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What books does Patrick Collison recommend?
Thinking in centuries is the habit behind Patrick Collison's book recommendations, which read like the bookshelf of exactly such a founder. Co-founder and CEO of Stripe and a co-founder of the Arc Institute, the Irish-born entrepreneur has flagged 20 titles here, sourced from his personal bookshelf page, his Twitter feed, Hacker News comments, and Stripe Press. History, science and technology, society and politics, philosophy, and economics recur throughout. David Deutsch's The Beginning of Infinity is a top pick he calls "really great," while George Eliot's Middlemarch is the novel he would return to for "Eliot's affection and empathy for almost all of her characters." The list ranges from Masters of Doom, one of the few books he has read twice, to Vannevar Bush's Pieces of the Action, reflecting a reader drawn to progress, institutions, and how ambitious things get built.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Beginning of Infinity
Explanations That Transform the World
byDavid Deutsch
2011487 Pages“If you like it, go read 'The Beginning of Infinity', which is really great.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Twitter post, May 1, 2016
Read by Patrick Collison
Scientific Freedom
The Elixir of Civilization
byDonald W. Braben
2020256 Pages“When there is [a vibrant genre of books for science structure], I suspect Don Braben's book will still be seen as one of the best.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Middlemarch
A Study of Provincial Life
byGeorge Eliot
1872880 Pages“If I had to choose just one to go to again, I would probably select Middlemarch. There's something memorably compelling in Eliot's affection and empathy for almost all of her characters.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison: 2024's novels
Read by Patrick Collison
byVasily Grossman
2006904 Pages“Life and Fate is quite different to the others: it's not exactly entertaining (or even notably well-written), but it is true and profound.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison: 2024's novels
Read by Patrick Collison
A Pattern Language
Towns, Buildings, Construction
byChristopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel
19771171 Pages“Particularly great.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Masters of Doom
How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
byDavid Kushner
2003368 Pages“One of very few books I've read twice and intend to read again in the future.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Hacker News Comment
Read by Patrick Collison
From Third World to First
The Singapore Story: 1965-2000
byLee Kuan Yew
2000752 Pages“I love that book...”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Twitter post, September 26, 2018
7 Powers
The Foundations of Business Strategy
byHamilton Helmer
2016210 Pages“Silicon Valley correctly places enormous value on execution and on culture. However, I think this sometimes leads to insufficient importance being placed on strategy. Hamilton Helmer's deeply incisive work will hopefully help correct that.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Stripe Press
Read by Patrick Collison
Hard Landing
The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos
byThomas Petzinger Jr.
1996624 Pages“Particularly great.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Read by Patrick Collison
The Old Way
A Story of the First People
byElizabeth Marshall Thomas
2006378 Pages“Particularly great.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
byRobert Coram
2002504 Pages““Boyd” by Robert Coram is a great read.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Twitter post, November 11, 2018
Read by Patrick Collison
Pieces of the Action
The personal record of sixty event-filled years
byVannevar Bush
1970376 Pages“Anyone who longs for renewed, effective institutions will find the wisdom of a kindred spirit reflecting on how to build them.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Stripe Press
Read by Patrick Collison
How Asia Works
Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region
byJoe Studwell
2013322 Pages“Particularly great.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age
Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age
byMichael A. Hiltzik
1999480 PagesSource: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
byHarold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman, Julie Sussman
1996657 Pages“In the aggregate with other programming books hugely shaped me.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
byNeil Postman
1985184 PagesSource: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Read by Patrick Collison
The City in History
Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
byLewis Mumford
1961657 PagesSource: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
The Power Law
Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future
bySebastian Mallaby
2022496 PagesSource: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Read by Patrick Collison
Mindstorms
Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas
bySeymour Papert
2020288 PagesSource: Patrick Collison's Bookshelf
Read by Patrick Collison
The Billion-Dollar Molecule
The Quest for the Perfect Drug
byBarry Werth
1994448 Pages“Thought this was great: Lots about entrepreneurship, science, pharmacology, risk, importance of work ethic, management practices, fundraising, and the impressive depth of US capital markets.”
— Patrick Collison
Source: Twitter post, December 26, 2019
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Patrick Collison recommend?
His 20 recommendations include The Beginning of Infinity, Scientific Freedom, Middlemarch, Masters of Doom, and How Asia Works, spanning science, economic history, and literary fiction.
What is Patrick Collison's favourite book?
David Deutsch's The Beginning of Infinity is a top pick he calls "really great." Among novels, he says if he had to choose one to reread it would be Middlemarch, praising Eliot's "affection and empathy" for her characters.
Where do Patrick Collison's book recommendations come from?
They come from the bookshelf page on his personal website, his Twitter/X account, Hacker News comments, and blurbs he has written for Stripe Press titles such as 7 Powers and Pieces of the Action.
What genres does Patrick Collison read most?
His picks favour history and science and technology, extending into society and politics, philosophy, and economics, with recurring interest in progress, institutions, and how ambitious projects are built.
Which book has Patrick Collison read more than once?
David Kushner's Masters of Doom, which he calls "one of very few books I've read twice and intend to read again in the future." He also credits programming texts like SICP with having "hugely shaped" him.
All 20 Books Patrick Collison Has Recommended
- The Beginning of Infinity · David Deutsch
- Scientific Freedom · Donald W. Braben
- Middlemarch · George Eliot
- Life and Fate · Vasily Grossman
- A Pattern Language · Christopher Alexander
- Masters of Doom · David Kushner
- From Third World to First · Lee Kuan Yew
- 7 Powers · Hamilton Helmer
- Hard Landing · Thomas Petzinger Jr.
- The Old Way · Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
- Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War · Robert Coram
- Pieces of the Action · Vannevar Bush
- How Asia Works · Joe Studwell
- Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age · Michael A. Hiltzik
- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs · Harold Abelson
- Amusing Ourselves to Death · Neil Postman
- The City in History · Lewis Mumford
- The Power Law · Sebastian Mallaby
- Mindstorms · Seymour Papert
- The Billion-Dollar Molecule · Barry Werth