Host of Conversations with Tyler
16 books recommended · 29 episodes
Books they recommend that someone else wrote.
“David Halberstam’s The Best and the Brightest. Why do you find that book so notable?”
Why: It opened up the US political system and taught the speaker how America worked.
The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam
Host on Conversations with TylerLiaquat Ahamed on Financial Crises, Gold, and the Lessons of 1873
“I think both mind games and rock and roll are quite underrated albums.”
Mind Games by John Lennon
Host on Conversations with TylerBob Spitz on the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and the Art of Biography
“John Milton's Paradise Lost, overrated or underrated?”
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Host on Conversations with TylerHenry Oliver on Measure for Measure, Late Bloomers, and the Smartest Writers in English
“Let me give you my second reading, which is somewhat less literal. So you're contrasting it with Merchant of Venice. I thought immediately of the rape of Lucrece, which is, I think, from 1594.”
The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare
Host on Conversations with TylerHenry Oliver on Measure for Measure, Late Bloomers, and the Smartest Writers in English
“Tolkien. And I mean Lord of the Rings. Yeah, no, sure, sure, sure. Lord of the Rings plus The Hobbit, right?”
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Host on Conversations with TylerHenry Oliver on Measure for Measure, Late Bloomers, and the Smartest Writers in English
“There's a book you may know by John Flynn. It was called As We Go Marching. And he argued the New Deal was bringing a kind of semi-fascistic planning to the United States.”
As We Go Marching by Flynn, John T.
Host on Conversations with TylerGeorge Selgin on the New Deal, Regime Uncertainty, and What Really Ended the Great Depression
“The best was the Robert Toombs book about English history. Since that blog post, so many people have come to me and said, can you recommend to me other books like the Robert Toombs book,…”
Why: It is utterly compelling and everyone should read it.
The English and Their History by Robert Tombs
Host on Conversations with TylerConversations with Tyler 2025 Retrospective
“Garrett Jones, The Hive Mind. Garrett's my colleague. That book is still cited a lot in places like The Economist. It's held up very well, and I think it's become a seminal work.”
Why: It has held up very well and become a seminal work.
Hive Mind by Garett Jones
Host on Conversations with TylerConversations with Tyler 2025 Retrospective
“Scott Sumner, The Midas Paradox. I think Scott is correct that the biggest problem in the Great Depression was the deflationary pressures.”
Why: A very thorough book that Scott worked on for something like 20 years.
Midas Paradox by Scott B. Sumner
Host on Conversations with TylerConversations with Tyler 2025 Retrospective
“Richard Thaler, Misbehaving, The Making of Behavioral Economics, speaking of Cass Sunstein. There should be more books about economics and economists, and that was a good one.”
Why: There should be more books about economics and economists, and that was a good one.
Misbehaving by Richard H. Thaler
Host on Conversations with TylerConversations with Tyler 2025 Retrospective
“You mentioned Michel Huyebeck, Submission. That's come up many times on CWT as well. It's the most classic work of fiction of the last 20 years, I would say.”
Why: It rewards rereads, is short, and has more to it than you think on the first read.
Submission by Michel Houellebecq
Host on Conversations with TylerConversations with Tyler 2025 Retrospective
“So I recall in the 1990s, reading Frank Fukuyama's book Trust, and he argued that large Chinese corporations were going to be very difficult to establish because China did not have enough trust, unlike Japan.”
Trust by Francis Fukuyama
Host on Conversations with TylerJoel Mokyr on Clans, Corporations, and a Culture of Growth
“Mastering Metrics, The Path from Cause to Effect by Ingrist and Stefan Pischke. An incredible achievement, but it's not a book in the sense that you read it, right?”
Why: It is an incredible achievement.
Mastering 'Metrics by Joshua D. Angrist
Host on Conversations with TylerConversations with Tyler 2025 Retrospective
“Danny Roderick, Economics Rules, CWT guest. Mercantilism to me looks worse than it did 10 years ago, now that I have to live under it.”
