111 Books recommended by Marc Andreessen

Spain In Our Hearts
Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939
Author :Adam Hochschild

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Who Is Michael Ovitz?
Author :Michael Ovitz

"Learn how to build an empire and transform an industry from the Jedi master of modern Hollywood." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Wizard of Menlo Park
How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World
Author :Randall E. Stross

"A great biography of Edison." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Spanish Civil War
Author :Hugh Thomas

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

12 Rules for Life
An Antidote to Chaos
Author :Jordan Peterson

"A bracing disassembly and reconstruction of a theory of individual progress in the modern world." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Alexandre Kojève
Wisdom at the End of History
Author :James H. Nichols Jr.

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Living with a SEAL
31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet
Author :Jesse Itzler

"What's it like to train with a Navy SEAL in winter in New York for a whole month? Featuring the truly remarkable American hero David Goggins." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

A Guide to the Good Life
The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
Author :William B. Irvine

"Best (?) walk through the ancient/current philosophy of Stoicism. You can't control other people but you can control yourself, so do that." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

When the Wolves Bite
Two Billionaires, One Company, and an Epic Wall Street Battle
Author :Scott Wapner

"'Wall Street'-esque battle between Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn over unlikely target Herbalife. Sip a delicious Herbal Aloe Shake while reading." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Play Nice But Win
A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader
Author :Michael Dell

"An incredible window into what it’s like to be in a founder’s shoes, and the difficult work of growing a company." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The End of History and the Last Man
Author :Francis Fukuyama

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Skin in the Game
Incerto, Book 5
Author :Nassim Taleb

"Skin in the game as conflict of interest, or as attaching one's livelihood to one's speech? Who to listen to, and why." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Triumph of the City
How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier
Author :Edward Glaeser

"How cities drive the development of civilization, by putting people together. Highly relevant to the future of the Internet!" - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The New Right
A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics
Author :Michael Malice

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

The Fabric of Civilization
How Textiles Made the World
Author :Virginia Postrel

"The story of technology is a story of human ingenuity, and nowhere is this more clear than in the story of textiles." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Homage to Catalonia
Author :George Orwell

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital
The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages
Author :Carlota Perez

"Describes a general model for the deployment of new technologies." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Spider Network
How a Math Genius and a Gang of Scheming Bankers Pulled Off One of the Greatest Scams in History
Author :David Enrich

"'Billions'-esque saga of global financial market manipulation, at mind-boggling scale and hiding in plain sight, by a small cabal of bankers in London." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Tycoons
How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy
Author :Charles R. Morris

"On how four great builders of the 19th century built the world we live in today." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Days of Rage
America's Radical Underground, the FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence
Author :Bryan Burrough

"How 1960s racial politics descended into 1970s terrorist bombings, thanks to privileged college students breaking very bad." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

How to Decide
Simple Tools for Making Better Choices
Author :Annie Duke

"Provides exercises for how to decide." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Born Standing Up
A Comic's Life
Author :Steve Martin

"Nothing about his career was an accident, which I thought was fascinating." - Marc Andreessen [Source]


Golden Gates
Fighting for Housing in America
Author :Conor Dougherty

"On why we can't build in great American cities like San Francisco today and what we need to do about it." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Without Their Permission
The Story of Reddit and a Blueprint for How to Change the World
Author :Alexis Ohanian

"Software is eating the world and [this book] is your ultimate cookbook." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Walt Disney
The Triumph of the American Imagination
Author :Neal Gabler

"The best biography on Walt Disney." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

History Has Begun
The Birth of a New America
Author :Bruno Macaes

"On the country and culture the United States is evolving into, not necessarily decline, but something very different." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Devil's Bargain
Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency
Author :Joshua Green

"Best (?) book so far on the Republican side of the 2016 race, and a deep dive into the intellectual origins of Bannonism and to some extent Trumpism." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Power of Productivity
Wealth, Poverty, and the Threat to Global Stability
Author :William W. Lewis

"On how technology-driven productivity growth improves human welfare and creates more jobs and higher wages." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Mine Were of Trouble
A Nationalist Account of the Spanish Civil War
Author :Peter Kemp

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Who We Are and How We Got Here
Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past
Author :David Reich

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]


Expert Political Judgment
How Good Is It? How Can We Know?
Author :Philip E. Tetlock

"Is the future knowable, and by whom? All pundits and commentators should publish their prediction track records, yet don't." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

A Higher Loyalty
Truth, Lies, and Leadership
Author :James Comey

"Certainly the story is well known, but given author's propensity to post photos of himself wearing running shoes in Iowa, potentially relevant again starting next year?" - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Only the Paranoid Survive
How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company
Author :Andrew S. Grove

"One of my favorite topics. And so that is also a very good book [I] recommend." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Civilian Warriors
The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror
Author :Erik Prince

"The founding and growth of military contractor Blackwater as told by its founder and CEO; newly relevant due to the Mueller investigation." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Courage to Be Disliked
The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness
Author :Ichiro Kishimi

