Read by Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Stephen Hawking and 2 others
What books does Elon Musk recommend?
Elon Musk taught himself rocketry from books before founding SpaceX, and the reading he has flagged over the years, gathered here as 34 book recommendations, reflects that self-directed engineer's mind. The trail runs mostly through his posts on X, formerly Twitter, and interviews ranging from the Rolling Stone profile to the MIT AeroAstro symposium. The books cluster around philosophy, society and politics, science and technology, history, and science fiction. His most-cited touchstone is Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which Musk describes as "really sort of an existential philosophy book disguised as humor." That sits beside hard-engineering primers like J.E. Gordon's Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down, which he calls "really, really good if you want a primer on structural design," Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, and Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence, which Musk warned is "potentially more dangerous than nukes."
Last updated January 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byDouglas Adams
1995216 Pages“I read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and basically what Douglas Adams was saying is: we don't really know what the right questions are to ask... It is really sort of an existential philosophy book disguised as humor.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Interview with Alison van Diggelen
Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down
An Informal Explanation of the Basic Forces That Hold Together the Ordinary and Essential Things of This World
byJ.E. Gordon
2003424 Pages“There is a good book on structural design called Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. It is really, really good if you want a primer on structural design.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Interview with KCRW
byIsaac Asimov
1991320 Pages“In terms of sci-fi books, I think Isaac Asimov is really great. I like the Foundation series, probably one of the all-time best.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Rolling Stone Interview / Twitter
Read by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman and 8 others
The Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the King
byJ.R.R. Tolkien
19541178 Pages(721,705)
“The heroes of the books I read, 'The Lord of the Rings' and the 'Foundation' series, always felt a duty to save the world.”
— Elon Musk
Source: The New Yorker Profile
Read by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel and 3 others
Superintelligence
Paths, Dangers, Strategies
byNick Bostrom
2014352 Pages“Worth reading Superintelligence by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
byMax Tegmark
2017384 Pages“Worth reading Life 3.0 by @Tegmark. AI will be the best or worst thing ever for humanity, so let's get it right.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Read by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang and 9 others
Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
byPeter Thiel, Blake Masters
2014224 Pages“Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Ignition!
An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
byJohn D. Clark
2018216 Pages“There is a good book on rocket stuff called 'Ignition!' by John Clark, that's a really fun one.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Interview / Twitter
Benjamin Franklin
An American Life
byWalter Isaacson
2003608 Pages“I really liked his [Isaacson's] biography of Benjamin Franklin who I would say is certainly one of my heroes.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Foundation Interview
Read by Charlie Munger, Elon Musk, Ray Dalio and 1 others
byWalter Isaacson
2007675 Pages“I like biographies... I read Isaacson's biography of Einstein... which I thought was quite interesting.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Foundation Interview
Read by Elon Musk, Naval Ravikant, Sean Carroll and 1 others
byRobert A. Heinlein
1997382 Pages“I think [The Moon is a Harsh Mistress] is Heinlein's best book, honestly.”
— Elon Musk
Source: MIT AeroAstro Symposium
Merchants of Doubt
How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
byNaomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway
2010368 Pages“Worth reading Merchants of Doubt. Same who tried to deny smoking deaths are denying climate change.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness
