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Simon's 150 Most Intelligent and Essential Non-Fiction Books

The top 150 non-fiction & science books any erudite should read on a variety of topics ranging from.. well, the natural- and non-natural sciences, along with life & love. A mix of the great and the absolutely astounding. Don't forget the great reading tips!
The principal reason for adding the list was that the earlier one's tended to be uninteresting, substandard and/or plainly ignorant – and, more often than not, all three. For simplicity's sake, the list is tilted toward books written in US or UK and mainly consists of books published within the last decade.
This revised and updated list contains a few additions from a previous version.
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589 users · 7,345 views
 
made by Simon Hann*s
avg. score: 4 of 150 (3%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 

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How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company... (William Poundstone)
How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company...
1
William Poundstone
Stumbling on Happiness (Daniel Gilbert)
Stumbling on Happiness
2
Daniel Gilbert
Liar's Poker
Liar's Poker
3
Animals Make Us Human (Temple Grandin)
Animals Make Us Human
4
Temple Grandin
Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)
Steve Jobs
5
Walter Isaacson
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (Steven Pinker)
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
6
Steven Pinker
Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior (Leonard Mlodinow)
Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
7
Leonard Mlodinow
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
8
The Stars of Heaven (Clifford A. Pickover)
The Stars of Heaven
9
Clifford A. Pickover
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow
10
A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market (John Allen Paulos)
A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market
11
John Allen Paulos
All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis (Bethany McLean, Joe Nocera)
All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis
12
Bethany McLean, Joe Nocera
Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain–For Life (David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg)
Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain–For Life
13
David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg
Dreams From My Father (Barack Obama)
Dreams From My Father
14
Barack Obama
Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron (Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind)
Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
15
Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind
Luck Factor (Richard Wiseman)
Luck Factor
16
Richard Wiseman
Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?: Trick Questions, Zen-Like Riddles, Insanely Difficult... (William Poundstone)
Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?: Trick Questions, Zen-Like Riddles, Insanely Difficult...
17
William Poundstone
Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises (Tim Geithner)
Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises
18
Tim Geithner
Iwoz (Steve Wozniak)
Iwoz
19
Steve Wozniak
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin)
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
20
Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (Leonard Mlodinow)
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
21
Leonard Mlodinow
Animal Liberation
Animal Liberation
22
Confidence Game: How Hedge Fund Manager Bill Ackman Called Wall Street's Bluff (Christine S. Richard)
Confidence Game: How Hedge Fund Manager Bill Ackman Called Wall Street's Bluff
23
Christine S. Richard
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management (Roger Lowenstein)
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
24
Roger Lowenstein
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (John J.  Ratey, Eric Hagerman)
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
25
John J. Ratey, Eric Hagerman
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (Christopher Hitchens)
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
26
Christopher Hitchens
Welcome to Your Brain (Sandra Aamodt, Sam Wang)
Welcome to Your Brain
27
Sandra Aamodt, Sam Wang
The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-The-Sce​Nes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street... (Gregory Zuckerman)
The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-The-Sce​Nes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street...
28
Gregory Zuckerman
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla
29
ELON MUSK (Ashlee Vance)
ELON MUSK
30
Ashlee Vance
The Brain That Changes Itself (Norman Doidge, M.D.)
The Brain That Changes Itself
31
Norman Doidge, M.D.
Fool's Gold: How the Bold Dream of a Small Tribe at J.P. Morgan Was Corrupted by Wall Street Greed.. (Gillian Tett)
Fool's Gold: How the Bold Dream of a Small Tribe at J.P. Morgan Was Corrupted by Wall Street Greed..
32
Gillian Tett
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
33
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein)
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
34
Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
God: The Failed Hypothesis
God: The Failed Hypothesis
35
Open: An Autobiography (Andre Agassi)
Open: An Autobiography
36
Andre Agassi
The Red Queen by Mark Ridley
The Red Queen by Mark Ridley
37
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (John Medina)
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
38
John Medina
Freakonomics (Steven D. Levitt)
Freakonomics
39
Steven D. Levitt
Journeys in English (Bill Bryson)
Journeys in English
40
Bill Bryson
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