The Best Books on Productivity

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen ... If you feel like you lose whole days to procrastination or indecision—or simply have ... 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InterviewbyCalFlyn,DeputyEditor Updatededition GettingThingsDone:TheArtofStress-FreeProductivity byDavidAllen Read Buyallbooks Read 1 TheOrganizedMind:ThinkingStraightintheAgeofInformationOverload byDanielJLevitin Read 2 BrainChains:YourThinkingBrainExplainedinSimpleTerms byTheoCompernolle Read 3 TheChecklistManifesto:HowtoGetThingsRight byAtulGawande Read 4 TheInevitable:Understandingthe12TechnologicalForcesThatWillShapeOurFuture byKevinKelly Read 5 TheAntidote byOliverBurkeman 1TheOrganizedMind:ThinkingStraightintheAgeofInformationOverload byDanielJLevitin 2BrainChains:YourThinkingBrainExplainedinSimpleTerms byTheoCompernolle 3TheChecklistManifesto:HowtoGetThingsRight byAtulGawande 4TheInevitable:Understandingthe12TechnologicalForcesThatWillShapeOurFuture byKevinKelly 5TheAntidote byOliverBurkeman Canbooksteachushowtobemoreproductive? Absolutely.Ithinkbookscanprovideaframework,andmodelstothinkthrough.Alotofmycareerhasbeenbuiltonresearching,understanding,clarifyingandformulatingathoughtprocessthatmakespeopletremendouslymoreproductive.AtsomepointIfiguredoutthatwhatI’dlearnedduringmy25-yearcareerwasunique,thatnobodyelsehaddoneit,andthatitwasbulletproofifyouimplementedit.IbecameconvincedthatIshouldjustwritethemanual.SoIwroteGettingThingsDone:TheArtofStress-FreeProductivity,whichwasfirstpublishedin2001. ThefirstweekenditwasontheshelvesofBarnes&NobleintheUS,awomanemailedmetosay:‘Wow,David,Ipickedupyourbook.Ireaditanditchangedmylife.’Ithought:‘Yes!’BecauseIwasn’tclearthatIcouldputmeinthebookorthatIcouldactuallytransmitsomethingthroughthewrittenword.Thatwasstillkindofunknowntome. Absolutely.GettingThingsDonemadeahugeimpact.TheGuardiantoocalledit“nothingshortoflifechanging.”Butwhydoyouthinkithadsuchabigresponse?IguesswhatI’maskingis:whyhavepeoplehadsuchanemotionalresponsetowhatis,onthefaceofit,aseriesofadministrativetasks? Well,thefreedomandreleasedenergythatapplyingthethoughtprocessandthepracticeproducesisinstantandverydeliciousforpeople.Especiallyifthey’reintoimprovingtheirlifeinsomeway,shapeorform. Butthestrangeparadoxisthatthepeoplemostattractedtogettingthingsdonearethepeoplewhoneedittheleast.They’realreadythemostproductive,aspirational,positively-focusedfolks.Theyjustneedmoreroom;they’vejustrunoutofroom,giventheircreativityandtheirinspirationandalltheworkthatthey’redoing.Sothey’reextremelyhungryforsomethingthatallowsthemmoreroom.Theyknowhowmuchmorevaluetheycouldproduceiftheywerefreeduporhadmorespaceandmoreroomtodothat. Sothere’sgoodandbadnews.Thegoodnewsis,Igettohangwithsomeofthecoolestfolksyou’veevermet,whoareattractedtomywork.Thebadnewsis,thepeoplewhoreallyneedthisdon’tshowup.They’rejustnotconsciousenoughtobeawarethattheycouldchangeorareinterestedinit.Mostpeople,eventhoughtheymaycomplainaboutbeingoverwhelmedorconfused,believewhateverthey’redoingisenough. Howtimeconsumingisittouseaproductivitymethodlikeyourown?GettingThingsDoneadvisesdrawinguplistsofgoals,breakingthemintotasks,drawingupto-dolistsandweighingthembypriority.Thescepticalpartofmewondersifwemightbebetterusingthattimejusttogetstraighttothework. Well,mymethodologydoesn’taddwork.Itactuallyhasyougetyourworkdonemucheasier,instantly.Soit’snotextrastuff.It’sfunny,peoplegetmadatmeabouttheirlists.Isay:‘Excuseme,it’snotmylist.It’syours.’Andhowmanytimesdoyouwanttokeepthinkingaboutsomethingwithoutmakinganyprogressonit?Talkaboutawasteoftime. Assoonasanythingpopsintoyourheadmorethanonce—unlessyoujustlikehavingthethought—itjustmeansyou’renotyetappropriatelyengagedwiththatthingandit’stakinguppsychicspace,usingmentalspacethatisnotavailableforanythingelse.Andsohevalidatedthatinaveryrigorouslyresearchedbook. Read 