Economics Rules by Dani Rodrik
Host on Conversations with TylerConversations with Tyler 2025 Retrospective
“Exile on Main Street is an album. Is that really so great? There was a time when rock critics would put that like in the top 10 albums of all time.”
Exile on Main St by Rolling Stones.
Host on Conversations with TylerBob Spitz on the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and the Art of Biography
“Why was the album Satanic Majesty's Request such a failure? Or maybe you disagree, but I never listened to it.”
Their Satanic Majesties Request by The Rolling Stones
Host on Conversations with TylerBob Spitz on the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and the Art of Biography
Their own books, or books they discussed with the author. Not counted as recommendations.
“He also has an excellent book, The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design, also with Kurt Kohlstedt. Roman, welcome.”
99% Invisible City by Roman Mars
Host on Conversations with TylerRoman Mars on Flags, Phones, and the Design of Everyday Life
“Hello everyone, and welcome back to Conversations with Tyler. Today I am chatting with Liaquat Ahamed, who is the author of a new and wonderful book, 1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World, which I enjoyed very much.”
1873 by Liaquat Ahamed
Host on Conversations with TylerLiaquat Ahamed on Financial Crises, Gold, and the Lessons of 1873
“Many of you will know him as the author of Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, from 2009, a book that won the Pulitzer Prize for history and numerous other awards. Liaquat also has extensive experience in the private sector,…”
Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed
Host on Conversations with TylerLiaquat Ahamed on Financial Crises, Gold, and the Lessons of 1873
“He has a new and excellent book out, as far as I know, the best book on AI and the job market. It is called Messy Jobs, and it is co-authored with Jim Lee and Yan Hui Wu.”
Why: It is the best book on AI and the job market.
Messy Jobs by Luis Garicano
Host on Conversations with TylerLuis Garicano on Spain, Europe, and the Future of Work
“If you think of your own model of the intellectual world, how consequential a figure are you? Would guns, germs, and steel in some other way have been written, rewritten, 10 years later if you hadn't done it, or it just would have been a vacuum?”
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
Host on Conversations with TylerJared Diamond on Leaders, Luck, and Irreplaceability
“Before my last question, let me just plug your book again. It is called Prophets, P-R-O-F-I-T-S, comma, prophets, P-R-O-P-H-E-T-S, comma, coaches, comma, and kings, in parentheses, when do leaders matter?”
Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings by Jared Diamond
Host on Conversations with TylerJared Diamond on Leaders, Luck, and Irreplaceability
“Is it correct to think of your new book, again, Profits, Coaches, and Kings, as in essence the error term for guns, germs, and steel?”
Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings by Jared Diamond
Host on Conversations with TylerJared Diamond on Leaders, Luck, and Irreplaceability
“Before my last question, just to promote your book again, Auslander, One Family Story of Escape and Exile. I very much enjoyed reading it.”
Why: Enjoyed reading it.
Ausländer by Michael Moritz
Host on Conversations with TylerMichael Moritz on Origin Stories, Exile, and Obsessive Curiosity
“He's author of the best-selling book, Wanting, and his recent work is just coming out. It is called The One and the 99, Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion.”
Wanting by Luke Burgis
Host on Conversations with TylerLuke Burgis on Mimetic Desire, Catholicism, and the Age of Social Contagion
“He's author of the best-selling book, Wanting, and his recent work is just coming out. It is called The One and the 99, Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion.”
The One and the Ninety-Nine by Luke Burgis
Host on Conversations with TylerLuke Burgis on Mimetic Desire, Catholicism, and the Age of Social Contagion
“with Darren Asimoglu. He is, of course, Nobel laureate in economics, arguably the best published and by some measures the best-cited economist in the world. But most importantly, he has a new book out, What Happened to Liberal Democracy? This is a major work. I think of it as an attempt…”
Why: It is a major work attempting to redefine and revitalize liberalism for modern times.
