My Top 10 Books of All Time

Check out AG1: drinkAG1.com/jaredhenderson
These are my 10 favorite books of all time.
Nominalism: plato.stanford.edu/entries/no...
Realism: plato.stanford.edu/entries/re...
→ Links
Patreon: patreon.com/_jared
Discord: Discord: / discord
Newsletter:jaredhenderson.substack.com
Second channel: @jaredminus
→ Books
A Treatise of Human Nature: amzn.to/3XMhmCR
Anathem: amzn.to/44jaC22
Confessions: amzn.to/3XGZN7v
The Intellectual Life: amzn.to/3rnb4h6
After Virtue: amzn.to/3pHUo3j
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: amzn.to/3XJ16mm
Blood Meridian: amzn.to/3rnUXA1
The Dispossessed: amzn.to/3JPRMr0
Crime & Punishment: amzn.to/3OhEOVP
Nicomachean Ethics: amzn.to/43lIZ6W
→ Music
Original music by The Music Giant
Get custom music created for your content: www.themusicgiant.com/content...
→ Video Gear
Mic: amzn.to/3Uw7ZVw
Recorder: amzn.to/3Tz1uQp
Camera: amzn.to/3Ust3MT
Camera (upgrade): amzn.to/3EFGW4e
Lens: amzn.to/3WXbAhd
Lens (upgrade): amzn.to/3SA49KM
These are affiliate links with Amazon. The channel earns a commission from each purchase - but it doesn't cost you anything.

[@MyMy-tv7fd]

10. A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume, philosophy/psychology 9. Anathem by Neal Stephenson, sci-fi and metaphysics 8. The Confessions by St. Augustine, autobiography 7. The Intellectual Life by A.G. Sertillanges, self-help for intellectuals (efficacy v. efficiency) 6. After Virtue, by Alasdair MacIntyre, moral theory 5. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass 4. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, violent Western novel 3. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin, sci-fi - scientist struggles with exploitation 2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, novel 1. The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, moral theory

[@mumsyxc]

Thank you so much, MyMy. I wanted to get the list of books, but the transcription software wasn't up to the task.

[@Gruso57]

He has this in the description with Amazon links to each. Although he may not have when you originally posted this.

[@garethmorris6314]

Many thanks,cheers.

[@anonymouslakernerd7214]

Grazie mille. You saved me eighteen minutes and eleven seconds of my life. I can now use that time to go read.

[@ywuc]

thsnks

[@CaffeineAndMylanta]

The Dispossessed, Anathem and Blood Meridian are on my reading list for this year, largely from listening to you talk about them in past videos. Read Octavia Butler’s Dawn on your recommendation a few months back and I enjoyed it very much. Currently in the middle of Snow Crash and finished The Road last month, which is the most emotionally devastating book I’ve ever read. Being a new father it hit me pretty hard. The end left me weeping. 10/10 I look forward to trying some of the philosophy you mentioned, I’ve always been interested in philosophy but have never actually sit down and a read a philosophy text outside of Camus and a few papers on ethics.

[@vickyagnew1651]

I so appreciate how you discuss books concisely while providing enough information for us to have something to go on. Thank you.

[@nerd26373]

My condolences to Cormac McCarthy's family and friends. He's one of the greatest writers to have ever lived. May his legacy continue to live on.

[@Ivanselectsongs]

amen

[@houstonbradford9350]

Amen amen. Amen.

[@tmerk4292]

Do they watch these? 🤔

[@houstonbradford9350]

@@tmerk4292 😂😂😂

[@divipromstojakovo3859]

Amen

[@bananapeel892]

Thank you for this list Jared. I have sort of been using your guide on reading stoicism. So far I have read Letters From a Stoic, the Meditations, and now I’m reading the Epictetus collection from the Chicago press. These books have sparked such a love for reading and knowledge. I’m going to add all of these books you recommended to my list, if they aren’t already there. They all seem fantastic. A book that has been a yearly reread for me is How to Win Friends and Influence people. The title can seem a little devious and the business context may be slightly outdated, but I really appreciate the message this book tells. It is unlike the other “business” books out there. It goes beyond benefiting yourself, but also improving everyone else’s lives too. It is so genuine and is the ultimate communication book, which in my opinion is humanity’s greatest weakness. It is about understanding those around you and truly listening. I know it’s already super popular, but I could not recommend it enough. Thanks again for the great content.

