The books this episode covers
Against the Odds
James Dyson · Reading rank 1 · in 25 other episodes
David calls it his number-one recommendation out of 200+ books read for the podcast.
Dedicated episode · Explicit praise · Founder theme · Reread language
A History of Great Inventions
James Dyson, edited by Robert Uhlig · Reading rank 189 · in 3 other episodes
David draws a founder lesson that studying prior ideas builds knowledge that pays dividends in work.
Dedicated episode · Founder theme
Books David recommends along the way
Shoe Dog
Phil Knight · Reading rank 3 · in 24 other episodes
David uses Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog as his best example of why belief in a product makes selling easier.
Founder theme
Zero to One
Peter Thiel with Blake Masters · Reading rank 5 · in 48 other episodes
David applies Zero to One's monopoly and differentiation principle to James Dyson's decision to build products unlike existing alternatives.
Founder theme
The Wright Brothers
David McCullough · Reading rank 15 · in 12 other episodes
David calls the Wright Brothers biography fantastic and highly recommends it.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise
Marc Andreessen's Blog Archive
Marc Andreessen · Reading rank 25 · in 14 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Eric Jorgenson · Reading rank 33 · in 18 other episodes
David calls the book's “neither decreed nor degreed” line one of its most important ideas.
Founder theme
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin · Reading rank 113 · in 6 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
Also mentioned
Made in Japan
Akio Morita with Edwin M. Reingold and Mitsuko Shimomura · Reading rank 21 · in 21 other episodes
David invokes Morita and Sony while discussing iterative product development and the influence of earlier inventors.
Founder theme
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