The book this episode covers
Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy
Nicholas Reynolds · Reading rank 315
David calls the featured book fantastic in his introduction.
Dedicated episode · Explicit praise
Books David recommends along the way
The Fish That Ate the Whale
Rich Cohen · Reading rank 2 · in 38 other episodes
David draws a founder lesson from the book about seizing fleeting business opportunities, paralleling it to Hemingway's own combination of recklessness and caution.
Cross-episode reference · Founder theme
Swimming Across
Andrew S. Grove · Reading rank 70 · in 9 other episodes
David calls the book extremely well written and Grove's survival story amazing.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise
Ritz and Escoffier
Luke Barr · Reading rank 87 · in 6 other episodes
David calls the César Ritz book fantastic.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise · Founder theme
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway · Reading rank 391 · in 1 other episode
David names this as his favorite Hemingway book and says it holds up today.
Explicit praise · Founder theme
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ernest Hemingway · Reading rank 396
David says he likes For Whom the Bell Tolls, though less than the other two Hemingway novels he read.
Explicit praise · Founder theme
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway · Reading rank 408
David says he likes The Sun Also Rises.
Explicit praise
Ghosts of the Ostfront
Dan Carlin · Watch & Listen · in 3 other episodes
David calls Carlin's four-part series masterful, says it is worth far more than its price, and recommends buying it.
Explicit praise · Founder theme
Also mentioned
Each note is a short paraphrase of why David brings the book up. Book pages show every piece of evidence and its review status. How ranking works