"Smash hit in Japan, and easy to see why. Adlerian psychology meets Stoic philosophy in Socratic dialogue. Compelling from front to back. Highly recommend." - Marc Andreessen [Source]


Chasing Hillary
Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns, and One Intact Glass Ceiling
Author :Amy Chozick

"On the bus/in the plane with the Hillary campaign. Revealing in many dimensions at once, and highly entertaining. Best book on the 2016 campaign so far?" - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Rise and Fall of American Growth
The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War
Author :Robert J. Gordon

"I disagree with the book, but it's a very well written book." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Second Coming of the KKK
The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition
Author :Linda Gordon

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]


The Captive Mind
Author :Czeslaw Milosz

"The definitive work on intellectual life under totalitarianism." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

War for Eternity
The Return of Traditionalism and the Rise of the Populist Right
Author :Benjamin R. Teitelbaum

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

The Managerial Revolution
What is Happening in the World
Author :James Burnham

"Together [with 'The Machiavellians'], the best explanation for the current structure of our society and politics." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Maverick and His Machine
Thomas Watson, Sr. and the Making of IBM
Author :Kevin Maney

"If you want to read what's it's like to work for someone harsh, read [this book]. He makes all of today's entrepreneurs look like cream puffs." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Schulz and Peanuts
A Biography
Author :David Michaelis

"Amazing. And, basically, the biographer makes the case that Peanuts was the longest, continuous work of American art ever made." - Marc Andreessen [Source]


The Guarded Gate
Bigotry, Eugenics and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants Out of America
Author :Daniel Okrent

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]


Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy
How Generals, Weapons Manufacturers, and Foreign Governments Shape American Foreign Policy
Author :Richard Hanania

"A sobering reexamination of how democratic governments actually make decisions." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

All Out War
The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class
Author :Tim Shipman

"Inside story of how Britain decided to exit the EU. Economic self-destruction or national liberation? Repercussions to play out for decades." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

A Conflict of Visions
Ideological Origins of Political Struggles
Author :Thomas Sowell

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Believe in People
Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World
Author :Charles Koch

"An unrelenting picture of optimism that's a roadmap for solving our country's biggest problems." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Power of the Powerless
Citizens Against the State in Central Eastern Europe
Author :Vaclav Havel

"The definitive work on practical life under totalitarianism." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Strange Death of Europe
Immigration, Identity, Islam
Author :Douglas Murray

"One perspective on the politics of immgiration in Europe, playing out in real time, e.g. Merkel almost getting deposed days ago. Confusing on multiple levels from US perspective." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Kill Decision
Author :Daniel Suarez

"It'll keep you up late at night." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Rise of Superman
Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance
Author :Steven Kotler

"Startling walk through a series of domains where peak human performance is rising at remarkable rates due to "flow state". Thought provoking and then some." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Author :Peter Thiel

"The first book any working or aspiring entrepreneur must read—period." - Marc Andreessen [Source]
Also Recommended by

An Apology for the Builder
Author :Nicholas Barbon

"Written in 1685. [...] Some things never change!" - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Antifascism
The Course of a Crusade
Author :Paul Gottfried

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Beyond Good & Evil
Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future
Author :Friedrich Nietzsche

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Author :Ben Horowitz

"Let’s just say, we started out relationship with vigorous disagreement, and we’ve continued that to this day." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Network State
How To Start a New Country
Author :Balaji Srinivasan

"[The author] has the highest rate of output per minute of good new ideas of anybody I’ve ever met, and [this book] may be his best." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Joseph McCarthy
Reexamining the Life and Legacy of America's Most Hated Senator
Author :Arthur Herman

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

A Spy Among Friends
Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
Author :Ben Macintyre

"True, chilling saga of straight up, profoundly deep treason and betrayal. Sociopaths in high positions of power and influence. Hair curling." - Marc Andreessen [Source]



Infamous Scribblers
The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism
Author :Eric Burns

"A great articulation of how the news business actually grew up in the US." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Poor Charlie's Almanack
The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
Author :Charlie Munger

"Tremendous." - Marc Andreessen [Source]



Ordeal of Civility
Freud, Marx, Levi-Strauss, and the Jewish Struggle With Modernity
Author :John Murray Cuddihy

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

What You Do Is Who You Are
How to Create Your Business Culture
Author :Ben Horowitz

"My partner Ben Horowitz has a new book!" - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Lenin on the Train
Author :Catherine Merridale

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

The Innovator's Dilemma
When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
Author :Clayton M. Christensen

"Really critical to understanding how this industry works." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Conspiracy
Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue
Author :Ryan Holiday

"Startlingly deep cultural history of conspiracies, examined through the lens of the brutally effective Gawker takedown, with full access to the main players." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

But What If We're Wrong?
Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past
Author :Chuck Klosterman

"Wide-ranging meditation on how to think about the reality that we're probably wrong about most things we believe. Hard to read and not emerge humbled." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The 4-Hour Workweek
Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
Author :Tim Ferriss

