The best books on technology, as recommended by the most eminent computer scientists, game developers, ethicists and roboticists in the field. Reading lists on subjects including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, video games, the philosophy of technology, the world wide web, the origins of computing and applied mathematics.
For those looking to get their hands dirty, our list of the best books to get into computer science and programming, with Ana Bell from MIT, is one of the most popular on the site.
On the historical and philosophical side, we met with George Dyson to talk about the origins of computing, Evgeny Morozov to discuss the philosophy of technology, and Nicholas Carr to analyse the impact of the information age.
We have spoken to many experts to find the best artificial intelligence books and data science books.
Finally, if your heart goes to games and virtual worlds, don't miss our selections by Tom Chatfield and Katherine Isbister.
-
1
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
by Peter Norvig & Stuart Russell -
2
Deep Learning (Adaptive Computation and Machine Learning series)
by Aaron Courville, Ian Goodfellow & Yoshua Bengio -
3
The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World
by Pedro Domingos -
4
Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
by Nick Bostrom -
5
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
The best books on Artificial Intelligence, recommended by ChatGPT
The best books on Artificial Intelligence, recommended by ChatGPT
Normally at Five Books we ask experts to recommend the best books in their field and talk to us about them in an interview, either in person, by phone or via Zoom. After a busy end-of-year, our human beings needed a few days off. Instead, we decided to ask the AI bot, ChatGPT, to recommend books to us on the topic of AI. Being an AI doesn’t necessarily make the chatbot an expert on AI books, but we thought it might have some ideas. Do not fear, next week we’ll be back with real human beings (unless readers feel the AI did a better job, in which case we’re happy to step aside).
-
1
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
by Gerald Jay Sussman, Harold Abelson & Julie Sussman -
2
The Algorithm Design Manual
by Steven S. Skiena -
3
The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
by Andrew Hunt & David Thomas -
4
The Art of Readable Code
by Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher -
5
Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace
by Joseph Bizup & Joseph M. Williams
The best books on Computer Science for Data Scientists, recommended by Hadley Wickham
The best books on Computer Science for Data Scientists, recommended by Hadley Wickham
Data science is often said to be built on three pillars: domain expertise, statistics, and programming. Hadley Wickham, Chief Scientist at RStudio and creator of many packages for the R programming language, chooses the best books to help aspiring data scientists build solid computer science fundamentals.
The best books on Artificial Intelligence, recommended by Calum Chace
It could lead us all to immortality or spell the end of the human race. Author Calum Chace picks the best books on Artificial Intelligence or AI.
-
1
Zed: A Novel
by Joanna Kavenna -
2
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
by Cathy O'Neil -
3
Mindf*ck: Inside Cambridge Analytica’s Plot to Break the World
by Christopher Wylie -
4
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
by Safiya Umoja Noble -
5
AI Ethics
by Mark Coeckelbergh
The best books on Digital Ethics, recommended by Carissa Véliz
The best books on Digital Ethics, recommended by Carissa Véliz
Philosophers have a lot to add to debates about digital technology and the moral issues raised by its rapid rise, argues Carissa Véliz, a professor at the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI. Here she talks us through books for the general reader that introduce some of the challenges of digital ethics, from concerns about privacy and bias to the threat to democracy and the future of humanity.
-
1
Invisible Users: Youth in the Internet Cafés of Urban Ghana
by Jenna Burrell -
2
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: How a Continent Is Escaping Silicon Valley's Long Shadow
by Mark Graham, Michel Wahome & Nicholas Friederici -
3
China Africa and the Future of the Internet
by Iginio Gagliardone -
4
Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Politics in Kenya
by Nanjala Nyabola -
5
Africa's Information Revolution
by James Murphy & Padraig Carmody
The best books on Digital Africa, recommended by Mohammad Amir Anwar
The best books on Digital Africa, recommended by Mohammad Amir Anwar
The internet and digital technology are transforming not only the way African countries trade and conduct business but also how they cohere socially and politically. Mohammad Amir Anwar, Lecturer in African Studies and International Development at the University of Edinburgh, recommends books that investigate the opportunities for Africa from the growth of technology—but focus on specifics and avoid the hype.
