The book this episode covers
Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee
Stan Lee and George Mair · Reading rank 302 · in 1 other episode
David says what he loved most about the book was learning how much of Stan Lee's life was marked by self-doubt despite his eventual fame.
Dedicated episode · Explicit praise
Books David recommends along the way
Do Things That Don't Scale
Paul Graham · Reading rank 346 · in 5 other episodes
David uses the named essay to frame Stan Lee's direct, non-scalable work with customers.
Founder theme
Kitchen Confidential
Anthony Bourdain · Reading rank 383 · in 3 other episodes
David uses Bourdain's account of restaurants as a low-prestige refuge for misfits to explain how an industry can become culturally celebrated without changing the outsiders who built it.
Founder theme
Also mentioned
The Dao of Capital
Mark Spitznagel · Reading rank 58 · in 9 other episodes
David applies the book's indirect-investment logic to promotion.
Cross-episode reference · 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