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While others are still looking for numbers, what books are people at a16z Crypto reading?

BlockBeats2024/07/01 08:16
By:BlockBeats
Original title: Some books we're reading this summer 2024
Original source: a16z crypto editorial
Original translation: Little Catcher CHAOS, Crypto KOL


What books are a16z employees reading?


On June 28, a16z crypto updated the article "Some books we're reading this summer 2024" on its official website. I did a simple translation and sorted it out, and put the books related to investment/finance/technology in advance.


Use the time others spend watching porn to read books, so that you can outperform others in the bull market.


Lyn Alden: Broken Money: Why Our Financial System is Failing and How We Can Improve It


"Alden's lessons and insights from monetary history make a powerful case for how decentralized digital currencies can address past and current challenges facing monetary systems."


Carol Coye Benson, Scott Loftesness, Russ Jones: The U.S. Payment System: A Guide for Payment Professionals


"This textbook details many aspects of the payment system (wire transfers, ATMs, credit cards, debit cards, etc.). You probably won't read this book from beginning to end, but if you want to understand the flow of funds after a credit card is swiped, it's a great resource. More importantly, understanding the complexity of the existing payment system makes me even more excited about the future of blockchain payment networks."


Annelise Osborne : From Hoodies to Suits: Innovating Digital Assets for Traditional Finance


"I like this book very much. It builds a bridge between traditional finance and technical engineering and cryptocurrency. Both types of people are necessary to continue to develop the web3 ecosystem."


Verity Harding: "AI Needs You: How We Change the Future of AI and Save Ourselves"


"Harding is an expert in the interaction between artificial intelligence and public policy. She understands the rise of modern AI through technological movements over the past century or so. This "Humanistic Manifesto in the Age of AI" argues that the impact of AI on society is far from predetermined, and it is up to everyone to push technology toward its greatest social potential."


Ran Spiegler: The Curious Culture of Economic Theory


“A vibrant collection of essays that explores the intellectual history and philosophy of economic theory. Spiegler discusses how and why economists reason in certain ways about topics such as strategic behavior, (ir)rationality, and information—all the while teaching the conceptual framework and anthropologicalizing the field.”


Henry Hazlitt: Economics in One Lesson


“Filled with insights and reflections on basic economics.”


Peter Robison: Flying Blind


“This is the most complete business history of Boeing, showing its gradual decline from a widely respected engineering firm to one that lost its reputation for safety and quality.”


Scott Page : Model Thinkers: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You


This book teaches a range of mathematical models, from networks to Markov chains to signaling, and shows how they can be applied to data sets. This may sound very boring - it is not. Page shows how to use these mental models in the real world, and argues that because any one model is a poor simulation of the real world, we need multiple models to navigate our lives.


Rick Rubin : Creative Tao: A Way of Being


"A master class in integrating the creative process into your life. Whether you're making music, writing, painting, programming, or investing in technology: be open to new ideas, willing to experiment, and be prepared to fail. Concise, accessible, and thought-provoking."


Greg McKeown : "Essentialism: The Quest for Less, But Better" "This book introduced me to the concept of timing. The ancient Greeks had two words for time - one was chronos, the linear, clock-measured time we are familiar with. The second was kairos, which represented the moment of opportunity or the 'right' time, which can only be experienced by living in the present moment. Kairos is a timeless time that occurs at a decisive or meaningful moment. None of us can change chronos (although sometimes we want it to go faster and sometimes slower), but we can all increase the time we live in kairos. This is an old bestseller and worth rereading."


David McCullough: The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge


“McCullough is a thorough researcher who knows how to weave a narrative. His account of the extraordinary efforts behind one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 19th century is for anyone interested in innovation, technology, and bold leadership. It is a paean to will.”


