Person
Every book Mark Manson recommended on podcasts
Mark Manson appears on podcasts as a bestselling author and thinker focused on personal development, productivity, history, and the psychology of writing. Throughout his appearances, Manson recommends several classic and historical works that have influenced his perspective. He expresses a deep love for Ernest Hemingway's Nobel Prize-winning novella 'The Old Man and the Sea', praising its sparse, simple, and heartbreaking style. He also recommends Adam Hochschild's historical book 'Bury the Chains' while discussing abolitionist history, and Stephen Greenblatt's 'The Swerve' when exploring the history of ancient philosophy and the Roman thinker Lucretius. Discussing the mechanics of business and writing biographies, Manson highlights Brad Stone's 'The Everything Store' as an exceptional look at Jeff Bezos and early online commerce, and recalls how David Foster Wallace's essay collection 'A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again' inspired him to pursue a serious career in writing. Additionally, Manson reflects on sprawling literary classics like Leo Tolstoy's 'War and Peace', using the novel to explore profound historical theories and complex character development.
Books recommended by Mark Manson
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The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a classic tragic novella that follows an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles endlessly with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
Recommended“I love old man in the sea himing Way's Nolla that he won the Nobel Prize for it is so sparse and simple and like heartbreaking”
Where to get it
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A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace is a brilliant collection of sharp, deeply observant essays exploring contemporary American culture, media, and leisure through the author's trademark hyper-detailed lens.
Recommended“and I bought a supposedly fun thing I'll never do again the title piece of that book is the story behind it is actually pretty funny”
Where to get it
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Bury the Chains
Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild is a historical account of the British abolitionist movement and the campaign to end the slave trade.
Recommended“and so Adam hos child has an amazing book on this called bury the chain”
Where to get it
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The Everything Store
The Everything Store by Brad Stone is a comprehensive biographical work that chronicles the meteoric rise of Jeff Bezos and the creation of Amazon.
Recommended“yeah it's funny I read Bezos is um or the biography the I forget what the the everything store that's so good”
Where to get it
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The swerve
The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt is a historical nonfiction book that explores how the rediscovery of a long-lost Roman poem by Lucretius in 1417 helped ignite the modern world.
Recommended“there's a great book by Stephen Greenblatt called the swerve”
Where to get it
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It
It by Stephen King is a sprawling horror epic that follows a group of children confronting a shapeshifting entity in their fictional hometown of Derry, Maine, while exploring themes of childhood trauma and nostalgic memory.
Discussed“probably like Middle School I remember I read Stephen King's it okay and I remember when I started I think it was sixth grade”
Where to get it
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The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers is a provocative guide that distills historical strategies of manipulation, survival, and influence into distinct maxims.
Discussed“and so how do you square like all this stuff with the 48 Laws of Power or whatever like well I didn't write it so it's not like my job”
Where to get it
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The 48 Laws of Power (Special Power Edition)
The 48 Laws of Power (Special Power Edition) by Robert Greene is a prominent strategic guide examining power dynamics, manipulation, and statecraft through historical anecdotes and philosophical insights.
Discussed“The other thing I get a lot, which is weird because I didn't write it, is people ask me how I square all this stuff with the 48 Laws of Power or whatever. Well, I didn't write it, so it’s not my job.”
Where to get it
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The Game
The Game by Neil Strauss is a non-fiction account of the author's infiltration of the secret pickup artist underworld.
Discussed“about five years before that when I found Neil Strauss as the game”
Where to get it
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War and Peace
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is a monumental literary masterpiece that chronicles Russian society, family life, and the dramatic historical events surrounding the Napoleonic Wars.
Discussed“The other one that I was that came to mind is completely opposite War and Peace”
Where to get it
Books Mark Manson wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (7: passing, ad reads, own books)
“no I became a business person cuz I just wanted to like party on beaches in Brazil and make money while I slept like you know the whole the whole 4-Hour Work week promise um that's why I got into it”
“It's funny because I was doing my book tour for Everything is F*cked, where I did most of this research and wrote about most of this stuff. A guy came up to me after one of the shows and asked if I had ever heard of optimistic nihilism, and I said I hadn’t.”
“like you know subtle art was so huge”
“I say oh it's called everything is - and they go oh okay and I said it's a book about hope”
“well I'm doing so I'm doing Will Smith's book yeah I know”
“that's why like in subtle art there there are four there for story personal stories that I put in the subtle art”
“and that's why everything is [ __ ] is actually a book about hope”