[@liberlynn]

Wow, thank you thank you! You are helping reinspire my love of learning. Your videos are so thoughtful and well crafted, your ideas are eloquent yet approachable. I’m so excited to begin diving deeper into my self-education. ❤

[@scp240]

Of these I've only read The Confessions, and Crime and Punishment (many years ago). I appreciate your thoughtful approach and analysis. I need to read Blood Meridian, I've read several other of McCarthy's books and each one was terrific. One of my favorite "westerns" is The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter van Tilburg Clark. It strikes me as a book you might enjoy.

[@Gruso57]

Thanks for the list Jared. Ive read 4 out of these 10 and also hold each in high regard. I trust your opinion so thank you for the suggestions and brief overview of each.

[@EduardoHenrique-nd1ro]

Amazing video! Thanks for sharing! Cheers from Brazil!

[@golddmane]

Was surprised to see the Nicomachean Ethics at #1 but I'm really happy. I took a seminar on Aristotle last year and that book has set a philosophical baseline that I think anyone interested in the subject should have. Aristotle's influence on thought, I think, is unparalleled. For instance, when I took a seminar on Kant, it was shocking to see how much of it seemed to be in response, if indirectly, to Aristotle. And to think that the Nicomachean Ethics are just lecture notes, it's amazing. Imagine the day we find lost works of his. Great video.

[@DUFMAN123]

Great list, I want to thank you as you've successfully gotten me into Ursula K. Le Guin. I loved The Left Hand of Darkness and now have the Dispossessed on the shelf ready to be read!

[@loganwillis5367]

Was glad to see the confessions on your list ! One of my favorites as well!

[@pavel0900]

Thank you for sharing your list ❤

[@ValentinaGulpe]

What an amazing channel to stumble upon! Amazing reviews ! Got two books already!

[@yntybeats112]

Great list mr. Henderson! I have only read crime and punishment which i finished last week. I loved it. Underrated channel

[@JLchevz]

Fantastic video, Nichomachean ethics is also one of my favorite books and I just happened to read it because a teacher in Law school made us read it. I ended up loving it. It makes so much sense to me.

[@danasheys3772]

I was happily surprised to see how much philosophical literature is on your list. This was the first video of yours that I have seen great job

[@edwardliechti3359]

You won’t be surprised the more you watch and learn about him 😂

[@SHTMusik]

As a person who lives modestly and thinks a lot about "selling out" and "getting a real job" the themes in Orwell´s little known novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997 film A Merry Way) have stuck with me since reading it. It´s the eternal battle of "following your bliss" versus being practical and working for a living at a job that you might not be passionate about. It´s very short and I would recommend the book over the movie because of the internal dialogue of the main character, his idealism vs. harsh reality, which you don´t get as much of in the film.

After Virtue 🙌👏 nice to see that on the list.

[@user-vy7gc6im3l]

I am so grateful for your posts. You're a great communicator, I love your personable style. I think you're a terrific guy. God bless you and yours. You are in my day prayers.

[@bettyjanepidduck-shepherd4546]

So nice to see you back and learn about philosophy and valuable books to read. I hope fatherhood is agreeing with you. It is a special and challenging time at the start!

[@ItsChrisFtw]

Confessions by Augustine is an absolutely incredible profound book. So glad to see it on this list. I'd also recommend City of God.

[@joereeve2569]

Read Crime and Punishment based on another video of yours and it instantly became one of my all time favorites as well. Completely changed the trajectory of my reading life. Same thing with Left Hand of Darkness

[@franciscomorais7283]

How did the trajectory of your life change by reading Crime and Punishment?

[@joereeve2569]

@@franciscomorais7283 reading life, specifically. Without reading it, the trajectory would have likely just been to keep reading what I always had (Sanderson's stuff mostly). But now because of reading it it opened me up to trying many other books I otherwise would probably not have read. I also think it made me a much stronger reader so I'm finding enjoyment in books I otherwise would have thought were too long or boring.