William Zinsser: Writing to Learn


“I recently learned that the author of the writing bible, The Art of Writing, has another book on writing. If you only read one, read The Art of Writing, but if you’re Zinsser, read this If you’re a big fan of , like me, then read both. This sequel is filled with samples of clear, concise, powerful writing from masters like Einstein and Darwin. His argument is that anyone can learn any subject—no matter how complex—by writing in concise language. It’s a beautiful belief because it’s true. ”


Emily Monosson: Withered: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic


“This is a mind-opening and thought-provoking book that is not just meant to make you terrified about fungal pandemics, but to make you think about evolutionary competition and the strategic struggles between various organisms and the fungi that sometimes exterminate them.”


Adrian Tchaikovsky: Children of Time


Children of Time is a perfect combination of science fiction and evolutionary biology, taking readers on an epic journey across time and space. The novel explores the rise and fall of civilizations, the resilience of life, and the unexpected consequences of humanity’s quest for survival. It's very difficult to make epic hard science fiction both intellectually stimulating and emotionally moving, but this book does it. It will capture your imagination and linger on you long after you've finished reading it.


Sid Meier: Memoir! "My friend Yufei Zhao has written a beautiful, vibrant book about the phenomenon in combinatorics where structure emerges from apparent randomness and vice versa. The book is an entertaining introduction to the field, covering everything from Szemerédi's theorem to the card game SET."


James C. Scott: Upstream


“In Upstream, James C. Scott overturns the common logic of civilization: animals, plants, and fire domesticated humans; the so-called ‘savages’ lived a cleaner, healthier lifestyle and emerged as a vital, economically necessary counterpoint to the state; these early states did not develop taxes—rather, it was the ability to tax farmers by levying domesticated grains that were readily available on the ground that led to the formation of early states. The economic, technological, and political systems we rely on all have stories to explain their origins.”


Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges : Ancient Cities


"What did the ancients of the ancients think? We understand and pay attention to the history and beliefs of the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Indians because we have easier access to their writings. But how much do we know about the beliefs of the ancients before them? Those Proto-Indo-European beliefs shared by the ancient Romans, Greeks, Indians, Persians, etc., which formed the basis of Western civilization.


Ancient Cities (1864) is surprisingly easy to read despite its age. It explores everything we can infer based on ancient texts and linguistic foundations. It is the clearest account I have ever read of the development of Western culture up to the advent of Christianity."


Will Guidara : Unreasonable Hospitality: The Extraordinary Power of Giving People More Than Expectations


"He wrote this in Eleven Madison Park. The first person to do so was a chef who had worked in a restaurant for many years and was an important reason for the restaurant's success. This book is not difficult to read, but it is very applicable to our daily work. It is also applicable to the political field. "


Peter Nichols: "Sailing for Madmen"


"This is a wonderful record of the first solo race around the world! The race was held in 1968-1969 and was widely open to the public - which is why most participants did not have much experience. The champion completed the race in 312 days (the current solo record is 42 days). I think there are many similarities with the founders of start-ups: most people don't know what the journey involves, they have to fix problems encountered by the ship during the voyage, and for some people, the journey itself is more important than the final monetary reward and honor."


James C. Scott: "See Like a Country: Why Some Plans to Improve the Human Condition Fail"


“Seeing Like a State gave me some clarity on how to think about operating organizations of all sizes. I’ve been recommending this book to anyone running a startup, a business, a community. Yes, you need to decentralize control and encourage grassroots innovation—lessons that are especially true in the blockchain space. Also, the first half of the book is a great history lesson on early bureaucracies.”


Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching


“The truth is in your heart!”


Alex Hutchinson: Endurance: Mind, Body, and the Surprisingly Elastic Limits of Human Performance


“I’ve been reading a lot of books about perseverance and endurance lately. I particularly enjoyed the author’s behind-the-scenes interviews during Nike’s 2-hour marathon project and the chapter on pain, which mentions cyclists Jens Voight and Eddy Merckx.”


Matt Fitzgerald: How Hard Do You Want to Push?


David Oks: Modern Diet as a Biosecurity Threat

"An entertaining and practical analysis of how and why our modern diet is killing us."


Haruki Murakami: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

"Murakami's fascinating memoir includes reflections on running and writing, their intersection, and their impact on his life."


