Read by Tim Ferriss, Jeff Bezos, Hans Zimmer and 3 others
What books does Hans Zimmer recommend?
As atmospheric as his film scores, the book recommendations of Hans Zimmer lean toward the bleak, the surreal, and the visually inventive. One of the most prolific composers in cinema history, with scores for Dune, Inception, and The Dark Knight, he reads across literature, philosophy, and graphic art. This list of 8 titles comes largely from a 2013 Reddit AMA and interviews, and its themes are fiction and literature, philosophy, and psychology and human behavior. Asked which books changed his life, he pointed to Frank Herbert's Dune and Kafka's The Trial, adding with characteristic self-deprecation, "God, I'm so bleak and German." His taste extends well into comics and graphic novels: he cites "anything drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith," Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns as "pretty relatable," and Moebius, the pen name of Jean Giraud, whose work he calls a favorite.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byFrank Herbert
1990896 Pages(1,622,667)
“What books have changed my life? Nothing my teachers ever made me read... I suppose going back to Dune by Frank Herbert... God, I'm so bleak and German.”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: Reddit AMA (2013)
byAntoine de Saint-Exupéry
200096 Pages“What are you doing to my book?”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: LA Times Interview with Mark Osborne
Read by Hans Zimmer
byFranz Kafka
1998304 Pages“What books have changed my life? ... The Trial by Kafka... God, I'm so bleak and German.”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: Reddit AMA (2013)
Read by Hans Zimmer
byJohn le Carré
2013320 Pages“I am currently reading John Le Carre's A Delicate Truth, and it's fiction.”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: Reddit AMA (2013)
The Dark Knight Returns
30th Anniversary Edition
byFrank Miller
2016224 Pages“Frank Miller's 'Dark Knight' is pretty relatable.”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: SoundTrackFest Interview
Read by Hans Zimmer
byRoy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith
2019776 Pages“And a vast amount of comic books... anything drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith.”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: Reddit AMA (2013)
Read by Hans Zimmer
byJean Giraud
2016360 Pages“'Moebius' – Jean Giraud became a favorite.”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: SoundTrackFest Interview
Maus
A Survivor's Tale
byArt Spiegelman
1996296 Pages“...and then Art Spiegelman elevated it all.”
— Hans Zimmer
Source: SoundTrackFest Interview
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Hans Zimmer recommend?
His 8 recommendations include Dune by Frank Herbert, The Trial by Kafka, The Little Prince, The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, and Maus by Art Spiegelman, ranging from literary classics to graphic novels.
What books changed Hans Zimmer's life?
Asked directly, he named Dune by Frank Herbert and The Trial by Kafka, saying "nothing my teachers ever made me read" mattered as much, then adding, "God, I'm so bleak and German."
Where do Hans Zimmer's book recommendations come from?
Most come from his 2013 Reddit AMA, alongside interviews with SoundTrackFest and the LA Times, including his comments on scoring The Little Prince and his love of comic art.
Does Hans Zimmer read comics and graphic novels?
Yes, extensively. He praises "anything drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith," calls Frank Miller's Dark Knight "pretty relatable," names Moebius (Jean Giraud) a favorite, and credits Art Spiegelman's Maus for elevating the form.
What genres does Hans Zimmer read most?
His picks favor fiction and literature and philosophy, especially darker and surreal works, with a distinctive strand of graphic novels and comic art running through the list.