Every matching recommendation record appears here, grouped by person and book. Editorial starting points are on the collection overview.
Page 1 of 2 · Recommendation records on this page: 48.
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Catalog summary of own reading selection; no source excerpt copied.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Five Books · undated · accessed 2026-10-01
Interview · Own reading selection
Own explicit reading recommendation, with preference for the annotated first-edition facsimile. James Costa’s annotation role does not alter the existing Charles Darwin author identity. Displayed2018 publication is republication of an interview already linked in2017; exact original date unset.
Jerry Coyne selects On the Origin of Species among books that inspired his science.
Catalog summary of own reading selection; no source excerpt copied.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Why Evolution Is True · 2017-07-11 · accessed 2026-10-01
Reading list · Own reading selection
Author’s own list and positive selection, not the Guardian survey of other people or reader comments. Separate own writing event from the linked Five Books interview.
Wilczek’s own reader-facing selection, conservatively paraphrased as a documented citation.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
IOP Publishing / Physics World · 2004-11-03 · accessed 2026-10-01
Interview · Direct reading interview
In his direct interview answer to the three-best-popular-science-books question, Wilczek selects Darwin’s work. Article writes Origin of the Species; identity is Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.
Wilczek’s own reader-facing selection, conservatively paraphrased as a documented citation.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Frank Wilczek · undated · accessed 2026-10-01
Reading list · Personal favorite-books list
His own favorite-books document includes Dale Carnegie’s book and a positive reader-facing assessment. Date is not printed;2013URLsegment is not treated as publication evidence.
Evidence detailsWhen Google AI CEO Demis Hassabis shared the book that influenced him most as a student and said: I really recommend to every student to read these books
The article reports Hassabis naming Richard Feynman's memoir as influential during his student years and recommending Feynman's books to students in a 2024 Nobel Prize interview context.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
The Times of India · 2026-03-18 · accessed 2026-06-20
Article · Reported Nobel interview recommendation
The article reports that Hassabis said Feynman's memoir influenced him as a student and quoted him recommending those books to students during a Nobel Prize interview in Stockholm.
In a discussion of books that inspired his physics career, Al-Khalili explicitly recommends this Feynman memoir to readers. His broader list is personal inspiration, rather than a general introductory syllabus.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Five Books · 2020-02-27 · accessed 2026-09-30
Interview · Direct Five Books interview
The Feynman section contains an explicit instruction to read the book. Interview updated 2022-11-27.
Evidence detailsJennifer Doudna and Siddartha Mukherjee conversation transcript
Personal formative reading. Source date is transcript publication, not recording. McPhee retailer paperback is June1982, later than original1976; no edition-specific endorsement inferred. Unnamed biography excluded. Catalog summary, no excerpt copied.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Berkeley News · 2018-01-18 · accessed 2026-10-01
Interview · Own influential-books answer
Her own positive reading answer, separate from the other speaker.
Jennifer Doudna describes The Double Helix as a revelation about how science gets done.
Evidence detailsInfluence of Jim Watson’s The Double Helix
Own positive childhood reading account, while also noting the treatment of Rosalind Franklin. No endorsement of every viewpoint in the memoir inferred. Date is explicitly recorded interview date. Catalog summary, no excerpt copied.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Oral History · 2023-08-17 · accessed 2026-10-01
Interview · Own formative reading account
Original transcript explicitly labels Recorded:17Aug2023 and identifies the book, author and her positive reading response.
In his cosmology interview, Carroll chooses Guth’s account of inflation and discusses its careful explanation of established knowledge and uncertainty.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Five Books · 2011-07-20 · accessed 2026-09-30
Interview · Direct Five Books interview
The named five-book selection and second-book discussion directly document his recommendation. Interview updated 2023-01-20; wording is a citation paraphrase.
Evidence detailsDesert Island Discs: Stephen Hawking
Hawking selected Middlemarch as his book choice on the BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs episode.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
BBC Radio 4 · 1992-12-25 · accessed 2026-06-22
Interview · Desert Island Discs book choice
The BBC episode page for Stephen Hawking's Desert Island Discs lists the book choice as Middlemarch by George Eliot; the page schema gives the 1992-12-25 date.
