Show, How I Write, and Freakonomics Radio, he has shared several influential book recommendations and personal favorites. For young people seeking career counsel and guidance on becoming indispensable, Kelly recommended Daniel H. Pink's graphic novel The Adventures of Johnny Bunko. Challenging the conventional advice of following one's bliss, he recommended Cal Newport's So Good They Can't Ignore You as a transformative read for professional paths. When asked about his favorite work of fiction, he named Gregory David Roberts's Shantaram. Discussing the creative process and time management, he recommended Kenneth Atchity's The Writer's Time, noting that Stuart Brand had introduced it to him. Kelly also named Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek as a foundational text that inspired his writing career. In addition to these recommendations, he has referenced classic literature such as Henry David Thoreau's Walden while discussing minimalist living and shelter building, and he frequently shares insights from his own published work, Excellent Advice for Living.
Books recommended by Kevin Kelly
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Excellent Advice for Living
Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly is a popular book of concise maxims, rules of thumb, and wisdom covering careers, relationships, parenting, finances, and personal innovation.
Discussed“There's just a whole lot to unpack in this final piece of advice in this book, my excellent advice for living.”
Where to get it
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Humankind
Humankind by Rutger Bregman is a popular science book that argues humans are naturally cooperative and altruistic rather than inherently selfish.
Discussed“There's a great book called Humankind that changed my mind, that brought the evidence showing that our received wisdom, the thing we're taught in school, so to speak, that humans are naturally selfish”
Where to get it
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Walden
Walden by Henry David Thoreau is a classic transcendentalist reflection on the value of simplicity, self-reliance, and intentional living in deliberate harmony with nature.
Discussed“and I think trying that out you know building your house on the pond like the row mhm a hero of mine in high school is not just a simple exercise”
Where to get it
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Out Of Control
Out Of Control by Kevin Kelly is a foundational exploration of biology, technology, and social systems, famously arguing that the worlds of human creation and natural evolution share a unified dynamic.
Discussed“Out Of Control was based from a conference that was initiated by a conference I went to at Los Alamos, and Santa Fe was hosting one of the first conferences.”
Where to get it
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The Inevitable
The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly is a work exploring long-term technological trends and the future.
Discussed“Let me just give you a quick little parallel about what I mean by inevitable, which is the title of the book. I'm talking about long-term processes rather than particulars.”
Where to get it
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A Writer's Time, a Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision Through Revision, 1st, First Edition
A Writer's Time, a Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision Through Revision by Kenneth Atchity is a practical manual designed to help authors navigate the complexities of writing, from initial conception through final edits.
Recommended“And, um, there's a great book called The Writer's Time. Stuart Brand turned me on to it when he was writing his first book.”
Where to get it
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Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard is a Pulitzer Prize-winning work of narrative non-fiction that chronicles a year of intense ecological observation, philosophical reflection, and spiritual inquiry in the Virginian landscape.
Recommended“Favorite author is Andy Dillard. Her book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, was something that just made me want to write. And I can read that any time of day or night and just be filled with excitement.”
Where to get it
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Shantaram
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is a sweeping, voluminous novel that follows an Australian fugitive's intense adventures, redemption, and deep personal transformations in the slums and underworld of Bombay.
Recommended“do you have a favorite fiction book yes oh fantastic this i usually don't get one answer this is great yeah shanton ah shantam it might take me a way to explain this”
Where to get it
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So Good They Can't Ignore You
So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport is a career guide arguing that developing rare and valuable skills matters far more than simply following one's passion.
Recommended“well there is a book that I'm recommending by C Newport is called so good that can't ignore you this changed my mind because I kind of bought into the kind of new age California dogma of follow your bliss”
Where to get it
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The Adventures of Johnny Bunko
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko by Daniel H.
Recommended“there is a short graphic novel by Daniel pink called junco uhhuh and it's career counsel advice it's aimed at young people it's graphic novel it's a cartoon basically and it's aim at young people is trying to teach them how to become indispensable”
Where to get it
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The Secrets of Happy Families
Recommended“There's actually a good book called The Secrets of Happy Families by Bruce Feiler that's really good on this. Looking at the research that's been done on understanding the family identity.”