-
1
Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence
by Kate Crawford -
2
The Planet Remade
by Oliver Morton -
3
Learning by Doing: The Real Connection between Innovation, Wages, and Wealth
by James Bessen -
4
The Ministry for the Future: A Novel
by Kim Stanley Robinson -
5
How Solar Energy Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation
by Gregory F. Nemet
The Best Books on Tech, recommended by Azeem Azhar
The Best Books on Tech, recommended by Azeem Azhar
Technology is already running our lives and unless regulations are updated to keep up, it could upend our way of life completely, warns Azeem Azhar, entrepreneur, investor, and creator of the Exponential View newsletter. Here, he recommends his five top tech books to help us navigate the near future, from a technical tome to a science fiction novel.
-
1
The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order
by Michael Casey & Paul Vigna -
2
Digital Cash: The Unknown History of the Anarchists, Utopians, and Technologists Who Created Cryptocurrency
by Finn Brunton -
3
A History of Money
by Glyn Davies -
4
Paid: Tales of Dongles, Checks, and Other Money Stuff
Bill Maurer and Lana Swartz (eds) -
5
The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains
by Antony Lewis
The best books on Cryptocurrency, recommended by David Birch
The best books on Cryptocurrency, recommended by David Birch
Proselytes for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin extol them as a liberation technology to free us from big government. Sceptics insist that while they have been the source of useful technologies, as units of value, account and exchange, they will remain marginal. Here, digital currency expert David Birch chooses five books to help you understand the utopian roots of cryptocurrencies, the technology behind how they work, their functions and uses, and their broader place in the long history of money.
-
1
Learn Python the Hard Way
by Zed A. Shaw -
2
Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming
by Peter Seibel -
3
Big Data: Principles and Best Practices of Scalable Realtime Data Systems
Nathan Marz (with James Warren) -
4
How To Lie With Statistics
by Darrell Huff -
5
Computer Organization and Design MIPS Edition: The Hardware/Software Interface
by David A. Patterson & John L. Hennessy
The best books on Learning Python and Data Science, recommended by Vicki Boykis
The best books on Learning Python and Data Science, recommended by Vicki Boykis
What do we mean when we talk about ‘big data’, and how can be become better critical consumers of it? Data scientist Vicki Boykis recommends the best books for learning Python—a language, she says, as versatile as a Swiss Army knife—and shows that it’s possible to teach yourself coding and data science.
-
1
The Saturated Self
by Kenneth Gergen -
2
The Stories We Live By
by Dan MacAdams -
3
How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain
by Lisa Feldman Barrett -
4
Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection
by John T. Cacioppo & William Patrick -
5
Evocative Objects: Things We Think With
by Sherry Turkle
How To Use Technology And Not Be Used By It: A Psychologist’s Reading List, recommended by Margaret Morris
How To Use Technology And Not Be Used By It: A Psychologist’s Reading List, recommended by Margaret Morris
Many people are now worried about the impact of tech devices and social media on our brains—and believe they could be harmful to our psychological wellbeing. Psychologist Margaret Morris, author of Left to Our Own Devices, argues for a more nuanced approach and talks us through the books that shaped her own approach to technology.
-
1
Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door
by Brian Krebs -
2
Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon
by Kim Zetter -
3
Worm: The First Digital World War
by Mark Bowden -
4
Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War
by Fred Kaplan -
5
Bytes, Bombs, and Spies: The Strategic Dimensions of Offensive Cyber Operations
by Amy Zegart & Herbert Lin
The Best Cyber Security Books, recommended by Josephine Wolff
The Best Cyber Security Books, recommended by Josephine Wolff
Not all important subjects make good reading, but cyber security is an exception: not only do we all need to know about and take responsibility for it, but it also generates nonfiction books worthy of John le Carré. Cyber security and policy expert Josephine Wolff, author of You’ll see this message when it is too late, recommends the best cyber security books.