Catalog summary of own reading selection; no source excerpt copied.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Five Books · undated · accessed 2026-10-01
Interview · Own reading selection
Own explicit selection and reader-facing discussion. Interviewee’s authored book/editor pick and related-expert recommendations excluded. Republish/update dates do not create extra reading events.
Just finished 'The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity' by @DrDebraSoh. Strongly recommended. If even half is true of what she says about the intimidation of scientists in her field of sexology, we need to support the fight-back.
Evidence detailsRichard Dawkins recommends The End of Gender
Dawkins recommended the book in a direct X post after saying he had finished it. The catalog records the recommendation neutrally and does not take a position on the book's contested topic.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
X · 2021-03-19 · accessed 2026-06-21
Social post · X post
Dawkins wrote that he had just finished The End of Gender, called it strongly recommended, and added that if even half of Soh's account of intimidation in sexology is true, support is needed.
Evidence detailsThe Best Science Books to Take on Holiday
A popular-science holiday reading selection focused on the interpretation of quantum physics.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Five Books · 2019-06-13 · accessed 2026-09-30
Interview · Direct Five Books interview
The first named book and accompanying discussion establish a direct reading-list selection. Updated 2025-05-17. Catalog wording is a citation paraphrase.
Evidence detailsDemis Hassabis post about Game Changer
Hassabis linked to Game Changer while pointing readers toward a book about AlphaZero's chess discoveries.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
X · 2020-02-02 · accessed 2026-06-22
Social post · X post
The original X post was fetched through the public fxtwitter mirror during batch 57. Hassabis directly recommends checking out the Game Changer book for readers who want to learn more about AlphaZero.
Explicit recommendation in his own reading list; no preferred edition or fixed endorsement date.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Donald Knuth / Stanford University · undated · accessed 2026-10-01
Article · Own reading list
The current page explicitly introduces its list as recommendations. The updated list has no verified endorsement date; retirement year is not used as the recommendation date.
Knuth selects McGee’s book for its connection between kitchen practice and biochemistry. The retirement page is one list event shared with Hackers and The Man Who Knew Infinity; no edition or recommendation date is inferred.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Donald Knuth / Stanford · undated · accessed 2026-10-02
Article · Original written source
Knuth selects McGee’s book for its connection between kitchen practice and biochemistry. The retirement page is one list event shared with Hackers and The Man Who Knew Infinity; no edition or recommendation date is inferred.
A first-person list of lesser-known fiction reflecting Carroll’s individual tastes. He explicitly cautions that those tastes are not universal; these selections are not a physics syllabus.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Sean Carroll / Preposterous Universe · 2006-07-26 · accessed 2026-09-30
Personal website · Carroll’s own recommended-novels list
The authored article lists five novels and explicitly recommends them. This title appears in the article body, not in reader comments. Catalog wording is a citation paraphrase.
Evidence detailsJennifer Doudna and Siddartha Mukherjee conversation transcript
Personal formative reading. Source date is transcript publication, not recording. McPhee retailer paperback is June1982, later than original1976; no edition-specific endorsement inferred. Unnamed biography excluded. Catalog summary, no excerpt copied.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Berkeley News · 2018-01-18 · accessed 2026-10-01
Interview · Own influential-books answer
Her own named selection in answer to the influential-books question.
Explicit recommendation in his own reading list; no preferred edition or fixed endorsement date.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Donald Knuth / Stanford University · undated · accessed 2026-10-01
Article · Own reading list
The current page explicitly introduces its list as recommendations. The updated list has no verified endorsement date; retirement year is not used as the recommendation date.
Evidence detailsThe Best Science Books to Take on Holiday
An explicit popular-science holiday reading selection. Al-Khalili discusses the book’s treatment of time and its combination of physics with literary style.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Five Books · 2019-06-13 · accessed 2026-09-30
Interview · Direct Five Books interview
The named reading list and fourth book discussion directly identify The Order of Time as his selection. Interview updated 2025-05-17; catalog text is a citation paraphrase.
A first-person list of lesser-known fiction reflecting Carroll’s individual tastes. He explicitly cautions that those tastes are not universal; these selections are not a physics syllabus.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Sean Carroll / Preposterous Universe · 2006-07-26 · accessed 2026-09-30
Personal website · Carroll’s own recommended-novels list
The authored article lists five novels and explicitly recommends them. This title appears in the article body, not in reader comments. Catalog wording is a citation paraphrase.
From The Greats
Richard Dawkins