1 TheOrganizedMind:ThinkingStraightintheAgeofInformationOverload byDanielJLevitin Read Yes,that’sagoodpoint.Let’stalkaboutyourbookrecommendations.Firstup,wehaveneuroscientist,DanielLevitin’sTheOrganizedMind.Thiswasabigbestsellerbackin2014.Couldyoutellmeaboutwhyyourecommendit? Well,it’skindofafunnystory.I’vemetDan—he’sagreatguy.Whenhewashalfwaythroughwritinghisbook,hecameacrossmineandfreakedout,andhewenttohiseditortosay:‘OhmyGod,maybeIshouldjuststop—becauseDaviddidit.’Soit’sverysimpatico. I’mgladhedidn’tstopbecausehehasaccumulatedandcuratedawholelotofreallycoolresearchthatbasicallyjustvalidatestheneedforanexternalbrain.Yourheadisnotdesignedtoremember,remind,prioritize,ormanagerelationshipswithmorethanfourthings—andthat’snewcognitivesciencedata.I’veknownthisexperientiallyforthelast35years:yourheadisforhavingideas,butit’saterribleplacetohangontothem.Imean,yourheadisacrappyoffice. GettheweeklyFiveBooksnewsletter Sohevalidatedthatinaveryrigorouslyresearchedbook.He’sProfessorEmeritusatMcGillUniversity,FellowoftheHaasSchoolofBusinessatBerkeley...Imean,thisguy’sgotcredsupthewazoo.Ithoughtthatwasgreat—andit’sagoodreminderforanybodywhothinksthatyoushouldjustcarrystuffaroundinyourheadtogrowup. Isthisabookthatoffersasystemofimprovingproductivity,orisitonethatrecommendsthatweshouldhaveasystem? Itrecommendsyoushouldhaveasystem.Imean,Dan’sgotsometipsandtricksandtechniquesintherethatareuseful,butweallkindofknowthem.Putstuffinfrontofthedoor,soyoudon’tforgetitinthemorning.Youcouldcallthatasystem,butthat’sjustkindofobvious. Inthebook,hepointsoutthatourbrainshaveadailyprocessinglimitandwemaybewastingitonlookingatfunnypicturesonourphoneorreadingarticlesonline. Butdistractionshavealwaysbeenaround.Istheinternetsodifferent? Justinspeedandvolume,that’sall.Andtheaccessibilityandtheubiquityofit.Ifyouwereoutintheforest,itwouldtakeyouawhiletofindthingstodistractyou,butyoustillcould.Butnowit’sinyourpocket.Inthenextbook,asyou’llsee,TheoCompernolle’sgotamajorrantabouthowshallowpeoplearethinkingnow.JusthavingyouriPhoneinyourpocketoryourpurseoryourpackcreatesadopaminerush,wonderingwhomightbepingingyou. SupportFiveBooks FiveBooksinterviewsareexpensivetoproduce.Ifyou'reenjoyingthisinterview,pleasesupportusbydonatingasmallamount. It’shighlyaddictive,allthatstuffis.Buttheissueisoldasdirt.Ifyouknowwhatyou’redoing,it’sagreattimetobealive,becausewow,howcoolisitthatyouandIcantalkonSkypefromtheothersideoftheworld?You’vegotahugenetworkofpeoplegloballythatyoucanchatwith,andhangoutwith,andgetvaluefrom,andsharewith.Howneatisthat?Butit’sveryeasytogethookedintoitifyou’renotsurewhatyou’redoing,orifyouwanttofindawaytoavoiddoingthetough,uglythingyouknowyouneedtodo. Read 2 BrainChains:YourThinkingBrainExplainedinSimpleTerms byTheoCompernolle Read