Title	Discussion	Links
	The Innovator's Dilemma	"The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen looks at the reasons why successful companies with excellent management get overtaken by newcomers with new ideas. Solid book in a straightforward style. (June29, 2001)	USA UK
	The ClueTrain Manifesto	I was speaking at a conference along with one of the authors, David Weinberger, and he suggested I take a look at the book as many of the ideas I was speaking about resonated with what he'd written. He was right - 'Cluetrain' is fast-paced and opinionated but has exactly the right spirit for the new dot-com generation and is studded with gems for the free-thinking reader. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it (not to say there aren't things I disagree with, of course!). The book started from a web site, which is itself an interesting read. (July 3, 2000)	USA UK
	Leadership and the New Science	A fascinating book that talks about the way that leadership styles are influenced by Newtonian science and the changes that can arise from adopting a chaotic/quantum/relational world-view. It talks extensively about the holistic connectedness I discuss in my keynotes and which ClueTrain applies. The book treats you as an adult, raising issues and giving pointers and examples without ever saying what you should do or attempting to give quick-fix lists.	USA UK
	Database Nation	The biggest threat to the future of the web has it's roots, in my opinion, in the issue of being able to prove you are who you say you are. This book, by Simson Garfinkel, considers the history of an earlier privacy issue, namely who can do what with personal information about you, and in a very readable way gives pointers to what went wrong with our legislation on databases, what lessons we should learn and what steps we should take. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to make sure we have a future where there's e-privacy. (July 3, 2000)	USA UK
	Secrets and Lies	Bruce Schneier wrote the book on cryptography, but when he went into the consulting business to exploit his knowledge he was depressed to discover that the real problems aren't technical; they are to do with people, policies and politics. This is a great book, destined to be a classic; easy reading, interesting, erudite, scary. I think it's an excellent primer for anyone with responsibility for security, privacy or for setting policy in these areas, explaining all the issues in a way that's easy to read and understand for both technical and non-technical people. (January 25, 2001)	USA UK
	The Tipping Point	What is it that turns an event into a trend, reverses a situation unexpectedly, in Geoffrey Moore's terms makes an idea 'cross the chasm'? Well, Malcolm Gladwell suggests it's always a combination of 'last straw' measures that tip situations between states. My interpretation is that, if there's going to be change, it needs agents of change - this book helps you understand their attributes. If you want to know what I do for a living, you'll have to read this book I'm afraid! (July 3, 2000)	USA UK
	The Nudist on the Late Shift	In just the same way that 'Microserfs' caught the spirit of the Windows-dominated computer industry in the late 1990s and Tracy Kidder's 'Soul of a New Machine' understood the dynamics of the 80s, so Po Bronson's book catches the spirit of Silicon Valley in the era of the dot-com start-up company. The book is easy to read, perceptive and often very funny indeed. SV locals may not catch as much new insight as others but will certainly wince from time to time as they see friends and colleagues (and themselves?) painted perfectly. (July 3, 2000)	USA UK
	The Mythical Man-Month	A fundamental and seminal work for the computer industry, Fred Brooks talks from his experience of project management to explain the basic tenets of the craft. This is the book from which I derive "'Brooks' Law" in my keynote address. (October 25, 2000) Keynote Keywords: Management	USA UK
	The Cathedral & The Bazaar	More essential reading, this time on the rationale and mechanisms of open source. This new classic by Eric Raymond explains how the open source methodology is not chaotic but rather is strictly by informally governed by the internal society of the open source community. Essential reading although not necessarily for fun - I found the style a bit stiff. 'Open Sources' was, I think, a better book.(November 26, 2001)	USA UK
	Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution	A collection of essays by the people who made and are making the open source revolution happen. I really enjoyed this book; it's practical, down-to-earth and timely. I especially enjoyed Brian Behlendorf's essay on open source business models, although I think I may have to write a chapter on the subject myself some day soon. (November 16, 2001)	USA UK
	Gonzo Marketing	Another book by the prolific Chris Locke of 'Cluetrain' fame, AKA Rageboy. Irreverent, amusing, irritating, the book is a curate's egg of penetrating insights and self indulgence. His thesis is that the most important dimension to the web is neither technology nor business but human. I'd agree. I recommend you read the book. (June 11, 2002)	USA UK
	Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom	Cory Doctorow's sci-fi novella makes an easy read and presents invigorating images of a future which has taken the core principles of the web and the open source movement and turned them into a social order. I'd recommend it as background for anyone trying to understand the ethos of open source, especially the way a reputation-based economy works. And it's a good read, despite an ending that makes me feel that cory got bored and just stopped. (April 24, 2003)
Photo Book Recommendations Top 10 | Photo Books | Personal Reading | Tech | | Also recommended
	50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques	Given my digital photo habit I love this practical guide to digital retouching and editing, and it's all the better for the fact that the software they use for the editing is the economic but superb Adobe Photoshop Elements (USA|UK) and not full Photoshop. Recommended. (November 21, 2001)	USA UK
	The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing	It has been said that the art of photography is in learning to be present enough to see. I found this book in Bookshop Santa Cruz and was fascinated by it. I've slowly been working my way through it, loving the author's ravishing black and white photographs and the selection of master-works he has assembled. The book itself is delicious, avoiding the usual photo-book platitudes and instead reflecting on the metaphysics of photography, being truly present and being aware. Take a look at the book on Amazon US, they have sample pages there to give you an idea of the book. (January 3, 2002)	USA UK
	Galen Rowell's The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography	In progress, July 2002. Excellent reading so far, with stunning photographs. Thanks to my parents for the birthday gift.	USA UK
	Better Pictures with your Compact	OK, this one is a little different! My father published this in 1987 but it's still full of the insights you need to take better picture with your compact camera, even a digital. And it's still at the 1987 price, £3.95	UK SPS
Tech Books Top 10 | Photo Books | Personal Reading | Tech | Also recommended
	JavaScript	A reliable O'Reilly reference book, I use this to help me with the Javascript on this site. Not just Javascript but also DOM and DHTML.	USA UK