-
1
The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains
by Antony Lewis -
2
The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything
Michael Casey and Paul Vigna -
3
Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life
by Adam Greenfield -
4
Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum & Smart Contracts
by David Gerard -
5
Blockchain and the Law: The Rule of Code
by Aaron Wright & Primavera De Filippi
The best books on Blockchain, recommended by Kevin Werbach
The best books on Blockchain, recommended by Kevin Werbach
In an age when trust in banks and other traditional institutions has been undermined and all our personal data is in the hands of the new tech giants, can blockchain help us take back control and restore trust? Or is it just a tool for financial speculation and illegal activities? Wharton professor and author Kevin Werbach recommends books to get your head around the basics of ‘blockchain.’
-
1
X and the City: Modeling Aspects of Urban Life
by John A. Adam -
2
In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman: Mathematics at the Limits of Computation
by William J. Cook -
3
Who's #1?: The Science of Rating and Ranking
by Amy N. Langville and Carl D. Meyer -
4
50 Visions of Mathematics
by Sam Parc -
5
In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World
by Ian Stewart
The best books on Applied Mathematics, recommended by Nick Higham
The best books on Applied Mathematics, recommended by Nick Higham
It can be used to understand everything from bedbugs to traffic jams and helps us take photos and fly planes. Maths professor and author Nick Higham picks five books that show the many wonders of applied maths.
-
1
Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity to Maximize Machines
by John Havens -
2
The Technological Singularity
by Murray Shanahan -
3
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
by Cathy O'Neil -
4
Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong
by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen -
5
2001: A Space Odyssey
by Arthur C Clarke
The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence, recommended by Paula Boddington
The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence, recommended by Paula Boddington
Advances in artificial intelligence pose a myriad of ethical questions, but the most incisive thinking on this subject says more about humans than it does about machines, says Paula Boddington, Oxford academic and author of Towards a Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence.
-
1
Technics and Civilization
by Lewis Mumford -
2
Autonomous Technology – Technics-Out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought
by Langdon Winner -
3
Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life
by Albert Borgmann -
4
Does Technology Drive History? The Dilemma of Technological Determinism
by Edited by Merritt Roe Smith and Leo Marx -
5
Philosophy of Technology
by Edited by Jan-Kyrre Berg Olsen and Evan Selinger
The best books on Philosophy of Technology, recommended by Evgeny Morozov
The best books on Philosophy of Technology, recommended by Evgeny Morozov
It’s easy to be impressed by the latest gadgets and comment on how much has changed since we started using them. But how often do we really take a step back and think about technological advances in their broader context? Belarussian tech commentator, Evgeny Morozov, picks the best books on the philosophy of technology.
The best books on Transhumanism, recommended by Mark O'Connell
The journalist and author Mark O’Connell explored the nature of transhumanism—the belief that technology will help us evolve beyond our current physical and mental limitations—in his award-winning book To Be A Machine. Here he selects five key books that speak directly to the movement.
The best books on Drone Warfare, recommended by Hugh Gusterson
The introduction of drones “makes possible perpetual war without costs”, warns the anthropology professor and security expert Hugh Gusterson. Here he selects the best books that examine their ethical, psychological and political impact upon 21st century warfare.
The best books on Information, recommended by Tyler Cowen
A conversation with the economist, educator, omnivore, polymath and co-founder of Marginal Revolution, highlighting books about decentralised information, mass collaboration and spontaneous order
The best books on Cybersecurity, recommended by Misha Glenny
There’s an unseen, mostly unacknowledged cyber war going on. British journalist Misha Glenny, author of Dark Market, tells us who’s involved, how far it spreads and what could happen if we let it continue unchecked. He picks the best books to get a better handle on cybersecurity.