[@franciscomorais7283]

@@joereeve2569 Interesting! Thank you for taking the time to answer.

[@josephkauslick5034]

Great list! I appreciate the analysis and personal reflections. I would highly recommend you read Democracy and Tradition by Jeffrey Stout. It’s deeply appreciative and critical of MacIntyre in truly exemplary ways.

[@closerlookbooks]

I guess it is high time I tell you I have enjoyed watching a number of your videos. Keep up the good work.

[@gnarwhal7562]

My personal top 10 10. Uzimaki by Junji Ito 09. How to Rap by Paul Edwards 08. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 07. Lord of the Flies by William Golding 06.Watchmen by Alan Moore 05. 1984 by George Orwell 04. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 03. Be Water, My Friend: the Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee 02. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 01. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (I'm also currently reading Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, but I didn't include since I'm still working through it)

[@ohohjournal5828]

I'm currently focused on exploring the philosophy of sci-fic thanks to your video, thanks for the book recommendations

[@lewreed1871]

Hi Jared, You mentioned linking to something about the debate between nominalism and realism, but I don't see it in the description. I'm interested! Please post. Nice choice of books! Best, L.

[@flannerypedley840]

I have to agree with you about David Hume... one of the most extraordinary thinkers to ever live. I haven't read the T of Human nature,only human understanding, so I guess this is now on my list.

[@sa-cl2ht]

Thank you, lots of greetings from Belgium..

[@greyone40]

A good list. I am surprised to see Frederick Douglass' book on there. I have only read it once, but it beckons every time I go to my bookshelves. Definitely worth reading again. I have been reading McCarthy's "The Road." I know what you mean about his lack of punctuation, mostly a case of no quotation marks for dialogue.

[@davidbockoven161]

I really appreciate how you talk about how reading can be a fundamentally transformative and engaging experience. I think this is something that non-readers just can't understand, but I feel like if they gave it a fair shot that it could become that for some of them, too. I don't know, maybe not. To get something out of reading, one really needs to already highly value curiosity.

[@adriano06441]

Hey Jared, is it possible we could have a convo about how you made the switch from the humanities to tech? I’m a recent grad and I’m interested in changing careers

[@MrKooCies]

appreciate the no nonsense at beginning and end of vid :)

[@capturedbyannamarie]

Crime and punishment is so good! I just read Brothers Karamazov, and I would have to agree that for some reason I like Crime and Punishment more. Idk we will see if I change my mind over time.

[@mumsyxc]

Crime and Punishment was the only full-length Dostoyevsky novel I ever finished.

[@tomasbaker1912]

Try The Brothers Karamozov and The Idiot You might like them even more than Crime and Punishment

[@mumsyxc]

@@tomasbaker1912 I finished Crime and Punishment (and subsequently saw the TV miniseries with John Hurt), but The Brothers Karamazov and The Possessed defeated me. My problem with The Possessed was keeping track of all the friends of Stepan and Varvara, and all their respective temperaments and attitudes.

[@PodvigAmerica]

God bless you! More books to read. More bookshelves to buy,

[@yzf5172]

This surprising list was different from most of those you see on KZbin. Makes me think about what books I should be reading.

[@Mentat1231]

Great list! Can I ask, if I read Alasdair MacIntyre's "Dependent Rational Animals", should I still read "After Virtue"? I got the impression that he was updating and even revising some AV in DRA, but my current project is trying to make sense of moral claims, and I don't want to miss out on any important insights from MacIntyre.....

[@rcleme]

I agree with the sci-fi series perspective. I think some get close (a couple of the Foundation books by Asimov get close to being best of on their own) but usually series are stronger because of the set, and not because of their parts alone.

[@valentineanastassiou3411]

Thank you Mr Henderson for your generosity to share with us all your excellent review of the 10 Books you consider the best. I agree with you that Nicomachean Ethics deserves to be on top of such a list. I am currently teaching this book to a group of friends, who gather in my home, and we reflect on ways to make our contribution for a better world. I feel that Aristotle shows us the way, emphasizing the unique importance of Virtue, and especially of Justice as the queen of all virtues. At the same time he acknowledges the need of external goods, as long as we do not strive for acquiring excessive wealth, because such a pursuit leads to violence. With his teaching Aristotle is still most relevant today as he points out the road of Happiness, Eudaimonia, which is also the way to Peace.