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Also recommended:

Stupid White Men: The book where Michael Moore lets rip in attacking pretty much every aspect of the current US administration and culture. A lone voice crying in the wilderness I fear, but I encourage my American friends to read it and either weep or explain why he's wrong.

USA/UK

The Clock of the Long Now: A rather bitty set of philosophical foundations for the Long Now Foundation's clock project. No doubt about the central theme, about acting as if there will be many tomorrows, but the style disappointed me. An easy read but nothing to write home about.

USA/UK

The Victorian Internet: Tom Standage delivers a readable and interesting account of the history of the telegraph, drawing parallels between it and the hype and evolution of the Internet and web.

USA/ UK

Crossing the Chasm: Geoffrey Moore on the life-cycles of technology products

USA/UK

Microserfs: Douglas Coupland tells the fictional-yet-true story of programmers at Microsoft

USA/UK

The Soul Of A New Machine: Tracy Kidder captures the spirit of the team building a new minicomputer

USA/UK

Hard Drive: James Wallace provides an essential set of insights into what made Microsoft the company it is today in his unauthorized biography of Bill Gates.

USA/UK

Overdrive: The second part of the story of Microsoft from James Wallace. These two books are essential reading for anyone in the computer industry.

USA/UK

The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: Want tounderstand what makes Oracle tick? ReadMike Wilson's unauthorized biography.

USA/UK

The Message: Eugene Petersen's earthy translation of the Bible is the source for several of my aphorisms

USA/UK

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In the Queue:

Not read these yet, can't vouch for them, but you may have been looking for them too...

e-topia, William J Mitchell
USA/UK

IBM and the Holocaust, Edwin Black
USA/UK

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