Paul Graham

Tesla Model 3Hardware Tesla

The Tesla Model 3 with FSD is mind-blowing.

2026-10-13·x.com ↗

IWC cal 853Hardware IWC

The IWC cal 853, one of the great automatic movements of the golden age.

2026-10-07·x.com ↗

The Selfish GeneBook Richard Dawkins

At one extreme, something you read can change your whole way of thinking. The Selfish Gene did this to me. It was like suddenly seeing the other interpretation of an ambiguous image: you can treat genes rather than organisms as the protagonists, and evolution becomes easier to understand when you do.

'The Shape of the Essay Field' (dated June 2025, no day given), on degrees of surprise in writing; he offers this book as the extreme case.

2025-06-01·paulgraham.com ↗

MiquelriusHardware Miquelrius

The best notebooks I've found are made by a company called Miquelrius. I use their smallest size, which is about 2.5 x 4 in.

Essay 'The Island Test' (dated July 2006, no day given), on what you are addicted to; here, the notebook he carries.

2006-07-01·paulgraham.com ↗

Professor TOther

Jessica and I have been watching Professor T, and it's really good. If, like me, you wish Doyle had written more Sherlock Holmes stories, this may be as close as you're going to get.

2026-09-20·x.com ↗

The Moon is a Harsh MistressBook Robert A. Heinlein

AI was in the air in the mid 1980s, but there were two things especially that made me want to work on it: a novel by Heinlein called The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

'What I Worked On' (dated February 2021, no day given), on why he went into AI; he adds that when he read it he 'was drawn entirely into its world'.

2021-02-01·paulgraham.com ↗

HilbertBook Constance Reid

A few months ago, as I was reading Constance Reid's excellent biography of Hilbert, I figured out if not the answer to this question, at least something that made me feel better about it.

Essay 'How You Know' (dated December 2014, no day given), on what reading leaves behind.

2014-12-01·paulgraham.com ↗

Audemars Piguet 14232Other Audemars Piguet

This skeletonized Audemars Piguet 14232 is a great way to understand how movements work.

2026-10-10·x.com ↗

Eterna-MaticHardware Eterna

Eternas are some of the biggest bargains in vintage watches. This 1963 Eterna-Matic cost $509 at auction + $69 to be serviced = $578 total. It's still accurate to 7 sec/day (dial up).

2026-09-14·x.com ↗

A Mathematician's ApologyBook G. H. Hardy

This idea I learned from Hardy's A Mathematician's Apology

Footnote to 'How to Do Great Work' (dated July 2023, no day given).

2023-07-01·paulgraham.com ↗

The Copernican RevolutionBook Thomas Kuhn

but I also recommend his Copernican Revolution

Footnote to 'Crazy New Ideas' (dated May 2021, no day given), on where Kuhn's notion of a paradigm came from.

2021-05-01·paulgraham.com ↗

The Harmless PeopleBook Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

If you want to learn more about hunter gatherers I strongly recommend Elizabeth Marshall Thomas's The Harmless People and The Old Way

Footnote to 'Defining Property' (dated March 2012, no day given), on hunter-gatherer societies.

2012-03-01·paulgraham.com ↗

The Old WayBook Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

If you want to learn more about hunter gatherers I strongly recommend Elizabeth Marshall Thomas's The Harmless People and The Old Way

Footnote to 'Defining Property' (dated March 2012, no day given), on hunter-gatherer societies.

2012-03-01·paulgraham.com ↗

You and Your ResearchOther Richard Hamming

In his famous essay You and Your Research (which I recommend to anyone ambitious, no matter what they're working on), Richard Hamming

Essay 'Good and Bad Procrastination' (dated December 2005, no day given).

2005-12-01·paulgraham.com ↗

How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleBook Dale Carnegie

If you want to learn what people want, read Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Essay 'Why Smart People Have Bad Ideas' (dated April 2005, no day given), on learning what people want.

2005-04-01·paulgraham.com ↗

What Is Mathematics?Book Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins

Other highly recommended books: What is Mathematics?

Footnote to 'Undergraduation' (dated March 2005, no day given), advising CS undergrads on what to study.

2005-03-01·paulgraham.com ↗

Geometry and the ImaginationBook David Hilbert and Stephan Cohn-Vossen

by Courant and Robbins; Geometry and the Imagination

Footnote to 'Undergraduation' (dated March 2005, no day given), advising CS undergrads on what to study.

2005-03-01·paulgraham.com ↗

Byrne's EuclidBook Oliver Byrne

And for those interested in graphic design, Byrne's Euclid

Footnote to 'Undergraduation' (dated March 2005, no day given), advising CS undergrads on what to study.

2005-03-01·paulgraham.com ↗

Bic ballpointsHardware Bic

I use the cheapest plastic Bic ballpoints, partly because their gluey ink doesn't seep through pages, and partly so I don't worry about losing them.

Essay 'The Island Test' (dated July 2006, no day given), on what you are addicted to; here, the notebook he carries.

2006-07-01·paulgraham.com ↗