The best books on Memory and the Digital Age, recommended by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger
The Professor of Internet Regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute selects books on how memories are made and discusses the effect of digital data storage on our perception of the present and the future
The best books on Robotics, recommended by Daniel H Wilson
These days robotic technology is developing so fast that sci-fi is having a hard time keeping up, says best-selling author and roboticist, Daniel H Wilson. He picks the best books on robotics.
The best books on The History of Information, recommended by Ann Blair
The history professor and author of Too Much to Know tells us what researchers have been discovering about how earlier human societies collected, organised and used information
The best books on The Origins of Computing, recommended by George Dyson
As we approach the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth, science historian George Dyson looks back at the achievements of wartime code breaking and the “human computers” who enabled our modern age of iPhones and laptops
-
1
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
by Jesse Schell -
2
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
by James Paul Gee -
3
Communities of Play: Emergent Cultures in Multiplayer Games and Virtual Worlds
by Celia Pearce -
4
Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming
by T L Taylor -
5
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
The best books on Video Games, recommended by Katherine Isbister
The best books on Video Games, recommended by Katherine Isbister
Video games have never been more popular – or more intricately designed. But we haven’t yet developed the vocabulary to analyse a game’s impact the way we do a film’s, says professor of computational media Katherine Isbister. Here, she chooses five of the best books that explore the art of video game design, and the subcultures that grow up around them.
Lev Grossman recommends the best books on the World Wide Web
The book critic and technology columnist for Time magazine says there’s a level on which the Internet is a mass tool for pacification. It allows people to play out their lives in a fantasy context, which is very politically unthreatening. He picks the best books on the World Wide Web.
The best books on Technology and Nature, recommended by Daniel Headrick
The historian explains how the power of technology has affected man’s relationship with the rest of nature, and tells us what determines why some civilisations succeed and others fail
The best books on Technology and Optimism, recommended by Matt Ridley
The science writer says we are obsessively pessimistic for no good reason. Our innate ability to innovate with technology is what will ultimately save us from disaster
The best books on Negotiating the Digital Age, recommended by Nick Harkaway
The challenges – and opportunities – of our times have never been greater. Everything from our models of political participation to the very architecture of our brains is at stake, says the novelist and technology blogger Nick Harkaway.
The Best Electronic Literature, recommended by Jessica Pressman
When we think of an ebook, we think of a printed book delivered in electronic form. But it can be so much more than that. Here, literary scholar Jessica Pressman talks us through the the rise of electronic literature—books that are composed not just of words, but take advantage of all the tools that a digital medium has to offer.
The best books on The Internet, recommended by David Soskin
The co-founder and former chief executive of the website Cheapflights tells us what (not) to do to succeed online, and how to learn from Google and Facebook
The best books on Computer Games, recommended by Tom Chatfield
Computer games aren’t just for teenage boys locked in their bedrooms says author and former Prospect senior editor Tom Chatfield – they are vital tools for social development. Here he selects five of the best books on the theory behind games, and the culture that grows up around them.
The best books on Watson, recommended by Stephen Baker
Former BusinessWeek writer recommends five books that deepen our understanding of the science and psychology behind Jeopardy!’s computer champion, Watson
-
1
Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
by Atul Gawande -
2
The Patient Will See You Now: The Future of Medicine is in Your Hands
by Eric Topol -
3
A Billion Wicked Thoughts
by Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam -
4
Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity — What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves
by Christian Rudder -
5
Nudge
by Cass Sunstein & Richard Thaler
The best books on Health and the Internet, recommended by Elad Yom-Tov
The best books on Health and the Internet, recommended by Elad Yom-Tov
A quick search of your symptoms on the internet may lead to an acute case of ‘cyberchondria.’ But it may also provide data which will improve health and even save lives. Elad Yom-Tov, the author of Crowdsourced Health, recommends books showing how internet data and data science can provide exciting new ways of conducting health and medical research.
The best books on Virtual Living, recommended by Aleks Krotoski
‘There was a research study done in the 1960s that identified that people will open themselves up to a stranger on a train and tell them deep personal information they would never tell their closest friends, partially because they have this sense that they can confess.’