Reading for Better
Recommended by4 books

James Clear

Author of Atomic Habits

James Clear maintains one of the most-visited public reading lists anywhere, with short, honest summaries of every book he rates. His picks skew toward psychology, philosophy, and the long view. These are the books from his list that live in the index.

4
Books picked
888
Total pages
~18h
Reading time
  1. 01
    Cover of Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

    Man's Search for Meaning

    Viktor E. Frankl·184 pp
    Why James rates itClear ranks Frankl's memoir among the best books he has ever read; the chapters on purpose in suffering anchor his own writing on identity.
  2. 02
    Cover of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

    Meditations

    Marcus Aurelius·256 pp
    Why James rates itClear's reading list praises Aurelius as the rare philosophy that works as a daily practical manual, a favourite he returns to.
  3. 03
    Cover of Influence by Robert B. Cialdini

    Influence

    Robert B. Cialdini·320 pp
    Why James rates itCialdini's persuasion principles run all through Clear's writing on behaviour, and his summary of the book is one of his site's most-read pages.
  4. 04
    Cover of The Lessons of History by Will & Ariel Durant

    The Lessons of History

    Will & Ariel Durant·128 pp
    Why James rates itClear recommends the Durants' distillation for exactly what his own work prizes: compressing lifetimes of evidence into a few usable principles.
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