What Happened to Liberal Democracy? by Daron Acemoglu
Host on Conversations with TylerDaron Acemoglu on Liberalism, Automation, and the Educated Elite
“Today, I'm very happy to be chatting with, in person, Julia Yoffe. Most of all, we'll be talking about her recent book coming out in paperback. It is called Motherland, A Feminist History of Modern Russia, From Revolution to Autocracy. I enjoyed it very much.”
Motherland by Julia Ioffe
Host on Conversations with TylerJulia Ioffe on Russian Women, Missing Men, and the Roots of Autocracy
“I'm a big fan of your book, A History of British Art. And in that, you insightfully remarked that a lot of English art earlier on was harder, more angular…”
A History of British Art by Andrew Graham-Dixon
Host on Conversations with TylerAndrew Graham-Dixon on Vermeer, a Forgotten Sect, and Underrated Artists
“Again, everyone, to repeat, Charles and Chase Koch have a new book out, Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader.”
Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader by Charles Koch
Host on Conversations with TylerChase Koch on Principles, Music, and Overcoming Entropy
“He plays major roles in Koch Disruptive Technologies and the Foundation Stand Together. And he and his father, Charles Koch, have a new book out, which I was happy to blurb.”
Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader by Charles Koch
Host on Conversations with TylerChase Koch on Principles, Music, and Overcoming Entropy
“He has a wonderful new book out called Two Paths to Prosperity, Culture and Institutions in Europe and China, 1000 to 2000.”
Two Paths to Prosperity by Avner Greif
Host on Conversations with TylerJoel Mokyr on Clans, Corporations, and a Culture of Growth
“Today I'm chatting with Katja Hoyard. She just published a new and very interesting book called Weimar, Life on the Edge of Catastrophe. She's well known for her history of East Germany called Beyond the Wall and a broader book on earlier German history called Blood and Iron, The Rise and Fall of the German Empire.”
Blood and Iron by Katja Hoyer
Host on Conversations with TylerKatja Hoyer on Weimar, the GDR, and the German Character
“Today I'm chatting with Katja Hoyard. She just published a new and very interesting book called Weimar, Life on the Edge of Catastrophe. She's well known for her history of East Germany called Beyond the Wall and a broader book on earlier German history called Blood and Iron, The Rise and Fall of the German Empire.”
Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer
Host on Conversations with TylerKatja Hoyer on Weimar, the GDR, and the German Character
“I'm quite intrigued by his latest book. It is called The Last Dynasty, Ancient Egypt, from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra, and he is also…”
The Last Dynasty by Toby Wilkinson
Host on Conversations with TylerToby Wilkinson on Ptolemaic Egypt and the First Great Commercial Civilization
“He has a new book out, which I enjoyed very, very much. The Rolling Stones, the biography.”
The Rolling Stones by Bob Spitz
Host on Conversations with TylerBob Spitz on the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and the Art of Biography
“As you know, in your own book, Surviving Rome, You show the Romans had quite sophisticated and advanced economic lives. But why is it the Romans never had anything resembling economic reasoning?”
Surviving Rome by Kim Bowes
Host on Conversations with TylerKim Bowes on the Economic Lives of Rome's Ninety Percent
“Today, I am here chatting with Kim Bowes. She is an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania, and she has a new book out called Surviving Rome, The Economic Lives of the 90%. It has perhaps been my favorite economics book of the last year,…”
Why: It has been his favorite economics book of the last year.
Surviving Rome by Kim Bowes
Host on Conversations with TylerKim Bowes on the Economic Lives of Rome's Ninety Percent
“Now, your 2007 book, Who Really Cares? It had a data-backed thesis that was correct at the time that political conservatives are more generous than political Democrats or liberals…”
Who Really Cares by Arthur C. Brooks
Host on Conversations with TylerArthur Brooks on Reinvention, Religion, and the Science of Happiness
“Today I'm speaking with the great Harvey Mansfield, and Harvey has a new and excellent book out called The Rise and Fall of Rational Control.”
Why: Described as a new and excellent book.
The Rise and Fall of Rational Control by Harvey Claflin Mansfield
Host on Conversations with TylerHarvey Mansfield on Machiavelli, Straussianism, and the Character of Liberal Democracy
“Henry is a research fellow at Mercatus. He is author of a wonderful book called Second Act about late bloomers, which has been very popular.”