Absolutely.Iknowalotofstudieshaveshownthatbeingboredisgreatforcreativity;butbycarryingtheinternetinourpocketsmeansthatweveryrarelyevergetboredthesedays.Imean,I’venoticedthatthesecondanyonehasanykindofnegativeemotion,theimmediatethingthatmostpeoplewilldoistakeouttheirphonetodistractthemselves.Let’smoveontoournextproductivitybook,BrainChains.TheoCompernolleisaneuropsychiatrist,sothat’saninterestingpatternalready.Isonetakeawaythatweneedtounderstandourbrainstobemostproductive? Well,youshouldunderstandjustaverysimpleideathatTheotalksabout:therearethreepartsofyourbrain.Themostevolutionary,oldestpartisthelimbicpart—that’sthesurvivalone.That’stheonethatlivesinthepresent.That’stheonethatrecognizestigersandbearsandthunderstormsandberriesandthingstoeatandsoforth.It’stheexecutionpartofyourbrainthatworksextremelywelltokeepyoualiveonthesavannahandinthejungle. Then,lateronevolutionary-wise,youdevelopedtheforebrain.Theforebrainisthethinkingpart,thefuturepart,thepartthatcanmakeplans,setgoals,havevisionsandsoforth.AsTheopointedout,that’sthepartthatcanactuallygettired.Twootherfriendsofmine,JohnTierneyandRoyBaumeister,whentheywroteWillpower:RediscoveringtheGreatestHumanStrength—whichisanotherbookthatcouldhavemadeittothelist—talkedaboutdecisionfatigue:theforebrainonlyhasacertainamountofhorsepowerthatitcanusebeforeitgetstired,frankly. ButTheopointsoutthatthere’sathirdpartofthebrain,averyimportantpartthatIdon’tthinkmostpeopleareawareof,calledthearchivingbrain.Thearchivingbrainisthepartofyouthattakesallthemultitudinousinputsthatweget24/7,andstartstoknitittogether.Itworksbeyondyourconsciousmind.Therefore,sleepisthebestplaceforyourarchivebraintoreinforceandreinvigoratealltheotherpartsofyourbrain,andit’sabsolutelynecessary. “Youneedtodaydream,youneedtoletyourmindrest,ortakeanap” It’salsowhyit’snecessary,every90minutes,togetupandwalkaroundforfiveminutes.Youneedtodaydream,youneedtoletyourmindrest,ortakeanap.AndTheocuratedinBrainChainsover600ofthelatestcognitivescienceresearchstudiestopulltogetherhisbasicrantonthispoint. Ijustlovetosleep.EverynightIlookatmycalendartoseehowlateIcansleepinthemorning,becauseIjustloveit.IthoughtIwaslazy.Nowafterreadingallthenewcognitivescience,I’mjustsophisticated.I’mjustoptimizingmycognitivefunctionbysleepingwheneverIcanandtakinganapwheneverIcanaffordto!Greatstuff. Asamatteroffact,I’dbequiteconcernedifyou’renotgettingseventoninehoursofsleepanight.Thereareafewpeople,Ithinkhementionsthat,thereareafewpeoplethatcangetbywithless.Butmostpeopleneedatleastthatmuchsleepinordertoreallyoptimizeyourcognitivefunctions. Yes.MatthewWalker’sbookWhyWeSleepisanotherexcellentworkofnonfictionthatunderlinestheimportanceofgood,undisturbedsleep.Butthatseemstoclashwiththecultureinmanyhighpoweredprofessions—say,inthefinancialandlegalworlds,nottomentionmedicine,whichwe’rejustcomingto—whichrequireworkerstogetbyonverylittlesleep. Yeah,well,they’vegotitwrong. Read 3 TheChecklistManifesto:HowtoGetThingsRight byAtulGawande Read Let’stalkaboutTheChecklistManifestobyAtulGawande.Thiswaspublishedin2009. Yes,that’sbeenoutthereforquiteawhile,asyouknow.Butit’sjustsuchaclassic.Atul—whoisagreatguy,asupersmart,majorwell-knownsurgeonintheUS—quitesimplysaid,‘Pilotshavechecklists,butsurgeonsdon’t.’Thereasonisthatthepilotsareintheplane,right.SoIguessifyouwereoperatingonyourself,you’dbeprettydamnwellsureyouhadachecklistbecauseyou’reexperiencingtheeffectsofthat. Justthesimplestkindsofthings—surgeonsneglectingtowashtheirhands,forexample.Atulisreallytalkingabouthowabsolutelypowerfulchecklistsare,andIthinkhemakesaverycreativepoint:thatchecklistsarenotjustsomestatic,boringthing.Theyactuallyallowyoutodoexcellentworkandfreeupyourbrainbynothavingtokeeprememberingwhatyouneedtodowhen.Thatthenallowsyourbraintobealotmorecreativeaboutwhateveritisyou’redoing.Asanexample—well,forinstance,doyouliketocook? Ohsure,Iloveit. Yeah,everreadrecipes? Sometimes. Yeah,sothat’sachecklist,youreadtherecipe.ButI’llbetyoudon’tsticktoit. No.ItendtojustusewhateveringredientsIhaveinthehouse. Right,butitgivesyouthefreedomtobecreativeandspontaneousanddoreallycoolstuff. Oh,Iseewhatyoumean.Itprovidesabasicframework.I’dneverjustgooutandinventawholedishfromscratch.AnythingnewI’mcookingisalwaysbasedonarecipeofsomekind. Right,right.Youneedsomesortofachecklist.Imean,I’vegottonsofchecklists.Youcouldcallanythingachecklist.Yourcalendarisachecklist.Whatdoyouneedtochecktoknowwhereyouneedtobewhen,andtolocateyourselfinspaceandtime?Soeverything,everykindofalistthat’sareminderlist,issomesortofachecklist.Evenyoursomeday-maybestuff.EventhefoodImightwanttocookatsomepoint,booksImightwanttoreadatsomepoint,moviesImightwanttosee,citiesImightwanttovisit,etcetera.Thoseareallchecklists. Anybodywhothinkschecklistsareboringandunnecessary—oh,comeon,doyouevenhaveacalendar?You’realreadyadmittingthatyourbraincan’tdoit,andthatyouneedsomeexternalremindertoallowyoutofeelcomfortableaboutwhereyouareandwhatyou’redoing. Read 4 TheInevitable:Understandingthe12TechnologicalForcesThatWillShapeOurFuture byKevinKelly Read I’mcompletelylostwithoutthecalendaronmyphonesendingmereminders.Let’scomebacktothequestionoftechnologyandproductivitywiththenextbook,TheInevitablebyKevinKelly. Kevin’sacoolguy.HewastheinitialeditorofWiredmagazine.Kevinsaidthatthereasonit’scalled‘TheInevitable’isthattheseare12trendsthataregoingon,andwhetheryoulikethemornot,theyarenotgoingtostop.Maybeheoverstatedthecasealittlebit,I’mnotsure,buthesaid:‘We’reatatimerightnow,anapexinourculture,thatismoresignificantthantheIndustrialRevolution,intermsofhowmuchit’sgoingtochangetheworld.’Hetalksaboutartificialintelligenceandvirtualreality,thingslikethat. Hesaid:‘Artificialintelligenceisonlythestuffthathasn’tbeenimplementedyet.’Hesaid:‘Youdon’tknowhowmuchisalreadygoingon.AssoonasyoudriveanduseGoogleMaps,artificialintelligenceisalreadytakingthatdataandupdatingeverybody’scalendarsandeverybody’sGPSandeverybody’strafficpatternsthatyou’reseeing.It’salreadyon.’ Soit’sfascinatingtoseehis12trends.Ilovehisfirstchapter.Hesaid,‘You’renevergoingtogetreallygoodatanything,becauseeverythingkeepsbeingupdated.You’regoingtohavetoconstantlyupdateyourrefrigerator,yourwashingmachine,yourcomputers,yourphones,maybeyourrelationships,Godknows.’ AgoodexampleisQuicken. Thisismoney-managementsoftware. IusedtobeabletoignoretheQuickenupgradesandsay,‘Oh,comeon,Quickenworksfine.’Untilatacertainpoint,ifyoudidn’tupgrade,thewholethingwouldn’twork,givenallthenewstuffthattheyweredoing.Sotheygotme.Ihavetoupgrade.SoeverytimeaQuickenupgradeshowsup,Igo,‘yes,okay,install.’Life’slikethat. Andhowdoesunderstandingtechnologicalchange(throughbookslikethis)impactuponourproductivity? Oh,I’mnotsureyet.TherearequiteanumberofstudiesI’veseenthatbasicallystatethatproductivityhasnotincreasedinthelast10or15years,whereastechnologyhasexponentiallyincreased.Soanincreaseintechnologydoesnotnecessarilymeananincreaseinproductivity.Asamatteroffact,forsomepeopleit’slike,‘Ohmygod,IgotanewcomputerprogramIhavetolearn.Geez,myproductivityjustwentdownthedrainbecauseoftryingtounderstandandhowtooptimallyusethetechnology.’Soit’sbothgoodandbadnews.Thegoodnewsisthatwaycoolstuffisouttherethatyoucanuse;thebadnewsis,it’snotfree. Soifweknowwhat’scoming,wecanrecognizeitwhenitarrivesandwhatitcandoforus,Isuppose. Yesand,quitefrankly,there’sreallynothingnewthat’sbeengame-changingsincereallythewordprocessorandthespreadsheet.Becausethosethingschangedthegame...Imean,therearesomanypeoplerunningtheirwholelifeandtheirbusinesswithExcel,right?DoyouuseWordtowriteyourstuff? Ofcourse. I’moldenoughtoremembererasetapeonamanualtypewriter.Itdamnwellbetterberightbeforeyoustarttowrite.Ohmygod,erasetapewasapaininthebutt.Butwordprocessorsworkmuchmorelikeyourbrainworks.Youliketohaveideas,thenlateronfigureoutwhattodowiththem.Sothatwasgamechanging,trulygamechanging,aswellaswhenWYSIWYGshowedupwiththewordprocessor—whatyouseeiswhatyouget.In1970,ifyouweregoingtowritealetter,youneededaprogrammeronthecomputer. Sothosethingsweregamechanging.Everythingelseforthemostparthasjustspedupandaddedvolumetooursourcematerials.That’sprettymuchit,soinawaythere’snothingreallynewexceptthespeedandvolumeofthecontent.That’swhatalotofthetechnologyhasreallydone.AndIthinkthat’stoKevin’spoint:we’restillwaitinginthewingsforcoolstuffwehaven’tseenyet,thatmaytrulyimpactallthat. Youre-releasedGettingThingsDonein2015totaketechnologicalchangesintoaccount.Howmuchdidyouhavetochange? WhatIdidwasunhookalotofmyreferencestotechnology,becausenewthingswerenowshowingupweekly.Atlastcount,therewereover300appsthatwerebuiltaroundmyGettingThingsDonemethodology (GTD)—notmine,justotherpeoplewhosay,‘Wow,allIneedarelists,letmefindacoolwaytomakealistmanagerwithdifferentbellsandwhistles.’Sothey’rejustshowingupregularly.Imentionedthetechnologyinthefirsteditionbecausemostpeopleweren’tawareofhowtheycouldusetheirtechnologyathandtoimplementgettingthingsdone.SoImentionedOutlook,ImentionedLotusNotes.ImentionedthePalmPilot.YouoldenoughtorememberthePalmPilot? Vaguely,yeah. Youmust’vebeenatinybaby.Imentionedthosesimplybecauseitwasanewwaytothinkabouthowtousethetechnology—tomanagelistsinanappropriateway.Inthenewedition,Idecidedtounhookalotofthosereferences,becauseitwoulddateitbytheweek.Peoplethenfocusonthetool,notthemethodology,whichisreallytheessenceofGTD.Onceyougetthegettingthingsdonemethodologyunderyourbelt,anytoolcanwork. Read 5 TheAntidote byOliverBurkeman Read Absolutely.Let’smoveontoyourfinalbook.ThisisOliverBurkeman’sTheAntidote.We’reabigfanofBurkemanonFiveBooks.Weinterviewedhimaroundthetimethisbookwasreleasedaboutthepowerofnegativethinking.Whydoyourecommendthisbookinthecontextofproductivity? Becausemywifekeptreadingitandlaughingoutloud,whichshealmostneverdoes.He’ssuchagreatwriterandhe’sgotsuchgreatstoriesinthere.Forthoseofuswho’vebeenaroundtheself-improvement,self-development,personalgrowthgamefor40years,itwassuchfuntoread.“HappinessForPeopleThatCan’tStandPositiveThinking”isafunsubtitle.Butthecontent,asyouknow,ismuchmoresophisticatedthanthetitlerepresents. HedescribesStoicism,thephilosophyofacceptingcurrentrealitysothatyoucanmovepastit.Thatissuchakey,keyelement.It’sarealkeyelementofgettingthingsdone,inaway,becausealotofpeopleresistwhatIteachbecausetheydon’twanttolookatallthecommitmentsthatthey’vemade,faceuptothem.Hey,ittakesmostpeopleonetosixhoursjusttoidentifyallofthe‘would,’‘could,’‘should,’‘needto,’‘oughtto’tasksthatarebangingaroundintheirpsyche. Mostpeopledon’twanttoengagewiththatreality.That’saverygoodexampleofwhatOliver’stalkingabout.Thisisnotnah-nah-nu-nu-fru-frustuff.Thisis:canyoujustdealwithwhatyou’vecommittedto,what’supandwhat’sinyourface?Becauseifyoudon’tdothat,it’sverydifficulttomoveforwardwithoutresistance. Thankyou.Asafinalquestion,whocanbenefitfromthesebooks? Everyone.Anybodywhoisintoimprovingtheirlife.Anybodywhowantstheirlife,18monthsfromnow,tobebetterormorecreativeormoreexpansivethanitcurrentlyis.Anylife-longlearner—that’smybroaddefinition.Anybodywhowantstobeabletodomore,better;havelessstress;havemorefun;havemoreanything,asopposedtojustbeingcomplacent. InterviewbyCalFlyn,DeputyEditor