the best thing about elon musk is that he makes us dream big again. Musk, of course, is the billionaire and brilliant mind behind Tesla and SpaceX.
charlie munger was asked a question about him at the 2014 diary meeting and he replied:
You are reading: Elon musk favorite books
I think Elon Musk is a genius, and I don’t use that word lightly. I think he is also one of the boldest men who ever lived.
In fact, after meeting Musk, people tend to walk away with the same reaction: “He’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met.”
Whenever someone asks him how he learned to build rockets, he says, “I read books.”
He doesn’t just read them, according to his interview with Esquire, he devours them. Musk takes us to his personal library and offers some recommendations of his own.
See Also: The Best Business Law Books of All-Time (Updated for 2022)
in an interview with design and architecture, musk said: “in terms of science fiction books, i think isaac asimov is really great. i like the foundation series, probably one of the best of all the times. robert heinlein, obviously. i like the moon is a tough mistress and i like stranger in a strange land, although it kind of goes off the rails in the end” continues “there’s a good book on structural design called structures: or why things don’t fall down. it’s very, very good if you want an introduction to structural design.”
These are some of his other reading recommendations.
the lord of the rings by j.r.r. Tolkien told the New Yorker that, as an “undersized and harassed know-it-all,” he turned to reading fantasy and science fiction. “The heroes of the books I read, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and the ‘Foundation’ series, always felt a duty to save the world.”
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. “He was an entrepreneur,” Musk says in an interview. “It started out of nowhere. he was just a runaway kid.”
In that same interview, he also recommends einstein: his life and universe, also by isaacson.
Zero to One: Notes on Startups or Building the Future by Peter Thiel I’ve already said this is a must read for farnam streeters. About this book, Musk says: “Peter Thiel has built multiple innovative companies, and (this book) shows how.”
superintelligence: paths, dangers, strategies by nick bostrom. “superintelligence by bostrom is worth reading. we have to be very careful with that. potentially more dangerous than nuclear weapons. musk tweeted. Of course I bought this.
See Also: Ann Charles – Book Series In Order
howard hughes: his life and folly by donald l. barlett and james b. Steele. Recently, in an interview with CNN, he mentioned that he had just finished this book. Musk calls it a “cautionary tale”.
the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by douglas adams. here is an excerpt from an interview where he explains why this was a key book for him:
alison van diggelen: i understand the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, that wonderful book by douglas adams, that was a key book for you. What was it about that book that triggered your imagination?
elon musk: I guess when I was around 12 or 15 years old… I had an existential crisis, and I was reading various books to try and figure out the meaning of life and what it all means. ? it all seemed pretty pointless and then it turned out that we had some nietzsche and schopenhauer books in the house, which you shouldn’t read at 14 (laughs). It’s bad, it’s very negative. So I read the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, which I think is quite positive and it highlighted an important point which is that many times the question is more difficult than the answer. and if he can get the question right, then the answer is the easy part. so, to the extent that we can better understand the universe, then we can better know what questions to ask. then whichever question comes closest: what is the meaning of life? that is the question we can finally come closer to understanding. so I thought as long as we can expand the scope and scale of awareness and knowledge, that would be a good thing.”
Finally, we get to the rocket science part.
ignition!: an informal history of liquid rocket propellants by john d. clark “there’s a good book on rockets called ‘fired up!’ by john clark which is very funny,” musk said in an interview. becoming a rocket scientist is not cheap. this musk book recommendation will set you back around 3k for a used copy (it’s also free on the web)
(additional sources: business insider and favobooks)
See Also: 13 Best Books on Sustainable Living