The life that inspired the major motion picture The Aviator
byDonald L. Barlett, James B. Steele
2004688 Pages“I just finished reading a book on Howard Hughes... It's a cautionary tale.”
— Elon Musk
Source: CNN Interview
Read by Elon Musk, Naval Ravikant, Mark Zuckerberg and 1 others
byIain M. Banks
1988309 Pages“Reading The Culture series by Banks... recommend reading Player of Games & Surface Detail first.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
byIain M. Banks
2010604 Pages“Recommend reading Player of Games & Surface Detail first. They are all great.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
The Story of Civilization
A History of Civilization in the West and Near East
byWill Durant, Ariel Durant
197513549 Pages“Some audiobook recommendations: The Story of Civilization by Durant... The first one on the list will take a while to get through, but is very much worthwhile.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Twelve Against the Gods: The Story of Adventure
The Story of Adventure
byWilliam Bolitho
1929302 Pages“It's really quite good.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Read by Elon Musk, Dan Carlin
The Storm of Steel
From the Diary of a German Storm-Troop Officer on the Western Front
byErnst Jünger
1920289 Pages“Some audiobook recommendations: ... The Storm of Steel by Junger”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
The Guns of August
The Outbreak of World War I
byBarbara W. Tuchman
1962511 Pages(84,763)
“Some audiobook recommendations: ... The Guns of August by Tuchman”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Read by Elon Musk, Dan Carlin
The Wages of Destruction
The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
byAdam Tooze
2006848 Pages“Some audiobook recommendations: ... The Wages of Destruction by Tooze”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Masters of Doom
How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
byDavid Kushner
2003368 Pages“Masters of Doom is a great book.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964
Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964
byWilliam Manchester
1978793 Pages“Some audiobook recommendations: ... American Caesar by Manchester”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Read by Elon Musk, Javier Milei, Charlie Kirk and 2 others
The Road to Serfdom
Text and Documents: The Definitive Edition
byF. A. Hayek
2007304 Pages“Some audiobook recommendations: ... The Road to Serfdom by Hayek”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
Read by Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Noam Chomsky and 1 others
The Wealth of Nations
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
byAdam Smith
17761264 Pages“Adam Smith FTW obv.”
— Elon Musk
Source: Twitter
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Elon Musk recommend?
Among his 34 recommendations are The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down by J.E. Gordon, Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom, and Ignition! by John D. Clark.
What is Elon Musk's favorite book?
He returns most often to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, which he calls "really sort of an existential philosophy book disguised as humor." He has also singled out The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress as "Heinlein's best book, honestly."
Where do Elon Musk's book recommendations come from?
Most come from his posts on X, formerly Twitter, supplemented by interviews and talks including the Rolling Stone profile, a KCRW interview, The New Yorker profile, and the MIT AeroAstro symposium.
Why does Elon Musk recommend books about artificial intelligence?
He has repeatedly flagged AI-risk titles, urging readers to read Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom, which he called "potentially more dangerous than nukes," along with Max Tegmark's Life 3.0 and James Barrat's Our Final Invention.
What genres does Elon Musk read most?
His recommendations gather around philosophy, society and politics, and science and technology, with a heavy strand of history and a deep affection for science fiction from Asimov, Heinlein, and Iain M. Banks.
All 34 Books Elon Musk Has Recommended
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy · Douglas Adams
- Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down · J.E. Gordon
- Foundation · Isaac Asimov
- The Lord of the Rings · J.R.R. Tolkien
- Superintelligence · Nick Bostrom
- Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence · Max Tegmark
- Zero to One · Peter Thiel
- Ignition! · John D. Clark
- Benjamin Franklin · Walter Isaacson
- Einstein: His Life and Universe · Walter Isaacson
- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress · Robert A. Heinlein
- Merchants of Doubt · Naomi Oreskes
- Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness · Donald L. Barlett
- The Player of Games · Iain M. Banks
- Surface Detail · Iain M. Banks
- The Story of Civilization · Will Durant
- Twelve Against the Gods: The Story of Adventure · William Bolitho
- The Storm of Steel · Ernst Jünger
- The Guns of August · Barbara W. Tuchman
- The Wages of Destruction · Adam Tooze
- Masters of Doom · David Kushner
- American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964 · William Manchester
- The Road to Serfdom · F. A. Hayek
- The Wealth of Nations · Adam Smith
- Daemon · Daniel Suarez
- Our Final Invention · James Barrat
- Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World · Jack Weatherford
- Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman · Robert K. Massie
- Waiting for Godot · Samuel Beckett
- The Fault in Our Stars · John Green
- The Machine Stops · E.M. Forster
- Atlas Shrugged · Ayn Rand
- Screw Business As Usual · Richard Branson
- Lying · Sam Harris