The most recommended technology books

Who picked these books? Meet our 211 experts.

211 authors created a book list connected to technology, and here are their favorite technology books.
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Book cover of Marketing 5.0: Technology for Humanity

Keith A. Quesenberry Author Of Social Media Strategy: Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations in the Consumer Revolution

From my list on understanding how marketing has changed.

Why am I passionate about this?

After 17 years in the advertising industry, I became a professor to teach what I learned in practice. Only then did I start reflecting, researching, and discovering why we were successful in some efforts and not in others. From that perspective, I’ve been crafting new ways to approach marketing that are not based on what worked in the past, but on what works now in light of the dramatic changes to the field. Within marketing, I focus on social media strategy, digital marketing, and storytelling.

Keith's book list on understanding how marketing has changed

Keith A. Quesenberry Why did Keith love this book?

Philip Kotler, “The Father of Modern Marketing,” credited with developing the 4 Ps of the marketing mix is still contributing to the field. In this book with his co-authors, he builds upon the foundations he helped to set up decades ago to show us how the practice of marketing has evolved and where it is headed. You’ll learn the challenges marketers face in a digital world, new strategies for tech-powered marketing, and new tactics for leveraging marketing tech. What I really learned from this book is the practice of human-centric marketing where brands behave like humans treating customers as friends. It’s all about POV where value proposition messages become useful and valuable content.

By Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya, Iwan Setiawan

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Marketing 5.0 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rediscover the fundamentals of marketing from the best in the business

In Marketing 5.0, the celebrated promoter of the "Four P's of Marketing," Philip Kotler, explains how marketers can use technology to address customers' needs and make a difference in the world.

In a new age when marketers are struggling with the digital transformation of business and the changing behavior of customers, this book provides marketers with a way to integrate technological and business model evolution with the dramatic shifts in consumer behavior that have happened in the last decade.

Following the pattern presented in his bestselling Marketing X.0 series,…


Book cover of Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists to America

Robert McParland Author Of The Last Alchemist

From my list on books where history meets mystery.

Why am I passionate about this?

I once had a history advisor in school whom I informed that I was studying history so I could write fiction better. I saw him cringe a bit at that. Even so, I think that history and fiction–and the mystery–go together well. I am always drawn by mystery dramas–and by the drama of real lives facing and unraveling their way through real events. Of course, that led to graduate studies in cultural and intellectual history, to many years of teaching literature, and to passionate reading of mystery novels. Sparkling fiction and strong narrative history, for me, continue to stimulate a sense of wonder at human experience and this incredible universe we live in.    

Robert's book list on books where history meets mystery

Robert McParland Why did Robert love this book?

A secret intelligence program with Nazi scientists is described in such colorful detail that this nonfiction book riveted my attention.

What was most compelling for me was the story of how these scientists and technological experts were utilized by American ingenuity. A fascinating and well-researched history book always holds my interest.  

By Annie Jacobsen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Operation Paperclip as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the chaos following WWII, many of Germany's remaining resources were divvied up among allied forces. Some of the greatest spoils were the Third Reich's scientific minds--the minds that made their programs in aerospace and rocketry the best in the world. The United States secretly decided that the value of these former Nazis' forbidden knowledge outweighed their crimes, and the government formed a covert organization called Operation Paperclip to allow them to work without the knowledge of the American public.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with dozens of Paperclip family members, with access to German archival documents (including, notably, papers available…


Book cover of Frontiers II: More Recent Discoveries About Life, Earth, Space and the Universe

Rob Smith Author Of Shrader Marks: Keelhouse

From my list on for fiction writers who tell the truth.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was one of those kids who wanted to understand everything. Early on, I worked at a research laboratory and majored in biology. When studies in religion and philosophy offered an even deeper level of inquiry, I turned to archeology, anthropology, psychology, and linguistic analysis. Over the years, I was a counselor for people at the end of life, taught college philosophy, and a cultural approach to religion. I have traveled throughout western Kenya, Guyana, New Zealand, Alaska, and Labrador. I also listened for the stories of the people. Additionally, I have sailed for more than forty years. I write about what I know, and about what still puzzles me.

