Read by Barack Obama, Sam Altman, Ray Dalio and 14 others
What books does Rory Sutherland recommend?
Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK and the founder of its Behavioural Science Practice, champions what he calls psycho-logic, and his book recommendations are a masterclass in how irrational humans really are. This page gathers 29 titles from his interviews, his Spectator column, forewords he has written, and compilations of his mentions, concentrating on psychology, economics, science, business, and the occasional beloved novel. His top pick is Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, which he simply calls the bible. But his most personal choice is P.G. Wodehouse's The Clicking of Cuthbert, which he claims to have read more than 30 times and rates, tongue firmly in cheek, as the most perfect work of artistic creation in the history of the world. Behavioural economics, decision-making, and the surprising power of small contextual changes run throughout, alongside his conviction that the opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea.
Last updated March 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byDaniel Kahneman
2011498 Pages“The bible. If you read nothing else, read Kahneman's Nobel Prize acceptance speech.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Aizle.co compilation of Sutherland mentions
Read by Rory Sutherland
byP.G. Wodehouse
2008240 Pages“The most perfect work of artistic creation in the history of the world, far, far superior to the Sistine Chapel or Chartres Cathedral... I must have read The Clicking of Cuthbert more than 30 times.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: It's Nice That Interview
Read by Rory Sutherland
Decoded
The Science Behind Why We Buy
byPhil Barden
2022336 Pages“Decoded is the only behavioural science book I've ever read twice. This new edition is a great reason to make it three times.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Foreword by Rory Sutherland
Read by Rory Sutherland
Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman
The Story of a Successful Businessman
byRobert Updegraff
191660 Pages“By the end you will realise it contains a kind of wisdom which has deserted most organisations.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: The Spectator Column
Read by Rory Sutherland
Nudge: The Final Edition
Improving Decisions About Money, Health, and the Environment
byRichard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
2021384 Pages“A tremendous book... It seemed to be an academic validation of things that I and other marketeers had thought for a long time.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: It's Nice That Interview
Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics
The Making of Behavioral Economics
byRichard H. Thaler
2015432 Pages“I immensely enjoyed the manuscript... A wonderful book.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Farnam Street Interview
Read by Rory Sutherland
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat
byGiles Milton
2016384 Pages“The most Rory book I've read in a year. It's all about winning a war with creative absurdity.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Aizle.co compilation
Read by Rory Sutherland
How to Solve It
A New Aspect of Mathematical Method
byGeorge Polya
2014288 PagesSource: Aizle.co compilation
Read by Rory Sutherland
Risk Savvy
How to Make Good Decisions
byGerd Gigerenzer
2015336 Pages“A wonderful book; the concept of defensive decision-making which he describes within it is alone worth the cover price.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Farnam Street Interview
Read by Rory Sutherland
byBarbara Oakley, Ariel Knafo, Guruprasad Madhavan, David Sloan Wilson
2011496 Pages“A very important book.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Farnam Street Interview
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“An excellent book from someone who seems to understand what Fitzgerald called 'the whole equation' of a business.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Farnam Street Interview
Read by Rory Sutherland
The Business of Choice
Marketing to Consumers' Instincts
byMatthew Willcox
2015256 PagesSource: The Marketing Meetup talk
Read by Rory Sutherland
The Silo Effect
The Peril of Expertise and the Promise of Breaking Down Barriers
byGillian Tett
2015304 PagesSource: The Marketing Meetup talk
Read by Rory Sutherland
The Choice Factory
25 Behavioural Biases That Influence What We Buy
byRichard Shotton
2018220 PagesSource: The Marketing Meetup talk
Read by Rory Sutherland
Spent
Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior
byGeoffrey Miller
2009384 PagesSource: Aizle.co compilation
Read by Rory Sutherland
The Mating Mind
How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature
byGeoffrey Miller
