Bill Gates Shares The 7 Best Books He Read In 2013
Commenting on the lack of novels on the list, Gates writes:
That's an interesting statement coming from Gates, especially in light of recent posts on using literature to study decision-making under ignorance.
With that said, Gates is an excellent source of reading material for me. His top reads of 2012 led me to order Behind the Beautiful Forevers, a book I added to my antilibrary. And his summer reading list, along with the recommendations of readers, encouraged me to read The Box, a surprisingly enjoyable read on the history of the shipping container. This book shows up again on the end of year list of his top reads.
Here are his picks, in no particular order:
The Most Powerful Idea in the World, by William Rosen
Harvesting the Biosphere, by Vaclav Smil
The World Until Yesterday, by Jared Diamond
Poor Numbers, by Morten Jerven
Why Does College Cost So Much?, by Robert B. Archibald and David H. Feldman
Gates' list is a happy addition to the 2013 collection of reading lists.