The books on this list aren’t just for cryptocurrency founders. Covering biographies, company building and organizational history, creative inspiration and science fiction, this list has something for everyone in cryptocurrency and beyond.
Written by: a16z crypto
Compiled by: Elvin, Chaincatcher
In the spirit and regular tradition of sharing our reading, check out our latest Winter 2023 book list (games, movies, etc.), courtesy of the a16z crypto team. Here are some of the books we recently curated for the giveaway library at the 2nd Annual A16Z Crypto Founders Summit. This year, we also added personal notes to some of our Staff Picks books.
1. Company construction and organizational operation methods
《The Art of Doing Science of Engineering: Learning to Learn》作者：Richard Hamming
《Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems》作者： Martin Kleppmann
“This book is very easy to understand, yet provides a very comprehensive discussion of important ideas in distributed systems. It is the first book I recommend to young systems engineers. Introducing data models, system design, and the future of data systems Previously, Kleppman first provided a detailed analysis of why distributed systems are difficult to build, maintain, and scale. While this book does not explicitly address blockchain, it will be useful for anyone looking to better understand the distributed systems required to build with blockchain. It’s a good foundation for systems engineers.” - Sam Broner, engineer
《Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building》作者：Claire Hughes Johnson
《A Theory of Fun for Game Design》作者：Raph Koster
《Thinking in Systems: A Primer》作者：Donella Meadows
《Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot》作者：Matt Abrahams
Editor’s Note: Also see this related podcast where we discuss the book’s themes and how they apply to technology environments, including the crypto industry.
2. Builder biography, organization and innovation process
《Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology》，作者：Chris Miller
“A concise and thoughtful history of semiconductor manufacturing, from 1947 to 2022. This book will leave you wondering what’s next by the end – and leave us all (as founders, Engineers, technologists, writers, and participants) firmly occupy a place in the history of computing.” ——Eddy Lazzarin, Chief Technology Officer
《The Making of Atomic Bomb》，作者：Richard Rhodes
“One of my favorite nonfiction books has been given new life with the release of Oppenheimer’s film. But there’s more to the book than that: Beginning in the late 19th century, Roland Rhodes covers the emergence of nuclear fission, the creation and delivery of nuclear bombs, and their consequences. The book is extremely readable; Rhodes is also an excellent explainer of science. As for the founders: it’s all about discovery, construction, and Projects that change the world”. —Tim Sullivan, Editorial Partner
《Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed》 作者：Ben Rich & Leo Janos
《How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer》 作者：Adrian Newey
“This is the autobiography of legendary Formula 1 aerodynamicist Adrian Newey. This book gives an incredible look into the problem-solving mind of a great engineer. Newey describes him and his team How to circumvent the strict restrictions of Formula 1 and find extremely clever loopholes to defeat your opponents with minimal cost. A truly insightful story of innovation and courage in this cutthroat sport. Newey came up with Bugs, performance improvements and designs have directly shaped today’s F1 cars and have influenced everything from simple road cars to high-performance sports cars and electric vehicles. If you’re interested in F1, it’s a total treat, but still very interesting. interesting”. —Sagar Dhawan, data scientist
《Shoe Dog: A Memoir from the Creator of Nike》作者：Phil Knight
《Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds》 作者：David Goggins
"This is the incredible autobiographical story of David Goggins, one of only 36 black American Navy SEALs and an incredible endurance athlete. He was born with a hole in his heart and suffered from severe dyslexia. Obstacles. His father was an abusing drug dealer. Despite these challenges, Goggins achieved impressive results both in the armed forces and in a career as an extreme endurance athlete. His message was simple yet powerful: If I Being able to do what I do when the odds seem against me, imagine what you can do. This is the book I tell every founder/CEO I work with to read.” —Jason Rosenthal, operating partner
《Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage》 作者： Alfred Lansing
3. Technology trends, history, open source/Web3 topics
《The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings On Linux And Open Source By An Accidental Revolutionary 》 作者：Eric Raymond
《The Evolution of Cooperation》 Author: Robert Axelrod
《Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed》 作者：James Scott
《The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age》 作者： James Dale Davidson & Wiliam Rees-Mogg
《The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future》 作者：Kevin Kelly
4. Science fiction novels and other related novels
“The Invincible” by Stanislaw Lem
This book, written in 1964, is one of the first science fiction novels to propose the concept of “smart dust”. “Smart dust” consists of nanomachines that are identical to each other and harmless on their own, but become super-intelligent when they form a clump. This idea of smart dust is very similar to blockchain. The novel itself is also a very gripping and high-quality science fiction novel. —Valeria Nikolaenko, Research Partner
“Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson
《Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow》 作者：Gabrielle Zevin
5. More creative inspiration categories
《The Creative Act: A Way of Being》 作者：Rick Ruben
《The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan》 作者：Tom Shone
6. Some duplicate books in last year’s book list
《The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea》 作者：John Micklethwait & Adrian Woolrdige
《Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World》 作者：Jill Jonnes
“Designing An Internet” by David Clark
《The Death and Life of Great American Cities》 作者：Jane Jacobs
《Coding Democracy: How Hackers Are Disrupting Power, Surveillance, and Authoritarianism》 作者：Maureen Webb
Curated by Sonal Chokshi & Brittney Burrows
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