Rob's book list on for fiction writers who tell the truth

Rob Smith Why did Rob love this book?

Rule #1: Writers should write what they know. Many science fiction readers know Isaac Asimov as a prolific genre author. First and foremost, however, he is a scientist, a biochemist by training. In this book, Isaac and Janet Asimov share essays on diverse scientific subjects from life on earth to discoveries in space. For me, I searched the book for everything from the fate of the dinosaurs to the height of sea-level rise in case of a major melt-down of Antarctica and Greenland. 

In this book, imagination runs a parallel reality. It is a place where a writer or a reader will see a jumping-off place from the real world to dystopia. 

By Isaac Asimov, Janet Asimov,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Frontiers II as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A treasury of 121 tales from the authors of Frontiers contains remarkable stories about humankind, the secrets of planet Earth, the vast expanse of outer space, and the mysteries of the universe. 15,000 first printing. $15,000 ad/promo.


Book cover of Men, Machines, and Modern Times

Joy Porter Author Of Trauma, Primitivism and the First World War: The Making of Frank Prewett

From Joy's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Treatied spaces research group lead Historian Professor Analyst

Joy's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Joy Porter Why did Joy love this book?

April this year, I found myself wandering around the MIT Museum shop in Boston, USA. I casually picked up this tiny, short book. Its theme, how can we organize a technological world we can live in, has stayed with me ever since. I was taking a break from a symposium at Harvard Law School about how to protect Indigenous intellectual property and intangible heritage in the coming AI revolution. Not being a lawyer, I felt like a fish out of water, but this book brought vital perspective.

Written by an MIT professor born in 1910, it explores how we’ve responded to technological change over time, and how it changes our affections. Morison perceived that machines establish their own conditions; they alter our consciousness. This makes it both foolish and sensible to resist innovation. He described the three stages we all go through as we resist innovation: ignoring, rationally rebutting,…

By Elting E. Morison,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Men, Machines, and Modern Times as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An engaging look at how we have learned to live with innovation and new technologies through history.

People have had trouble adapting to new technology ever since (perhaps) the inventor of the wheel had to explain that a wheelbarrow could carry more than a person. This little book by a celebrated MIT professor—the fiftieth anniversary edition of a classic—describes how we learn to live and work with innovation. Elting Morison considers, among other things, the three stages of users' resistance to change: ignoring it; rational rebuttal; and name-calling. He recounts the illustrative anecdote of the World War II artillerymen who…


Book cover of The Peace War

Laurence E Dahners Author Of Quicker

From my list on “what if” in science fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a surgeon and scientist who has had a lifelong interest in science and science fiction, I can’t help being fascinated by “what if” questions, especially as regards the impact of inventions on human society and the world. As an optimist, I tend to enjoy exploring inventions that benefit mankind much more than those that bring on an apocalypse.

Laurence's book list on “what if” in science fiction

Laurence E Dahners Why did Laurence love this book?

This riveting tale asks “what if” a future technology allows the “bobbling” of spherical volumes of invincible space within which time is stopped. In a misguided effort to stop a war, the Peace Authority bobbles military groups and war-making machinery all around the world with unexpected consequences. 

But, for me, the stars of the show are the bobbles themselves, especially when they unexpectedly start popping, releasing people, war machines, and exploding bombs that have been in stasis for decades. 

By Vernor Vinge,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Peace War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

First in a quintessential hard-science fiction adventure, Hugo Award-winning author Vernor Vinge's The Peace War follows a scientist determined to put an end to the militarization of his greatest invention--and of the government behind it.

The Peace Authority conquered the world with a weapon that never should have been a weapon--the "bobble," a spherical force-field impenetrable by any force known to mankind. Encasing governmental installations and military bases in bobbles, the Authority becomes virtually omnipotent.

But they've never caught Paul Hoehler, the maverick who invented the technology, and who has been working quietly for decades to develop a way to…


Book cover of Shards of Honour

Brock E. Deskins Author Of The Sorcerer's Ascension

From my list on to travel the best path to magic and adventure.

