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  • Experts

Personality

    The best books on Essentialism, recommended by Susan Gelman

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    The best books on Essentialism - The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould

    1

    The Mismeasure of Man
    by Stephen Jay Gould

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    The best books on Essentialism - The Bad Seed by William March

    2

    The Bad Seed
    by William March

  • Read
    The best books on Essentialism - How Pleasure Works by Paul Bloom

    3

    How Pleasure Works
    by Paul Bloom

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    The best books on Essentialism - The Edge of Islam by Janet McIntosh

    4

    The Edge of Islam
    by Janet McIntosh

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    The best books on Essentialism - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

    5

    Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
    by Carol Dweck

The best books on Essentialism, recommended by Susan Gelman

Putting people and things into categories is something we all do. It’s a useful shortcut but reveals biases. And it plays a role in everything from ethnic violence to childhood development, as psychologist Susan Gelman explains.

    The best books on Gender and Human Nature, recommended by Carol Gilligan

  • Read
    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - The Feeling of What Happens by Antonio Damasio

    1

    The Feeling of What Happens
    by Antonio Damasio

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - Deep Secrets by Niobe Way

    2

    Deep Secrets
    by Niobe Way

  • Read
    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - Mothers and Others by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

    3

    Mothers and Others
    by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    4

    The Scarlet Letter
    by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - Living in Denial by Kari Marie Norgaard

    5

    Living in Denial
    by Kari Marie Norgaard

The best books on Gender and Human Nature, recommended by Carol Gilligan

The idea that girls are emotional and “boys don’t cry” is ridiculous, says the feminist and psychologist. She tells us about books that debunk the gender myths that continue to restrict and distort our lives.

    The best books on The Decline of Violence, recommended by Steven Pinker

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of Violence - The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World by Oona Hathaway & Scott Shapiro

    1

    The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World
    by Oona Hathaway & Scott Shapiro

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Homicide by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson

    2

    Homicide
    by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Statistics of Deadly Quarrels by Lewis F Richardson

    3

    Statistics of Deadly Quarrels
    by Lewis F Richardson

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Violent Land by David Courtwright

    4

    Violent Land
    by David Courtwright

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of Violence - The Remnants of War by John Mueller

    5

    The Remnants of War
    by John Mueller

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    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty by Roy Baumeister

    6

    Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty
    by Roy Baumeister

The best books on The Decline of Violence, recommended by Steven Pinker

Our TV screens may be full of news about war and crime, but this masks a fall in historical terms in the number of violent deaths that’s nothing short of astonishing, says Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. He tells us how and why this happened. (This interview was updated 17 December, 2020, to include books that have come out since it was published in 2011)

    The best books on Leadership, recommended by Brett Wigdortz

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    The best books on Leadership - Tribal Business School by Jo Owen

    1

    Tribal Business School
    by Jo Owen

  • Read
    The best books on Leadership - The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell

    2

    The Tipping Point
    by Malcom Gladwell

  • Read
    The best books on Leadership - From Good to Great by Jim Collins

    3

    From Good to Great
    by Jim Collins

  • Read
    The best books on Leadership - Freedom from Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi

    4

    Freedom from Fear
    by Aung San Suu Kyi

  • Read
    The best books on Leadership - The Book of Exodus by Various

    5

    The Book of Exodus
    by Various

The best books on Leadership, recommended by Brett Wigdortz

Good leaders combine iron will with a dose of humility, says the founder of groundbreaking teaching charity Teach First. He traces leadership skills back to Moses, and tells us about books we can all learn from.

    The best books on Inkblots, recommended by Will Hobson

  • Read
    The best books on Inkblots - Phantasmagoria by Marina Warner

    1

    Phantasmagoria
    by Marina Warner

  • Read
    The best books on Inkblots - The Philosophy of Andy Warhol by Andy Warhol

    2

    The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
    by Andy Warhol

  • Read
    The best books on Inkblots - Shadows of a Hand by and Georgel, Florian, Luc, Marie-Laure, Pierre, Prevost, Rodari & Sante

    3

    Shadows of a Hand
    by and Georgel, Florian, Luc, Marie-Laure, Pierre, Prevost, Rodari & Sante

  • Read
    The best books on Inkblots - The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig & Anthea Bell (translator)

    4

    The World of Yesterday
    by Stefan Zweig & Anthea Bell (translator)

  • Read
    The best books on Inkblots - Vincent van Gogh - The Letters by Nienke Bakker (Editor), Leo Jansen (Editor), Hans Luijten

    5

    Vincent van Gogh - The Letters
    by Nienke Bakker (Editor), Leo Jansen (Editor), Hans Luijten

The best books on Inkblots, recommended by Will Hobson

The author of a modern, inkblot-based character test discusses the history and cultural resonances of the inkblot, from Victor Hugo to Andy Warhol.

    The best books on Cowardice, recommended by Chris Walsh

  • Read
    The best books on Cowardice - The Mystery of Courage by William Ian Miller

    1

    The Mystery of Courage
    by William Ian Miller

  • Read
    The best books on Cowardice - The Divine Comedy I: Inferno by Robert M Durling

    2

    The Divine Comedy I: Inferno
    by Robert M Durling

  • Read
    The best books on Cowardice - The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

    3

    The Red Badge of Courage
    by Stephen Crane

  • Read
    The best books on Cowardice - The Thin Red Line by James Jones

    4

    The Thin Red Line
    by James Jones

  • Read
    The best books on Cowardice - The Triumph of the Therapeutic by Philip Rieff

    5

    The Triumph of the Therapeutic
    by Philip Rieff

The best books on Cowardice, recommended by Chris Walsh

The acting director of the Writing Program at Boston University argues that cowardice can still be part of our ethical vocabulary, but that we must learn from history’s mistaken identification of the traumatised as cowards.

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We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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