[@AndrewSartov]

Thanks for your list. Epictetus and Laozi are also books you can read until the death

[@ChrisLowResDream]

thank you so much

[@r.w.bottorff7735]

I love the variety of the list. With Ursala and Dostoevsky, not to mention, Cormac McCarthy, you can't be wrong. I'm going to check out the entries that I'm less familiar with. Thank you!

[@EricMcLuen]

I recently read Blood Meridian as well to see how it influenced Bakker and the Second Apocalypse which I really did like. His prose kept drawing me in and then kicked me right back out and a few other issues. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien off the banned book list. Incredibly intense. Also just finished Dispossessed. A lot of interesting thought experiments but did enjoy it. Lathe of Heaven might rate a little higher for me. Non fiction is tough as it is most often history. Found the Liberation Trilogy by Atkinson very readable, and can check another Pulitzer Prize winner off the list. Would add just about anythijg by Elaine Pagels. Erasmus and Luther the Battle for Freewill was very interesting and quite entertaining.

[@timlyons2824]

What are your thoughts on What We Owe To Each Other by T. M. Scanlon? I bought it because it was what The Good Place was "based" on. Haven't gotten a chance to read it yet (currently reading A Canticle For Leibowitz) but wondering if it should be next?

[@jscibbe]

Were you reading McCarthy for the Catherine Project? I have read some other McCarthy but haven't gone through Blood Meridian yet but I look forward to after grad school.

[@Pemulis1]

Nice list. Gonna check some of it out. Suttree is probably my favorite McCarthy, though I have not read Blood for so long it would probably be a different read. I enjoy Stephenson a lot (Snow Crash and Cryptonomicron are tons of fun), and I'm gonna read Anathem now. I've always loved LeGuin. Her two best short story collections - The Winds Twelve Quarters and Compass Rose - are near perfect. I'm with you on Crime and Punishment being better than Brothers, which drags. But if you're gonna go with the Russians, I prefer the Big Dog. And Gogol was way. way ahead of his time. I'm gonna check out the recommended Hume, too. I've probably read parts of it but was too young to appreciate it.

[@UHollis]

I read Blood Meridian twice, directly back to back in the summer of 2022. it is one of the best novels of all time.

[@adamk897]

Loved The Nick of McKeon Ethics.

[@williamwoody7607]

I love that he didn’t end with please tell me your favs or what I should’ve included. ( Light Years by James Salter).

[@epektasis_shunyata]

Have you read the Enneads?

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

Blood Meridian is my very favorite book! 📖

[@georgiinazarenko5490]

You should read The Karamazov Brothers. It is deeper than Crime and Panishment. It is a very popular book with theologians, philosophers and psychologists.

[@donquixotedoflamingo6401]

Do you recommend that someone should read these books starting today although he has no former knowledge or background in reading Philosophy books ?

[@_jared]

Hume and Aristotle could be read right away, though they would take work. MacIntyre assumes familiarity with the history of philosophy.

[@floorshirts6402]

Hey Jared, I know you said you didn’t want to get into the religious aspects of your life on the channel but I was curious as to how/where you would rank the Bible as a piece of literature?

[@JLchevz]

Blood Meridian is INCREDIBLE. As someone who has read a couple classics and a lot of genre literature, Blood Meridian oozes brilliance and the style makes it incredibly unique, it almost makes every other book seem pedestrian and infantile by comparison. Truly a masterpiece. It's also very hard to describe why it's so good too.

[@darkoale3299]

The Judge is in the running for being one of the greatest characters ever created.

[@PsilocybeJedi]

I was insanely bored the entire way through. 2/5 stars for me.

[@KevinSmith-wp9qs]

It was rubbish. Very badly written with far too much unrealistic violence.

[@TheRedverb]

Blood Meridian=transcendent, brilliantly written, but bleak.