Why am I passionate about this?

Fantasy has always intrigued me since I read The Once and Future King in grade school. The number of fantasy books I’ve read number in the hundreds if not topping a thousand. In my twenties, you never saw me without a book in my hand, my nose pressed into the pages. If I wasn’t reading, I was dreaming up fantasy stories in my head, and this was long before I ever thought of writing my first book. I was a dreamer from birth and will die as one if I live to be 100 like my granny.

Brock's book list on to travel the best path to magic and adventure

Brock E. Deskins Why did Brock love this book?

Stepping out of the theme of fantasy, I have to say I am a huge fan of science fiction, nearly as much as fantasy. One of the first books/series that springs to mind when speaking of this genre is the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois Mcmaster Bujold. I’d read a lot of Sci-Fi prior to this series, but mostly the Battletech books. If Battletech was my favorite fast-food books, then The Vorkosigan Saga was an 8-course meal at a 5-star restaurant. While it did not delve into the intricacies of space travel and technology to the point I felt like I was taking an advanced college course, she does create a living galaxy and intricate characters you can’t help but chase after like a starstruck fan seeing Mark Hamill at a Star Wars convention. While there is an overall theme to the large series, each book is unique to itself, so…

By Lois McMaster Bujold,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shards of Honour as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cordelia Naismith is enjoying a baptism of fire. Her first mission is to captain a throwaway warship of the Betan Expeditionary Force on a mission to destroy an entire enemy armada. Discovering deception within deception, treachery within treachery, she is forced into an uneasy peace with her nemesis: Lord Aral Vorkosigan. Discovering that astrocartography is not the soundest training for a military leader, Cordelia rapidly finds herself the prisoner of the Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan, also known as 'The Butcher of Komarr'. But the notorious captain is not quite the beast Cordelia was expecting and a grudging respect develops between…


Book cover of Design for Safety

João Rosa Author Of Software Architecture Metrics: Case Studies to Improve the Quality of Your Architecture

From my list on a people first approach to technology.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m puzzled by how people and technology evolve—as humankind we created all of these wonders to make our life easier. At the same time, I feel that we are more focus on the technology and processes, rather than people. It drew me to the topic of sociotechnical systems, which fascinates me. I’ve formal education in IT, and everything is binary; however, during my career I was drawn to the intersection of technology and people. My mission in life is to support a new generation of leaders that want to create an organisational environment that puts people in the center! 

João's book list on a people first approach to technology

João Rosa Why did João love this book?

Technology allowed us to share information instantly; it also enabled the creation of new products. However, there is the reverse of the coin, where technology is used for abuse. Eva's book comes from her experience with survivors of abuse, and she shows how technology can be abused, and what we can use in our design process to create products that take safety into consideration. It is a must-read for anyone involved in the creation of digital products.

By Eva PenzeyMoog,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Design for Safety as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of I Hate the Internet

David David Katzman Author Of A Greater Monster

From my list on shattering the conventions of what a novel can be.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a writer, artist, and actor throughout my life, I’ve explored and enjoyed many artistic forms. While I appreciate books across many genres, I elevate to the highest level those works that manage to break conventional boundaries and create something original. In my own work, I have always challenged myself to create something unique with a medium that has never been done before. At the same time, I have sought to discover a process and resulting work that inspires readers’ own creativity and challenges them to expand their imagination. 

David's book list on shattering the conventions of what a novel can be

David David Katzman Why did David love this book?

I Hate the Internet is an uncompromising punch in the face that blends comedy with a didactic, experimental style. It names names and kicks ass. It’s vibrant and energizing. The majority of traditional literary fiction at its core finds its value in teaching empathy through believable characters. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, we still stand today with a world collapsing around us environmentally and politically. We need more books that just say fuck it, conservative forms have not saved us from global warming, political fascism, or dehumanizing capitalism so let’s try something different. At least here’s a unique attempt to rage against the machine. I call it a must-read.

