The Greatest Books of All Time on Ideas

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
1327 An Essay Concerning Human Understanding John Locke 1689 British English
1721 Pragmatism William James 1907 American English
2574 The Hedgehog and the Fox Isaiah Berlin 1953 British English
3440 Ideas Have Consequences Richard M. Weaver 1948 American English
4419 The Swerve Stephen Greenblatt 2011 American English
6259 At The Existentialist Café Sarah Bakewell 2016 British English
8259 The Poetry Of Thought George Steiner 2011 British English
8618 Age Of Fracture Daniel T. Rodgers 2011 American English
8752 Russian Thinkers Isaiah Berlin 1978 British English
9188 How We Got To Now Steven Johnson 2014 American English
9856 The Meaning of Truth William James 1909 American English
13359 A Biographical History Of Philosophy George Henry Lewes 1845 American English
14519 Where Good Ideas Come From Steven Johnson 2010 American English
14642 The Spirit Of American Literature John Albert Macy 1913 American English
15557 The Mind In The Making James Harvey Robinson 1921 American English
15897 On The Shoulders Of Giants Robert K. Merton 1965 American English
16641 Kleine Weltgeschichte Der Philosophie Hans Joachim Störig 1950 German German
17117 Art Matters Neil Gaiman 2018 British English
17117 What's The Big Idea? Oscar Brenifier 2001 French English
17117 Pensa Hi Brigitte Labbé 2002 Unknown Unknown
17117 The World Turned Upside Down Christopher Hill 1972 British English
17117 The Courtier And The Heretic Matthew Stewart 2006 American English
17117 Building A Second Brain Tiago Forte 2022 American English