Read by Naval Ravikant, Jack Ma, Rick Rubin and 1 others
What books does Rick Rubin recommend?
Stripping things to their essence shaped everything Rick Rubin touched, from Def Jam to Johnny Cash, and his book recommendations reflect that same instinct. The legendary producer has assembled 35 titles, drawn from his Tetragrammaton podcast and library, appearances on The Tim Ferriss Show and Joe Rogan, and Tim Ferriss's Tribe of Mentors. The collection is contemplative, centered on psychology and human behavior, philosophy, self-improvement, and history. His touchstone is Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, which he describes as 'always what you need to read at that particular period of time... it's a magic book, in that way, in that it always fits.' Jon Kabat-Zinn's Wherever You Go, There You Are and books on endurance and diet round out a distinctly Rubin-esque shelf. He is the author of The Creative Act: A Way of Being, his own meditation on creativity.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Tao Te Ching
The Book of the Way and Its Virtue
byLao Tzu
1963192 Pages“Always what you need to read at that particular period of time. It's a magic book, in that way, in that it always fits.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
Wherever You Go, There You Are
Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
byJon Kabat-Zinn
1994304 Pages“It's a great book if you've never meditated, and if you've been meditating for 50 years.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
Read by Rick Rubin
The Paleo Solution
The Original Human Diet
byRobb Wolf
2010320 Pages“I continue to give it to friends because it really helped me know what was healthy to eat and how our bodies process different foods.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
Read by Rick Rubin
Slow Burn
Burn Fat Faster By Exercising Slower
byStu Mittleman, Katherine Callan
2000336 Pages“I read a book by a guy named Stu Mittleman... he changed the way I trained and he changed the way I ate.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #76
Read by Rick Rubin
Diet for a New America
How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness and the Future of Life on Earth
byJohn Robbins
1987464 Pages“A friend gave me a book called Diet for a New America... he said, 'If you read this book, you're not going to want to eat chicken anymore.'”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Joe Rogan Experience #1881
Read by Ryan Holiday, Rick Rubin, Rich Roll and 5 others
The War of Art
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
bySteven Pressfield
2002168 Pages“It's an internal war, the war of art, right? And there are enemies, resistance, and we, as artists, need the same virtues that a warrior has.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Podcast
Read by Rick Rubin
Consolations
The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words
byDavid Whyte
2014245 Pages“52 doorways to a human life.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
Meditations on the Tarot
A Journey into Christian Hermeticism
byAnonymous
2020768 Pages“Authentic symbols of the eternal consciousness.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
The Undiscovered Self
The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society
byC.G. Jung
1958128 Pages“How to wake that which was never sleeping.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
Lectures on the I Ching
Constancy and Change
byRichard Wilhelm
1979216 Pages“A breath of life for an eternal journey.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
Talking Zen
Reflections on Mind, Myth, and the Magic of Life
byAlan Watts
2022208 Pages“Captured moments of an energetic existence.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
byClarice Lispector
197388 Pages“The piercing beauty of a meandering arrow.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
The Kybalion
A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece
byThree Initiates
2008160 Pages“As above, so below.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
byEdward Bernays
1928168 Pages“The sourcebook of modern manipulation.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
The Love Poems of Rumi
Translated by Nader Khalili
byRumi, Nader Khalili
2020128 Pages“Transcendent words of mystic desire.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
A Path With Heart
A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
byJack Kornfield
1993384 Pages“Inner transformation for an American life.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
The Spell of the Sensuous
Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World
byDavid Abram
1997368 Pages“The communal return to the sensory world.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
The Body Electric
Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life
byRobert O. Becker, Gary Selden
1985368 Pages“Hidden forces lead to healing.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
Gonzo
A Visual Biography
byHunter S. Thompson
2007240 Pages“A visual biography for the indescribable.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
byRobert Hilburn
2013688 PagesSource: Joe Rogan Experience #1881
Read by Marc Andreessen, Rick Rubin, James Clear and 1 others
Read by Rick Rubin
Ornament and Crime
Thoughts on Design and Materials
byAdolf Loos
2019352 Pages“Simplification as progression.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
Amoralman
A True Story and Other Lies
byDerek DelGaudio
2021256 Pages“Life as a work of fiction.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
Read by Rick Rubin
byGeorge W.S. Trow
1981128 Pages“The brutal lyricism of 20th Century life.”
— Rick Rubin
Source: Tetragrammaton Library
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Rick Rubin recommend?
His 35 recommendations include Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf, and Slow Burn by Stu Mittleman, a mix of philosophy, mindfulness, and health.
What is Rick Rubin's favorite book?
Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. He calls it 'a magic book' that is 'always what you need to read at that particular period of time... it always fits,' returning to it repeatedly throughout his life and work.
Where do Rick Rubin book recommendations come from?
They come from his Tetragrammaton podcast and library, his appearances on The Tim Ferriss Show and the Joe Rogan Experience, and Tim Ferriss's book Tribe of Mentors.
Has Rick Rubin written a book?
Yes. He is the author of The Creative Act: A Way of Being, a bestselling reflection on the nature of creativity that draws on his decades of work producing across nearly every genre of music.
What genres does Rick Rubin read most?
His recommendations favor psychology and human behavior, philosophy, self-improvement, and history, with a strong meditative current drawn from Eastern thought and mindfulness practice, alongside a practical streak covering endurance, diet, and physical training.
All 35 Books Rick Rubin Has Recommended
- Tao Te Ching · Lao Tzu
- Wherever You Go, There You Are · Jon Kabat-Zinn
- The Paleo Solution · Robb Wolf
- Slow Burn · Stu Mittleman
- Diet for a New America · John Robbins
- The War of Art · Steven Pressfield
- Consolations · David Whyte
- Meditations on the Tarot · Anonymous
- The Undiscovered Self · C.G. Jung
- Lectures on the I Ching · Richard Wilhelm
- Talking Zen · Alan Watts
- Água Viva · Clarice Lispector
- The Kybalion · Three Initiates
- Propaganda · Edward Bernays
- The Love Poems of Rumi · Rumi
- A Path With Heart · Jack Kornfield
- The Spell of the Sensuous · David Abram
- The Body Electric · Robert O. Becker
- Gonzo · Hunter S. Thompson
- Johnny Cash: The Life · Robert Hilburn
- Born Standing Up · Steve Martin
- Ornament and Crime · Adolf Loos
- Amoralman · Derek DelGaudio
- Within the Context of No Context · George W.S. Trow
- Let the Moon Be Free · Eric Baret
- Against the Written Word · Ian F. Svenonius
- The Great Path of Awakening · Jamgon Kongtrul
- The Universal One · Walter Russell
- But Beautiful · Geoff Dyer
- The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression · Angela Ackerman
- The Poetry Pharmacy · William Sieghart
- Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain · Sheila Ostrander
- Rays of Truth - Crystals of Light · Dr. Fred Bell
- Back to Eden · Jethro Kloss
- The Analects · Confucius