[@Draykidsbuthol]

@@KevinSmith-wp9qs if you think cormac mccarthy ever wrote anything poorly, you're delusional

[@mikelpelaez]

Just started reading blood meridian a few weeks ago and it's looking to be incredible

[@pabloisusi6097]

Mikel, lo leí el año pasado y me encantó. Disfrútalo!

[@mikelpelaez]

@@pabloisusi6097 eso intentaré hacer. Una cosa que me sorprendió bastante es que tengo entendido que en la novela tenía cosas en castellano (estoy leyendo una traducción)

[@pabloisusi6097]

@@mikelpelaez Yo la leí traducida también. Puede ser que en original tenga partes en español, al situarse gran parte de la novela en México y California. No me sorprendería.

[@mikelpelaez]

@@pabloisusi6097 eso me ponía en una nota a pie de página

[@jacksonjennings9960]

I personally just finished Blood Meridian. Couldn’t put it down.

[@Ivanselectsongs]

Crime and Punishment The Stranger As I Lay Dying Notes From Underground The Trial Underworld The Brothers Karamazov The Idiot Lord of the Flies 1984 Play: Macbeth

[@natedaug1]

Good list.

[@jollygoode4153]

Crime & Punishment, also a book about dealing with our demons and whether we succumb to them or not. It is quite an achievement, an almost freudian examination of the 'soul' written long before Freud wrote a single word. The Dispossessed, another great book, almost like 1984 in its examination of what we are told is the 'truth' and how we can best live together.

[@patrickc3419]

Mine would be (in no specific order): The Oath, The Grapes of Wrath, The Wind in the Willows, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Hamlet, & Beowulf.

[@greenhat7618]

What prerequisites do you need to read the Nicomachaen Ethics? I am not a philosophy student.

[@ericneff9908]

I've read five of the books on your list and can't take issue with any of them. I especially agree that Anathem is Stephenson's best. After Virtue will probably be my sixth. Takes for the video.

[@DN-wy3ud]

Please make videos on fantasy books and ideas on where to begin. Ive always read non fiction and lately ive been grtting into fiction but feel so overwhelmed with options. Ive read dan brown so far and dont have any ideas where to go from here

[@Kormac80]

Give Henry Miller a chance. Tropic of Cancer. Just wander and find your way with fiction. Channels like this help.

[@PrisonMike-_-]

Tired of litbros ruining Blood Meridian but I’m glad that you were able to find it

[@on9luddite]

Do you have a preference and recommendation on which version of the English translation of Crime and Punishment we should look into? or any of them should be fine

[@_jared]

Most published translations are good, from what I gather. My preferred one (meaning the one I enjoyed) is by Michael Katz. There is a link in the description.

[@on9luddite]

@@_jared Thank you ! Amazon is not really the best option in my country but definitely will reference the link. Much appreciated 😊

[@mrRoverkane]

Yum! That mineral water from HEB is delicious haha.

[@_jared]

There’s almost always a bottle on my desk.

[@isthisdom]

The Confessions is quite the stroke of inspired genius. It helped change my perspective on almost everything. God bless St. Augustine.

[@Signal_in_the_noise]

My top 10 (for now) The Myth of Sisyphus 1984 The Denial of Death Human Action The Revolution of Everyday Life The Ego & it’s Own Notes from the Underground Thus Spoke Zarathustra Art & Artist Labyrinths

[@mushfiquefahim141]

Great video! But I'm wondering why you dropped such a massive spoiler about Crime and Punishment

[@ClassicsandChristianity]

I bought The Dispossessed last week because you kept talking about it lol

[@PedroDiMaggio-dk4lb]

It's a book primarily about capitalists vs anarchists. I thought it was excellent.

