Person
Every book Maria Popova recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Maria Popova has recommended or discussed 7 books on podcasts, as of May 13, 2026.
- Maria Popova has talked about books on 2 podcasts, as of May 13, 2026.
- Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of May 13, 2026.
- The 3 books Maria Popova has mentioned in the most episodes, as of May 13, 2026: A madman dreams of Turing machines, Existentialists and Mystics and Letter to a Hostage.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Maria Popova aired on May 13, 2026.
Updated
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Maria Popova appears on, in one place — not just one.
Maria Popova’s most recommended books
- A madman dreams of Turing machines by Janna Levin
- Existentialists and Mystics by Iris Murdoch
- Letter to a Hostage by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Love and Saint Augustine by Hannah Arendt
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Maria Popova appeared on programs such as How I Write and The Tim Ferriss Show to discuss literature, philosophy, and the creative process. Popova recommended several profound and insightful books across her appearances. She recommended Iris Murdoch's Existentialists and Mystics, highlighting the author's discussion of unselfing and how encounters with art and nature offer profound moments of perception. She also recommended Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Letter to a Hostage as a tiny gem of a book, and Hannah Arendt's Love and Saint Augustine as a deeply insightful inquiry into the life of the heart. Additionally, she recommended Janna Levin's A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, describing it as a mathematical historical novel. Beyond her direct recommendations, Popova discussed other influential works and authors. She expressed her deep admiration for Henry David Thoreau, specifically discussing Walden and his personal notebooks. She referenced Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's beloved work The Little Prince while discussing its author's broader literary output, and explored Hannah Arendt's famous book The Origins of Totalitarianism while elaborating on Arendt's philosophical development and core ideas regarding morality and politics.
Books recommended by Maria Popova
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A madman dreams of Turing machines
A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines by Janna Levin is a biographical novel that weaves together the lives and intellectual pursuits of logician Kurt Gödel and mathematician Alan Turing, exploring the intersections of computation, mental fragility, and genius.
Recommended“and the book is called a madman dreams of Turing machines and perhaps it's best described as a mathematical historical novel”
Where to get it
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Existentialists and Mystics
Existentialists and Mystics by Iris Murdoch is a collection of essays and philosophical writings exploring ethics, literature, art, and the human condition through the lenses of both existentialist philosophy and mystical thought.
Recommended“She used the word unselfing in a kind of almost as an aside in she has a book called Existentialists and Mystics that you would, I think, appreciate given what you just said about the the light. Uh and she talks about how art and nature, our encounters with art and with the natural world, are occasions for unselfing.”
Where to get it
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Letter to a Hostage
Letter to a Hostage by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a poignant, compact masterpiece written by the celebrated author of The Little Prince during the harrowing trials of the Second World War.
Recommended“the first book is a tiny tiny gem of a book called letter from a hostage by Antoine de saint-exupéry the author of the little prince”
Where to get it
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Love and Saint Augustine
Love and Saint Augustine by Hannah Arendt is a philosophical exploration of the concept of love through the writings of Saint Augustine.
Recommended“it's called love and st. Augustine by Hannah Arendt and it's an improbable and and deeply insightful inquiry into the life of the heart”
Where to get it
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The Little Prince
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a classic philosophical novella that explores themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and human nature through the journey of a young prince visiting various planets.
Discussed“Antoine de saint-exupéry the author of the little prince which is of course one of the most beloved I hesitate to say children's books of all time”
Where to get it
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The Origins of Totalitarianism
The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt is a foundational political science text that examines the historical roots, psychosocial conditions, and structural mechanisms that allowed Nazism and Stalinism to rise in the twentieth century.
Discussed“she obsessively revised and annotated the manuscript and for the remainder of her life she honed her core philosophical ideas against Augustine's whetstone contemplating the troublesome disconnect between philosophy and politics particularly moral philosophy and politics as evidenced by the rise of totalitarian regimes which of course she later explored in her just just shockingly relevant book the origins of”
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“Well, I mean, I love Walden. And people say whatever they say, but but I just I love Thoreau and um more of his notebooks than not just Walden.”
Where to get it
Books Maria Popova wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Popova: How to Write Something Truly Wise | How I Write | How I Write | 2026-05-13 | 2 |
| #436: Books I've Loved — Maria Popova and Tyler Cowen | The Tim Ferriss Show | 2020-05-25 | 5 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and I wrote a very thick very yellow book called figuring which looks at our human search for truth for meaning for self-actualization for love through the lives of several historical figures”