Second Act by Henry Oliver
Host on Conversations with TylerHenry Oliver on Measure for Measure, Late Bloomers, and the Smartest Writers in English
“And now, this winter, he has a new book coming out, which I thought was great and enjoyed very much. It is called How Africa Works, Success and Failure on the World's Last Developmental Frontier.”
Why: Tyler thought it was great and enjoyed it very much.
How Africa Works by JOE STUDWELL
Host on Conversations with TylerJoe Studwell on Africa, Asia, and What Development Actually Requires
“Today, I'm speaking with Joe Studwell. Joe has a long and distinguished career as a journalist for many publications, but I know him best for two of his books. The first is How Asia Works, which is extremely well-known and has had major impact.”
How Asia Works by Joe Studwell
Host on Conversations with TylerJoe Studwell on Africa, Asia, and What Development Actually Requires
“Now, your recent book is on Africa. I'll just hold this up again, How Africa Works. I don't agree with everything in it, but I do really think it's an excellent, well-researched, extremely well-written book.”
Why: It is an excellent, well-researched, extremely well-written book.
How Africa Works by JOE STUDWELL
Host on Conversations with TylerJoe Studwell on Africa, Asia, and What Development Actually Requires
“He's the best-selling author of Too Big to Fail, co-producer of a film adaptation of the same, nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, and he is also co-creator of the drama series Billions on Showtime.”
Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Host on Conversations with TylerAndrew Ross Sorkin on Market Bubbles, Banking Rules, and the Real Lessons of 1929
“Today I am here with Dermot McCulloch. He has a new book out, Lower Than the Angels, A History of Sex and Christianity, which I recommend very highly.”
Why: The host highly recommends it, noting that all of the author's books are excellent and worth reading.
Lower Than the Angels by Diarmaid MacCulloch
Host on Conversations with TylerDiarmaid MacCulloch on Christianity, Sex, and Unsettling Settled Facts
“Today, I'm very excited to be talking with Joni Steinberg. He has written what I think is one of the very best books of the last 10 years. It's called Winnie and Nelson, Portrait of a Marriage.”
Why: Described as one of the very best books of the last 10 years.
Winnie and Nelson by Jonny Steinberg
Host on Conversations with TylerJonny Steinberg on South African Crime and Punishment, the Mandelas' Marriage, and the Post-Apartheid Era
“I like all of his books, Thin Blue and The Number, or two others I would recommend. He originally was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.”
Why: Recommended by the host.
Thin Blue by Jonny Steinberg
Host on Conversations with TylerJonny Steinberg on South African Crime and Punishment, the Mandelas' Marriage, and the Post-Apartheid Era
“Now, in your book, The Number, you studied prison gangs in South Africa. how do those gangs regulate the behavior of their members?”
The Number by Jonny Steinberg
Host on Conversations with TylerJonny Steinberg on South African Crime and Punishment, the Mandelas' Marriage, and the Post-Apartheid Era
“My favorite book of yours, again, is Winnie and Nelson, which has won a number of awards. A few questions about that. So they're this very charismatic couple.”
Why: Described as the host's favorite book of the guest's.
Winnie and Nelson by Jonny Steinberg
Host on Conversations with TylerJonny Steinberg on South African Crime and Punishment, the Mandelas' Marriage, and the Post-Apartheid Era
“I like all of his books, Thin Blue and The Number, or two others I would recommend. He originally was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.”
Why: Recommended by the host.
The Number by Jonny Steinberg
Host on Conversations with TylerJonny Steinberg on South African Crime and Punishment, the Mandelas' Marriage, and the Post-Apartheid Era
“Again, a plug for George's book, False Dawn, the very best book on its topic. Congratulations, George, and thank you very much.”
Why: It is the very best book on its topic.
False Dawn by George Selgin
Host on Conversations with TylerGeorge Selgin on the New Deal, Regime Uncertainty, and What Really Ended the Great Depression
“He has a new book out called False Dawn, The New Deal and the Promise of Recovery, 1933 to 1947.”