2001528 Pages“It is useful to read the evolutionary view on why there may be some innate differences between men and women.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: A Conversation with Rory Sutherland
Read by Rory Sutherland
The Armchair Economist
Economics and Everyday Life
bySteven E. Landsburg
2012336 Pages“I found it absolutely, absolutely fascinating... I picked this because I think people should be taught what is neat and elegant about free market economics.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: It's Nice That Interview
Read by Rory Sutherland
The Drunkard's Walk
How Randomness Rules Our Lives
byLeonard Mlodinow
2008272 PagesSource: It's Nice That Interview
Read by Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, David Sinclair and 2 others
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility"
byNassim Nicholas Taleb
2010480 PagesSource: It's Nice That Interview
Read by Charlie Munger, Eric Weinstein, Siddhartha Mukherjee and 3 others
The Selfish Gene
40th Anniversary Edition
byRichard Dawkins
2016544 Pages“Among the most mind-changing books I have read.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: The Spectator column
Read by Rory Sutherland
byRichard Dawkins
2016352 Pages“Among the most mind-changing books I have read.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: The Spectator column
Read by Rory Sutherland
Poor Economics
A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty
byAbhijit V. Banerjee, Esther Duflo
2011320 PagesSource: Aizle.co compilation
Read by Patrick Bet-David, Craig Groeschel, Rory Sutherland and 1 others
Unreasonable Hospitality
The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
byWill Guidara
2022288 Pages“The opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Aizle.co compilation
Read by Rory Sutherland
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
byLuke Burgis
2021304 Pages“I hope everybody else enjoys this book as much as I did.”
— Rory Sutherland
Source: Aizle.co compilation
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Rory Sutherland recommend?
His 29 picks include Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, The Clicking of Cuthbert by P.G. Wodehouse, Decoded by Phil Barden, Obvious Adams by Robert Updegraff, and Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.
What is Rory Sutherland's most recommended book?
His top pick is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, which he simply calls "the bible." He adds, "If you read nothing else, read Kahneman's Nobel Prize acceptance speech," treating it as the foundation of behavioural science.
Where do Rory Sutherland's book recommendations come from?
They come from his interviews with It's Nice That and Farnam Street, his Spectator column, talks such as The Marketing Meetup, forewords he has written, and compilations gathering his mentions.
Has Rory Sutherland written any books?
Yes. He is the author of two books listed here: Alchemy, his bestseller on the power of psychological magic and irrational thinking in business, and Transport for Humans, which applies behavioural science to how people move and make choices.
What genres does Rory Sutherland read most?
His recommendations focus on psychology and human behavior, economics and finance, and business strategy, with forays into science and philosophy. He also shows a clear fondness for comic fiction, from P.G. Wodehouse to the complete Sherlock Holmes.
All 29 Books Rory Sutherland Has Recommended
- Thinking, Fast and Slow · Daniel Kahneman
- The Clicking of Cuthbert · P.G. Wodehouse
- Decoded · Phil Barden
- Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman · Robert Updegraff
- Nudge: The Final Edition · Richard H. Thaler
- Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics · Richard H. Thaler
- The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare · Giles Milton
- How to Solve It · George Polya
- Risk Savvy · Gerd Gigerenzer
- Pathological Altruism · Barbara Oakley
- Zero to One · Peter Thiel
- The Business of Choice · Matthew Willcox
- The Silo Effect · Gillian Tett
- The Choice Factory · Richard Shotton
- Spent · Geoffrey Miller
- The Mating Mind · Geoffrey Miller
- The Armchair Economist · Steven E. Landsburg
- The Drunkard's Walk · Leonard Mlodinow
- The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable · Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- The Selfish Gene · Richard Dawkins
- Climbing Mount Improbable · Richard Dawkins
- Poor Economics · Abhijit V. Banerjee
- Unreasonable Hospitality · Will Guidara
- Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life · Luke Burgis
- Basic Instincts: Human Nature and the New Economics · Pete Lunn
- Discover Your Inner Economist · Tyler Cowen
- Being Digital · Nicholas Negroponte
- The Complete Sherlock Holmes · Arthur Conan Doyle
- Good Habits, Bad Habits · Wendy Wood