The book this episode covers
Edison
Matthew Josephson · Reading rank 361
David introduces this episode as centered on a 1959 Edison biography by Matthew Josephson.
Dedicated episode
Books David recommends along the way
The Fish That Ate the Whale
Rich Cohen · Reading rank 2 · in 38 other episodes
David calls this one of his favorite books he has ever read.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise · Founder theme
Creative Selection
Ken Kocienda · Reading rank 7 · in 19 other episodes
David says anyone building a product should read this book.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise · Founder theme · Reread language
The Wizard of Menlo Park
Randall E. Stross · Reading rank 132 · in 6 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
Dark Genius of Wall Street
Edward J. Renehan Jr. · Reading rank 243 · in 2 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
Experimental Researches in Electricity
Michael Faraday · Reading rank 419 · in 1 other episode
David describes Edison's encounter with Faraday's Experimental Researches in Electricity as a decisive event: Edison read through the day without sleeping, recognized a self-taught model in Faraday, and became determined to learn everything he could.
Founder theme
Bill Gurley (Benchmark)
Blake Robbins · Supporting reference
David explicitly calls Blake Robbins' notes incredible before reading from them.
Explicit praise
Running Down a Dream, How to Succeed and Thrive in a Career You Love
Bill Gurley · Watch & Listen · in 21 other episodes
David calls this the best talk on YouTube for entrepreneurs and gives its full title.
Explicit praise · 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