Books
American Kingpin
American Kingpin is the story of Ross Ulbricht and his dark web empire, the Silk Road. It's enthralling and I was delighted to learn that San Francisco plays an important role.
AmazonApple: The First 50 Years
David Pogue does a masterful job summarizing decades of Apple products and leadership. My only warning is the last quarter feels rushed without providing the "why" behind decisions and launches.
AmazonAtlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura is a giant list of unique things to see when you travel. Every time my wife and I plan a trip we check the book for recommendations.
AmazonBad Blood
Bad Blood is the shocking story of Elizabeth Holmes' company, Theranos. In addition to the book I recommend listening to the podcast and Hulu series.
AmazonBillion Dollar Whale
Billion Dollar Whale is the wild story of Jho Low and his international fraud empire.
AmazonCommand and Control
Command and Control oscillates between the terrifying history of atomic weapons, and the 1980 Damascus Titan missile accident.
AmazonCreative Selection
Creative Selection is Ken Kocienda's story of the original iPhone's design and development process with a focus on a feature we constantly use but not necessarily think about: the keyboard.
AmazonDesigning Design
Designing Design is the perfect design book. Kenya Hara's body of work will teach you to approach design projects with a sense of creativity, delight, and impact.
AmazonDesigned by Apple in California
Designed by Apple in California is simply a collection of beautiful photos of Apple products and their curves, lines, edges, and corners. I recommend acquiring the 13" × 16.25" version of course. Sadly the book is no longer for sale.
apple.comEnder's Game
Ender's Game taught me that reading can be fun. This is my favorite science fiction book about children training to save the world against an alien invasion.
AmazonEnder's Shadow
Ender's Shadow is the same story as Ender's Game but told from a different character's perspective. I think the Bean series is better than the Ender series.
AmazonFoundation
Asimov's Foundation series is about Hari Seldon moving scientists and scholars to a distant planet in order to minimize the empire's downfall.
AmazonGrid Systems in Graphic Design
Josef Müller-Brockmann's demonstrations of grids and their rules will inspire you apply grids to everything.
AmazonHelvetica and the New York City Subway System
Helvetica and the New York City Subway System is a thorough history of signs, plaques, arrows, tiles, and type. If you use New York's subway system you will notice many subtle details.
AmazonHow to use graphic design to sell things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people cry, and (every once in a while) change the world
Michael Bierut's body of work is inspiring, and in How to he writes about his origins and projects.
AmazoniWoz
In iWoz Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, tells amazing stories about his childhood and… Apple.
AmazonKitchen Confidential
Anthony Bourdain literally changed my life. I was awake at 2:00am in Barcelona reading Kitchen Confidential, and in one paragraph Bourdain insists the human body should be treated like a rollercoaster instead of a temple. In that moment I decided to eat pork. My wife will forever be happy.
AmazonLosing the Signal
Losing the Signal describes the history of BlackBerry Limited (Research in Motion), and how they responded to the iPhone.
AmazonMidnight in Chernobyl
Midnight in Chernobyl is a detailed account of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. I also recommend watching the HBO series, and listening to the accompanying podcast.
AmazonPhotographers on Photography: How the Masters See, Think, and Shoot
Photographers on Photography is a collection of photographers' processes and how they think about… photography.
AmazonProject Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary is the third (and in my opinion best) book from Andy Weir. Ryland Grace is humanity's only hope, and he's a badass nerd.
AmazonSeveneves
Neal Stephenson's Seveneves explores a sudden destruction of the moon and how humanity can survive. It's just the right amount of science to keep me excited without feeling confused or overwhelmed.
AmazonSteve Jobs
Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs has its flaws, but it's still the best book about Jobs. Note: I've read several.
AmazonSteve Jobs in Exile
Steve Jobs in Exile is thorough retelling of NeXT, the company Steve Jobs founded after leaving Apple. I loved learning about the Cube, NeXTSTEP, and the plethora of mistakes made.
AmazonUnderstanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera
Bryan Peterson writes about how he approaches taking a photo with a focus on exposure.
AmazonWhat If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Randall Munroe, the genius behind the webcomic XKCD, breaks down crazy scenarios like what would happen if a pitcher threw a baseball at the speed of light.
AmazonThe Vignelli Canon
The Vignelli Canon is a journey through the work of Lella and Massimo Vignelli who made significant contributions to the design industry through corporate branding, graphic design, kitchenware, fashion, and more. I recommend watching Design Is One: The Vignellis to learn more about this epic duo.
AmazonWithin the Frame
David Duchemin writes about telling stories with a camera. I believe telling stories is what separates an amateur from a professional photographer.
AmazonYearbook
Yearbook is a collection of stories from Seth Rogen's life. His combination of Judaism, adolescence, and shenanigans brought me to tears laughing multiple times.
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