"[The author] basically takes all of the time management and personal productivity theories of the last 20 to 30 years and pushes them to 11, to paraphrase 'Spinal Tap.'" - Marc Andreessen [Source]
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Thinking in Bets
Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
Author :Annie Duke

"Compact guide to probabilistic domains like poker, or venture capital." - Marc Andreessen [Source]


The True Believer
Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements
Author :Eric Hoffer

"A brilliant book on the nature of mass movements and collective psychology." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Machiavellians
Defenders of Freedom
Author :James Burnham

"Together [with 'The Managerial Revolution'], the best explanation for the current structure of our society and politics." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

No Offense
Civil Religion and Protestant Taste
Author :John Murray Cuddihy

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Becoming Steve Jobs
The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
Author :Brent Schlender

"In this deeply-researched book, you'll find the most honest portrait of the real Steve Jobs." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Ambassador
Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940
Author :Susan Ronald

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

The Ancient City
A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome
Author :Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges

"The single best book I have found on who we are and how we got here." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Intellectuals and Society
Author :Thomas Sowell

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

More from Less
The Surprising Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources―and What Happens Next
Author :Andrew McAfee

"One of the best books [of 2019]." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The God That Failed
Author :Richard H. Crossman

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Lone Survivor
The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Author :Marcus Luttrell

"The film was fine but the book is unreal; incredibly vivid story of superlative American heroes." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The WEIRDest People in the World
How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous
Author :Joseph Henrich

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Whole Earth Discipline
Why Dense Cities, Nuclear Power, Transgenic Crops, Restored Wildlands, and Geoengineering Are Necessary
Author :Stewart Brand

"On why even environmentalists should be pro building, pro cities, pro nuclear, and pro genetic engineering." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

How to Live
Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer
Author :Sarah Bakewell

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

High Output Management
Author :Andrew S. Grove

"The best book on management ever written." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Recapturing the Spirit of Enterprise
Author :George Gilder

"On how economic systems that encourage aggressive entrepreneurship build the most for the benefit of the most." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Thinking, Fast and Slow
Author :Daniel Kahneman

"Captivating dive into human decision making, marred by inclusion of several/many? psychology studies that fail to replicate. Will stand as a cautionary tale?" - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Lean Startup
How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
Author :Eric Ries

"[The author] has created a science where previously there was only art. A must read for every serious entrepreneur—and every manager interested in innovation." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Myth of the Rational Voter
Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies
Author :Bryan Caplan

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Extreme Ownership
How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
Author :Jocko Willink

"I hand out more copies of this book than any other. How to take responsibility for yourself and for those around you. Modern Stoicism, as applied in the military, business, and life." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Can't Hurt Me
Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Author :David Goggins

"Anytime anybody feels mopey about what's happening in their startup or in their life, this is the book to read to reset all the expectations." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Private Truths, Public Lies
The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification
Author :Timur Kuran

"The book that's had the biggest impact on me." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

The Romance of American Communism
Author :Vivian Gornick

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

The Rational Optimist
How Prosperity Evolves
Author :Matt Ridley

"Sparkling explanation of how the economy evolves, producing the glorious cornucopia of goods and services available all around us. How to feel good about the future even in dark times." - Marc Andreessen [Source]


The Vision of the Anointed
Author :Thomas Sowell

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

Radical Chic
And Mau Mauing The Flak Catchers
Author :Tom Wolfe

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]

A New World Begins
The History of the French Revolution
Author :Jeremy D. Popkin

"On the French Revolution." - Marc Andreessen [Source]

Intellectuals
From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky
Author :Paul Johnson

Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter. [Source]


A Very Expensive Poison
The Assassination of Alexander Litvinenko and Putin's War with the West
Author :Luke Harding

"The astonishing story of the Litvinenko and Perepilichnyy assassinations in the UK; reads like a Lee Child thriller; plenty topical now." - Marc Andreessen [Source]
FAQs
Q1: What types of books does Marc Andreessen recommend?
Marc Andreessen recommends a wide variety of books from across many different topics and genres. This includes business and entrepreneurial books, as well as non-fiction, biographies, and fiction.
Q2: Who is Marc Andreessen?
Marc Andreessen is an American entrepreneur, investor, software engineer, and co-founder of Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. He is a known technology and industry pioneer, and is widely recognized for having played a major role in the development of the World Wide Web.
Q3: How can I access Marc Andreessen’s book recommendations?
Marc Andreessen’s recommended books can be accessed through his blog or website. He often posts a list of recommended books, and links to where they can be purchased.
Q4: What criteria does Marc Andreessen use to select his book recommendations?
Marc Andreessen selects his book recommendations based on his interests in technology, startups, economics, history, and societal change. He often chooses works that delve into innovation, industry evolution, and future predictions. Additionally, he values books that give a foundational understanding of various systems, whether in business, technology, or cultural dynamics. His choices reflect his intellectual curiosity about the intersections of technology, business, and culture.
Q5: How often is the list of recommended books updated?
Marc Andreessen typically adds to or updates his list of recommended books once or twice a month. It's best to check his blog or website regularly for the latest updates.