Where to get it
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Die Broke
Discussed“There are a couple of books where I kind of made, uh, was given those realizations. One was called, um, die broke. The other one was called, um, die with zero, I think. And they both really changed my mind, um, about this, this, this aspect of, um, trying to be generous while you're alive.”
Where to get it
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Die with Zero
Die with Zero by Bill Perkins is a financial and lifestyle book that advocates for using one's wealth to enjoy life and support family while still alive rather than hoarding money for the distant future.
Discussed“There are a couple of books where I kind of made, uh, was given those realizations. One was called, um, die broke. The other one was called, um, die with zero, I think. And they both really changed my mind, um, about this, this, this aspect of, um, trying to be generous while you're alive.”
Where to get it
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Europe Through the Back Door
Discussed“there was this um guy named Rick Steves who was self-publishing a book about Europe Europe the back door”
Where to get it
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K.
Discussed“and you know, like if you look at the weird things of suits with JK Rowling and Harry Potter and Muggles and stuff, there were tons”
Where to get it
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Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is a monumental poetry collection that celebrates nature, democracy, the human body, and the interconnectedness of all souls.
Discussed“and I happened to read Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman and and it just blew my gasket”
Where to get it
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Peopleware
Discussed“There was, there was exactly, but there was a great book. I think it was called people where I think, but they were making, they were making this case in terms of teams in the corporate world that in fact, someone done the study of the most effective teams.”
Where to get it
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Pronoia
Discussed“There's a book written by a guy who popularized the term, it's not my term, called pro-noia, which is kind of about, you know, it's sort of woo-woo, new age-ish, but he kind of touts out all the ways in which the universe is trying to help you.”
Where to get it
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South-East Asia on a Shoestring
Discussed“and there was um Tony and Maureen wheeler who had a little stapled book called Lonely Planet shoestring guy to the southeast Asia and I was importing them my little catalog”
Where to get it
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Time off
Discussed“So rest ethic is a term I picked up from a book called, I think, time off that was making some of these same arguments. There's another, I don't know if it's included in this batch or not, but there's another piece, which is that taking a break is not a sign of weakness.”
Where to get it
The other 2 books Kevin Kelly recommended or discussed, ranked
- To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink
- What the Dormouse Said by John Markoff
Books Kevin Kelly wrote
- Excellent Advice for Living
- What Technology Wants
- Out Of Control
- Vanishing Asia : Three Volume Set
- The Inevitable
- Cool Tools in the Kitchen
- New rules for the new economy
Appearances
Other mentions (13: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I want to put in a plug for my very first book out of control which was about that entanglement”
“yes so this is a one of the many resources that I recommend in my book Cool Tools MH and Cool Tools is a big catalog of possibilities”
“So I wrote a book called Out of Control that was published in 94. It was written late 80s and early 90s. And I had a whole chapter”
“So one of my books, The New Rules for the New Economy, which has been very overlooked. You have a great article about that.”
“I just did this book of advice and that was one of the the main topics was that active listening which is an important I would say caveat that is an active listening rather than just a passive listening”
“I have a friend who well his name is Hugh Howie he's now uh this week last week his new story was put on to Amazon Prime The Silo stories”
“I wrote a book called The Inevitable so I am obviously biased in that general direction”
“and so that kind of advice I'm very reluctant to give and I must never answer because I don't feel I know that person well enough I can give them a platitude like my book is filled with saying here's my piece of advice for a young person who is studying out”
“where's the best place to see Vanishing Asia now um so my book kind of Records the places in the world that”
“I wrote a book called The Inevitable”
“I wrote a book called what technology wants which was primarily trying to ask this question of what are the general directions in the evolution of technology”
“So, he's my hero, and he just had a recent book, a biography written about him by John Markoff, The New York Times' tech writer, and Markoff's theory is — and so anyway, Stewart has been sort of at the center or at the leading edge of almost, first the beatniks, and then the hippies, and then the digital thing”
“I just signed a book deal because I have another bunch. And so we're going to do a book with Penguin. Amazing. Breaking news. It is. I just signed it yesterday. It'll be coming out in next spring. And it's called, right now, it's called Excellent Advice for Living.”