Why: It is the best book on its topic and all of George's books are definitely worth reading.
False Dawn by George Selgin
Host on Conversations with TylerGeorge Selgin on the New Deal, Regime Uncertainty, and What Really Ended the Great Depression
“His newest book is It's Not Magic, The Ordinary Skills of Exceptional Leaders. And John is also well known for having played seven years in the NBA as a center for the Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz, and also for having played overseas in Europe.”
It's Not Magic by John Amaechi
Host on Conversations with TylerJohn Amaechi on Leadership, the NBA, and Being Gay in Professional Sports
“And in your new book, It's Not Magic, the ordinary skills of exceptional leaders, if you were to distinguish what makes your approach to leadership different or special, what would you say?”
It's Not Magic by John Amaechi
Host on Conversations with TylerJohn Amaechi on Leadership, the NBA, and Being Gay in Professional Sports
“What's the report card on the world 10 years after I published Enlightenment Now? What progress has continued? Where have we backtracked?”
Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
Host on Conversations with TylerSteven Pinker on Coordination, Common Knowledge, and the Retreat of Liberal Enlightenment
“with Steven Pinker. Steven needs no introduction per se, but I will point out he has a new and excellent book called When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows… The subtitle is Common Knowledge…”
When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker
Host on Conversations with TylerSteven Pinker on Coordination, Common Knowledge, and the Retreat of Liberal Enlightenment
“Before my last two questions, let me just plug your book again. It is called When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows... The dots are important.”
Why: A fascinating read.
When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker
Host on Conversations with TylerSteven Pinker on Coordination, Common Knowledge, and the Retreat of Liberal Enlightenment
Named without an opinion attached.
“Her book, Silent Spring, that book and Darwin's Origin of Species are probably the two books by scientists that have had the biggest impact in the last century.”
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Host on Conversations with TylerJared Diamond on Leaders, Luck, and Irreplaceability
“There's Leopold Bloom also in Ulysses, of course.”
Ulysses by James Joyce
Host on Conversations with TylerMichael Moritz on Origin Stories, Exile, and Obsessive Curiosity
“You were age 13 and you heard the Pink Floyd album, The Wall, and it just floored you, right? Is there anything in music now that you think can do the same for today's 13-year-olds?”
The Wall by Roger Waters
Host on Conversations with TylerChase Koch on Principles, Music, and Overcoming Entropy
“And do you read Thomas More's Utopia as satire, or book two, do you think he meant it?”
Utopia by Thomas More
Host on Conversations with TylerJoanne Paul on Thomas More and the Tudor World
“Now, as you know, Erasmus wrote quite a bit about Thomas More, including a dedicatory letter in In Praise of Folly.”
In Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus
Host on Conversations with TylerJoanne Paul on Thomas More and the Tudor World
“But to get all nerdy here, you know, Immanuel Kant in his third critique, critique of judgment. He said, in essence, taste is that which cannot be captured in a rubric.”
Critique of Judgment by Immanuel Kant
Host on Conversations with TylerBrendan Foody on Teaching AI and the Future of Knowledge Work
“What did Ayn Rand understand about supersonic transport that we have forgotten? You haven't forgotten it, to be clear. Supersonic is actually mentioned in Galt's speech once.”
Atlas Shrugged (Centennial Ed. HC) by Ayn Rand
Host on Conversations with TylerBlake Scholl on Supersonic Flight and Fixing Broken Infrastructure - Live at the Progress Conference
“Her book, Silent Spring, that book and Darwin's Origin of Species are probably the two books by scientists that have had the biggest impact in the last century.”
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Host on Conversations with TylerJared Diamond on Leaders, Luck, and Irreplaceability
“As you know, Michel Foucault wrote four volumes on the history of sexuality. What did he get wrong about Christianity?”
"THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY" by Michel Foucault
Host on Conversations with TylerDiarmaid MacCulloch on Christianity, Sex, and Unsettling Settled Facts