By Jarett Kobek,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Hate the Internet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In New York in the middle of the twentieth century, comic book companies figured out how to make millions from comics without paying their creators anything. In San Francisco at the start of the twenty-first century, tech companies figured out how to make millions from online abuse without paying its creators anything.

In the 1990s, Adeline drew a successful comic book series that ended up making her kind-of famous. In 2013, Adeline aired some unfashionable opinions that made their way onto the Internet. The reaction of the Internet, being a tool for making millions in advertising revenue from online abuse,…


Book cover of The Marriage Code

Tracie Banister Author Of Straight from the Hart

From my list on heroines who make a love connection on the job.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an author, I run my own business and have a hand in all aspects of my product, from creation to promotion. My work is my passion, so I love to write (and read!) books about women who have that same dedication to their careers. I enjoy seeing these ladies strive for success and how they handle challenges along the way. And, of course, since RomComs are my genre, those challenges often involve a man because where else is a workaholic going to find her soulmate? The witty banter, sizzling sexual tension, snort-laugh moments, and surprising plot twists on the pages of all these books, including mine, are guaranteed to entertain you.

Tracie's book list on heroines who make a love connection on the job

Tracie Banister Why did Tracie love this book?

An office rivalry between software developer Emma and app developer Rishi takes an interesting turn when they’re sent to Bangalore to work on a project together.

Back in his home country, Rishi’s family pressures him to get married to a woman of the right caste/religion. Emma offers to create an algorithm to help Rishi find the perfect wife who might be a lot closer than he thinks!

This book does a wonderful job of delving into the challenges of an American woman dating an Indian man as well as the dynamics and relationships within an Indian family. Brooke Burroughs brings India to vibrant life on the page, and I felt as though I was falling in love with the country (and Rishi!) along with Emma.

By Brooke Burroughs,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Marriage Code as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Brooke Burroughs's endearing debut novel set in vibrant India, enemies turned allies encounter obstacles in an unexpected multicultural romance only to discover that in the end, love is love.

Emma has always lived her life according to a plan. But after turning down her boyfriend's proposal, everything starts to crumble. In an effort to save the one thing she cares about-her job-she must recruit her colleague, Rishi, to be on her development team...only she may or may not have received the position he was promised. (She did.)

Rishi cannot believe that he got passed over for promotion. To make…


Book cover of Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence

Tom Stafford Author Of Mind Hacks: Tips & Tools for Using Your Brain

From my list on understanding the human mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am now a Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Sheffield, UK. I co-wrote Mind Hacks with technologist Matt Webb; we had great fun doing it. My research has always been in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, using experiments to understand the mind and brain and how they fit together. 

Tom's book list on understanding the human mind

Tom Stafford Why did Tom love this book?

The evolution of the mind is not over yet!

Clark is a philosopher and shows with wit and many great examples how our minds evolved to be a tight meshing between our brains, bodies, and the environment. In this account, our human endowment is to naturally absorb technologies, whether as simple as a stick or as complex as the internet, into our thinking and so warp and expand our consciousness and our capacity for thought.

So much discussion of artificial intelligence is about what computers will do better than humans or instead of humans. This book explodes the whole notion: intelligence has always been artificial, and the most interesting questions are about how we’re going to use technology to think. Onwards!

By Andy Clark,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Natural-Born Cyborgs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From Robocop to the Terminator to Eve 8, no image better captures our deepest fears about technology than the cyborg, the person who is both flesh and metal, brain and electronics. But philosopher and cognitive scientist Andy Clark sees it differently. Cyborgs, he writes, are not something to be feared-we already are cyborgs.
In Natural-Born Cyborgs, Clark argues that what makes humans so different from other species is our capacity to fully incorporate tools and supporting cultural practices into our existence. Technology as simple as writing on a sketchpad, as familiar as Google or a cellular phone, and as potentially…


Book cover of Marketing 5.0: Technology for Humanity
Book cover of Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists to America
Book cover of Frontiers II: More Recent Discoveries About Life, Earth, Space and the Universe

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