Des Linden: Choosing to Run


"I recommend this memoir. Boston Marathon champion Des Linden is a treasure and the embodiment of perseverance."


Hugh Wilford : The CIA: An Imperial History


“A new perspective on the agency told through the actions of key individuals.”


Frank Conroy: Stopping Time: A Memoir


“This coming-of-age story and look back at rebellious youth, while true, fascinated me more than JD Salinger’s novel.”


David Perkins: φ, π, e, and i


“It’s fun to read in order, but even more fun to flip through. You never know when you’ll discover your new favorite formula that incorporates some of the most famous numbers in mathematics. (For example, check out pages 89-91!)”


Annie Jacobsen: Nuclear War


“Annie Jacobsen uses top sources to outline the nuclear capabilities and policies of countries around the world, placed in the context of a hypothetical attack on the United States. It is thought-provoking in many ways, one of which will keep you up at night.”


Robert Kurson: Shadow Divers: The True Story of Two Americans’ Adventures to Solve the Final Mystery of World War II


“This is a super-engrossing (true!) story—I recommend not reading the back cover (or learning anything about the book ahead of time) because it’s much more interesting as the mystery unfolds for you and the characters at the same time.”


David Grann: The Wager


“The Wager is a riveting true story of survival at sea and about human nature during the Age of Exploration.”

Ray Vukcevich : The Grinch


"What's that, up in the sky - a bird? A plane? No, it's The Grinch - the most 'Grinch' science fiction short story ever!"


Denis Johnson : The Smoke Tree


"This engrossing Vietnam War spy thriller deftly interweaves the stories of a rookie CIA agent, a lost Marine, and a missionary Canadian nurse, while also serving as a reflection on American history, mythology, and more."


R.F. Kuang : Babel


"This is one of the most beautiful books I have read since The Name of the Wind. It mixes some elements of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, plus some of The Killing of Kings and Harry Potter, and the deadly beauty of The Song of Achilles. The story is so heartbreaking that it broke me down and brought me to tears, but I still highly recommend it."


Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: Bright Memories (The Wheel of Time series, book 14)


"Around page 500 I began actively avoiding it for fear of the inevitable ending and sadness at the end of a series that had stuck with me for five years. The slow build-up and tension of the final battle is excruciating, and I don't recommend it if you're not ready for hundreds of pages of desert treks and troll battles. Sanderson (in Jordan) ) builds tension on multiple fronts and unravels the final battle until it finally explodes in an epic finale.


Jisaka Tosuke: The Cat Who Saved Books


"This heartwarming read is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming. Filled with wise observations and sage advice, it felt like a safe haven from reality while the store owner escaped his own labyrinth. Anyone who loves books will find themselves reflected in these pages.


Percival Everett: James


“I picked up Everett’s new novel, James, after seeing the movie American Novel (based on his earlier novel Erased). I was not disappointed. James is a work of inspiration. Everett’s style is full of irony, sympathy and energy, a perfect tribute to Mark Twain and inspired by The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”


Dennis Lehane: Small Mercies


“Great for beach reading - Dennis Lehane "A suspense novel with a multi-layered author-narrator-detective structure that is as innovative and unique as Agatha Christie's seminal novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. As with other orthodox mysteries, the solution relies on logic - all the evidence is in the book. Yet, even so, the reader is left puzzled as the story builds intricately to an almost poetic climax."


Mick Herron: Slow Horses


"What happens to MI5 spies who can't be fired but who no longer fit in with the A-Team? These misfits are sent to Slough House, where they do the worst kind of spy work - until they quit or retire. In this inventive, clever and funny spy novel, these so-called 'slow horses' find themselves back in the spotlight when a kidnapping turns deadly."


Joanna Faber and Julie King : "How to Keep a Child Obedient: A Survival Guide for Life with Children Ages 2-7"


"I am a proponent of thinking models in web3. However, when I looked for equivalent thinking models for parenting, I had no idea where to start. This book provides several frameworks and tactical tools for resolving conflicts and dealing with emotions, and my favorite part is how to get children to move from one activity to another in a timely and unstressed manner."


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Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

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