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Tim Ferriss's Reading List

Author and podcaster (The Tim Ferriss Show). Curates books from world-class performers in Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors.

Tim's Four Must-Read Books (Fundamental Four) (2019)

The four books Ferriss has gifted most often, episode #400 of the podcast.

Source: tim.blog

The Magic of Thinking Big

David J. Schwartz · 1959 · Buy on Amazon

"Its focus on overcoming limiting beliefs and achieving ambitious goals aligns with Tim Ferriss's work on deconstructing success and optimizing performance. An expected read for someone exploring the mindset of world-class performers."

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide

Dan S. Kennedy · 1996 · Buy on Amazon

"This book on entrepreneurial idea generation and execution aligns with Tim Ferriss's interest in actionable strategies for high performance and success, a recurring theme in his interviews with world-class performers."

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Michael E. Gerber · 1995 · Buy on Amazon

"This book's focus on systematizing small businesses to achieve scale and freedom aligns with Tim Ferriss's interest in optimizing performance and leveraging time. It offers practical frameworks for entrepreneurs, a common theme in his interviews with world-class performers."

Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality

Anthony de Mello · 1990 · Buy on Amazon

"This book's focus on self-awareness and challenging assumptions aligns with Tim Ferriss's interest in deconstructing peak performance and optimizing mental models. It's an expected read for someone exploring the inner game of world-class performers."

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: Q&A with Tim — The Upcoming AI Tsunami, Book Recommendations, etc. (#859) (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-03-26).

Source: www.youtube.com

Travels with Charley

John Steinbeck · 1962 · Buy on Amazon

"Travels with Charley. Amazing book by John Steinbeck."

1,000 True Fans

Kevin Kelly · 2022 · Buy on Amazon

"one thing that never goes out of style is 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly. You can read it for free at kk.org."

The Effective Executive

Peter Drucker · 1967 · Buy on Amazon

"So, one is going to be The Effective Executive from Peter Drucker. Classic, old, short, incredible bang for the buck."

Of Wolves and Men

Barry Lopez · 1978 · Buy on Amazon

"Of Wolves and Men is one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. It redefined what non-fiction nature writing could be."

Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll · 1865 · Buy on Amazon

"You should go read Alice in Wonderland."

The 80/20 Principle

Richard Koch · 1997 · Buy on Amazon

"the 80/20 Principle, Richard Koch. That just never gets old."

Living the 80/20 Principle

Richard Koch · Buy on Amazon

"And there's another book of his up there called Living the 80/20 Principle."

The High Growth Handbook

Elad Gil · Buy on Amazon

"read a book called the high growth handbook by Elad Gil... arguably the best one of the best certainly angel investors of the last few decades."

Blue Ocean Strategy

Unknown · 2004 · Buy on Amazon

"the Blue Ocean Strategy probably worth checking out."

Don't Shoot the Dog

Karen Pryor · 1984 · Buy on Amazon

"Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. I think everybody should read that."

Ozymandias

Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1999 · Buy on Amazon

"everybody should read I think it's Percy Shelley. Ozymandias. So good. Everybody should read Ozymandias."

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: Daredevil Michelle Khare — How to Become a YouTube Superstar (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-03-31).

Source: www.youtube.com

The Year of Living Biblically

A.J. Jacobs · 2007 · Buy on Amazon

"The year of living biblically I think is an amazing amazing book."

Blue Ocean Strategy

Unknown · 2004 · Buy on Amazon

"blue ocean strategy I think at least at the time I read it which was a long time ago 10 years ago pretty good exploration of this"

Levels of the Game

John McPhee · 1969 · Buy on Amazon

"If people haven't read John McPhee, they should. If you want to read something short, Levels of the Game is incredible."

Lateral Thinking

Edward de Bono · 1970 · Buy on Amazon

"He also had, I believe, a book called Lateral Thinking, which I found helpful."

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: Jim Collins — What to Make of a Life (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-03-19).

Source: www.youtube.com

What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire, and the Self-Knowledge Imperative

Jim Collins · 2026 · Buy on Amazon

"The new book, I encourage people to check it out. I read every page of it. What to make of a life, Cliffs, Fog, Fire, and the Self-Knowledge Imperative."

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: Elad Gil — The AI Frontier (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-04-09).

Source: www.youtube.com

The High Growth Handbook

Elad Gil · Buy on Amazon

"It is an outstanding book. People should really check it out, especially if you're playing in the venture-back game."

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: Cathy Lanier — DC Police Chief (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-04-23).

Source: www.youtube.com

Extreme Ownership

Jocko Willink · 2015 · Buy on Amazon

"He wrote a book called Extreme Ownership. Your grandmother and what she instilled in you is in a nutshell exactly the type of high-agency thinking that Jocko talks about."

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: 4-Hour Workweek Success Story (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-02-12).

Source: www.youtube.com

Built to Sell

John Warrillow · 2011 · Buy on Amazon

"a book by John Warrillow called Built to Sell which talks a bit about this — a very foundational primer for some of this stuff."

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: The Random Show, Couch Edition (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-04-21).

Source: www.youtube.com

The Great Nerve

Kevin Tracey · Buy on Amazon

"in The Great Nerve which is a book written by Kevin Tracey. It's a great book."

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

John Sarno · Buy on Amazon

"A lot of people have benefited from the work of John Sarno."

The Power Broker

Robert Caro · 1974 · Buy on Amazon

"this book is considered the quintessential book to read if you want to understand state and local politics, especially power-wielding in New York"

Books from The Tim Ferriss Show: How to Quiet the Ruminative Mind (2026)

Extracted via LLM from auto-captions of The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-01-30).

Source: www.youtube.com

The 4-Hour Workweek

Tim Ferriss · 2006 · Buy on Amazon

"I think the 4-Hour Workweek does a good job of breaking down work for work's sake and money for money's sake."

The 4-Hour Body

Tim Ferriss · 2010 · Buy on Amazon

"I did a lot of really out there stuff in The 4-Hour Body, much of which stands up to scrutiny now, 15 years later."

Nonviolent Communication

Marshall B. Rosenberg · 1999 · Buy on Amazon

"read Nonviolent Communication. Figure out how to talk to people without sounding overly defensive or aggressive."

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen Covey · 1989 · Buy on Amazon

"this was from originally Stephen Covey — the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People I believe was the book."

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