FiveBooksaimstokeepitsbookrecommendationsandinterviewsuptodate.Ifyouaretheintervieweeandwouldliketoupdateyourchoiceofbooks(orevenjustwhatyousayaboutthem)[email protected] CareersSelfHelpNewYearResolutionsWork DavidAllen DavidAllenisoneoftheworld’sleadingauthorityonpersonalandorganizationalproductivity.His30yearsofresearch,coachingandeducationofsomeoftheworld’shighest-performingprofessionalsearnedhimrecognitionfromForbesmagazineasoneofthetopfiveexecutivecoachesintheUnitedStates.Allenistheauthorofthreebooksincludingtheinternationalbestseller,GettingThingsDone:theArtofStress-FreeProductivity.Aperennialbusinessbestsellersinceit’spublicationin2001,GettingThingsDone(alsoknownas'theGTDmethod')isnowpublishedin28languages.Timemagazinedeclaredit“thedefiningself-helpbusinessbookofitstime.” CareersSelfHelpNewYearResolutionsWork Saveforlater Kindle DanielGolemanonEmotionalIntelligenceBooks JessicaPryce-JonesonHappinessatWorkBooks DavidAllenonProductivityBooks JoshCohenonBurnoutBooks EmmaGannononCreatingaCareerYouLoveBooks CynthiaJohnsononPersonalBrandingBooks MichaelGervaisonHighPerformancePsychologyBooks DavidAllen DavidAllenisoneoftheworld’sleadingauthorityonpersonalandorganizationalproductivity.His30yearsofresearch,coachingandeducationofsomeoftheworld’shighest-performingprofessionalsearnedhimrecognitionfromForbesmagazineasoneofthetopfiveexecutivecoachesintheUnitedStates.Allenistheauthorofthreebooksincludingtheinternationalbestseller,GettingThingsDone:theArtofStress-FreeProductivity.Aperennialbusinessbestsellersinceit’spublicationin2001,GettingThingsDone(alsoknownas'theGTDmethod')isnowpublishedin28languages.Timemagazinedeclaredit“thedefiningself-helpbusinessbookofitstime.” BooksbyDavidAllen GettingThingsDone:TheArtofStress-FreeProductivity byDavidAllen Relatedinterviews DanielGolemanonEmotionalIntelligenceBooks Popularinterviews NigelWarburtonon TheBestPhilosophyBooksof2021 NigelWarburton—thephilosopher,broadcasterandcreatorofthepopular PhilosophyBitespodcast—selectsfiveofthebestpublicphilosophybookspublishedin2021,includingadefenceofrighteousrage,anexaminationoftheconceptof'timemanagement,'andanintellectualbiographyofthepoliticalphilosopherandHolocaustsurvivorHannahArendt. Mostrecent HarrySidebottomon HistoricalFictionSetintheAncientWorld Theancientworldoffersanexcellentcanvasforhistoricalfictionbuttoomanybooksfallvictimtoanachronisticthinking,saysOxfordancienthistorianHarrySidebottom,authoroftwoseriesofhistoricalnovelssetinAncientRome.Hereherecommendssomeofhisownfavourites,allwrittenduringthegoldenageofclassicalhistoricalfictionhalfacenturyago. About Weaskexpertstorecommendthefivebestbooksintheirsubjectandexplaintheirselectioninaninterview. Thissitehasanarchiveofmorethanonethousandsevenhundredinterviews,oreightthousandbookrecommendations.Wepublishatleasttwonewinterviewsperweek. FiveBooksparticipatesintheAmazonAssociateprogramandearnsmoneyfromqualifyingpurchases. Newsletter Contactus PrivacyPolicy TermsofService ©FiveBooks2022