[@JamoboBorg]

If you haven't already, I recommend Vonda N McIntyre. Ursula K LeGuin was a big fan of hers and quotes from LeGuin often appear in front of McIntyre's books. Her novels are also Sci-fi with strong leanings towards feminism, largely focused on characters as well as the what and why of their actions and reactions. Dreamsnake is easily her most famous, winning the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards, but somehow was out of print for nearly 13 years. It's also a pretty easy read with very fluid prose that explains very little of the technology, allowing for the story to just flow

[@ayushkhare85]

idk why but every time you talked about crime and punishment my eyes got a bit teary ..and i haven't read the book yet... Btw I loved your content 🙏

[@shirleyhalliwell8993]

Just started reading Frederick Douglas very inspiring book 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇦🇺

[@Jimdunne_]

I strongly feel that the ‘Blood Meridian’ is one of the best books ever written. It has opened my mind to the dark history of America as an Irish person but in an artistic style, and coincidentally, just before the release of ‘Killers of the flower moon’ film - a book I also read after finishing Blood Meridian at the beginning of 2023. Love your picks

[@billw.1964]

As someone who majored in English and minored in Philosophy, this is an excellent list.

[@charlescarpenter9000]

Don Quixote, translated by Edith Grossman

[@HoldenNY22]

I tried reading a Cormac MCarthy book. I think it was the Road. It had no punctuation!! It was unreadable at least for me. Probably for other people as well.

[@slurmcarey3069]

I named my son after Cormac after I read The Road.

[@trollpainterandson399]

6:38 Nice list and discussion. Sertillanges was actually a Dominican, not Jesuit. However, the forward to the edition you linked to was written by James Schall, a Jesuit thinker and educator who recently passed away.

[@nbenefiel]

I love that old joke about the Dominican, Franciscan, and Jesuit present at the nativity. The Dominican stands in awe. The Franciscan kneels and sings His praises. The Jesuit walks up to Joseph, puts his arm around Joseph’s shoulders and asks “ have you thought about how you’re going to educate the kid?”

[@siamcharm7904]

blood meridian is THE great aerican novel. it fully captures the soul of a country that was founded on slavery and genocide.

[@liketheduck]

Timestamps would be appreciated! Thanks for the list! 😊

[@therelief9129]

I also preferred Crime & Punishment to Brothers Karamazov

[@smalltown2223]

How many capital letter are there in blood millidien?

[@laurentogetatx]

Ignoring outside sources when reading Aristotle sounds like a great idea but unless you read the greek version you only read the book through the lens of the translator.

[@urbaneblobfish9624]

Do I need to read anything before reading Treatise of Human Nature, or can I just jump in?

[@charlescarpenter9000]

A good definition of a classic: Any book that would not be hurt by a spoiler. (No matter how many times you’ve read it, it always gets better.)

[@marcosanthernandez]

Are there any graphic novels that you find interesting philosophically?

[@deepwoods_dave7368]

On my list is Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. An incredible story and wrote so the reader is right along side the characters.

[@rebeccabsomanybooks3558]

Great book.

[@keithandrew2705]

Great fucking book cold mountain. Prose as poetry.

[@des..]

Thank You

[@darkkstar5647]

Would you recommend THE DISPOSSESSED before any other LeGuin novel?

[@_jared]

I think it is a great place to start.

[@CaLuMaCCa]

Does anyone know the brand of his glasses?

[@eugenexia3634]

This one is so bloody and brutal. I couldn't finish it. I mean the Blood Meridian.

[@dennymussatto221]

Why would i want to drink less coffee? Lol Great book review

[@t0dd000]

Yes! Let's hear it for stand-alones.

[@Lmaoh5150]

A sci-fi book focused on the realism/anti-realism debate? Why have I never heard of this?

[@teenitup]

She baby say Paris’ kids I have trust in Rory she’ll be a great mom for sure!

[@qwerqwer2521]

It'd be nice to add a spoiler alert before spoiling the end of a book. Are classics not worth not spoiling? The amount of times I've learned the ending of a book from the first sentence of the blurb or by someone mentioning it on a video...

[@philasoma]

Curious why you rate Blood Meridian over a book like Moby Dick, if this list is meant to be somewhat objective. I read Blood Meridian, and then went to Moby Dick (my initial goal in reading Moby Dick was to better understand Blood Meridian). After reading them both, Moby Dick feels like the more timeless work. It feels like it belongs with some of the great literature of its contemporaries from across time and country. Blood Meridian is by no means a bad choice, but as someone who is looking to do a deeper dive into both of these books I'm curious.