Reading Lists. Goodreads. Neil deGrasse Tyson's 8. A Reddit.com user posed the question to Neil deGrasse Tyson: "Which books should be read by every single intelligent person on the planet? " Below, you will find the book list offered up by the astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and popularizer of science. Where possible, we have included links to free versions of the books, all taken from our Free Audio Books and Free eBooks collections. Or you can always download a professionally-narrated book for free from Audible.com. Details here. If you're looking for a more extensive list of essential works, don't miss The Harvard Classics, a 51 volume series that you can now download online. 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.) 8.) Tyson concludes by saying: "If you read all of the above works you will glean profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world.
" He has also added some more thoughts in the comments section below, saying: Thanks for this ongoing interest in my book suggestions. Related Content: 30 Books I’m Glad I Read Before 30. In various ways, these 30 books convey some of the philosophy of how Angel and I live our lives. I honestly credit a fraction of who I am today to each title. Thus, they have indirectly influenced much of what I write about on this site. A medley of both fiction and nonfiction, these great reads challenged my internal status quo, opening my mind to new ideas and opportunities, and together they gave me a basic framework for living, loving, learning and working successfully.
If you haven’t read these books yet, I highly recommend doing so. They will enrich your library and your life. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert – Gilbert, a Harvard professor of psychology has studied happiness for decades, and he shares scientific findings that just might change the way you look at the world. What are your favorite books? Photo by: Katie Harris. The Harvard Classics. During his days as Harvard’s influential president, Charles W. Eliot made a frequent assertion: If you were to spend just 15 minutes a day reading the right books, a quantity that could fit on a five foot shelf, you could give yourself a proper liberal education. The publisher P. F. Collier and Son loved the idea and asked Eliot to assemble the right collection of works. A big h/t to @eugenephoto Texts in the Harvard Classics collection (courtesy of Wikipedia): Vol. 1: FRANKLIN, WOOLMAN, PENN His Autobiography, by Benjamin Franklin The Journal of John Woolman, by John Woolman (1774 and subsequent editions) Fruits of Solitude, by William Penn Vol. 2.