Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
Mentioned 1 week ago
Selects: The First Road Trip
Book Recommendations
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Episodes
4,641
Books
1,074
Recently mentioned
Latest Recommendations
The Body
Stephen King
Mentioned 1 week ago
Selects: The First Road Trip
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Mentioned 2 weeks ago
Kola: The World’s Deepest Hole
The Pearl
STEINBECK JOHN
Mentioned 2 weeks ago
Kola: The World’s Deepest Hole
Smartest Guys in the Room
Bethany McLean
Mentioned 3 weeks ago
Selects: How Enron Fooled the World
Crime and Punishment (Vintage Classics)
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Mentioned 4 weeks ago
Short Stuff: Why does it feel good to be scared?
Scream with Me
Eleanor Johnson
Mentioned 4 weeks ago
Short Stuff: Why does it feel good to be scared?
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
Mentioned 4 weeks ago
Some Interesting Curses
The Incomparable Atuk
Mordecai RICHLER
Mentioned 4 weeks ago
Some Interesting Curses
Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton
Mentioned 1 month ago
The Stuff You Should Know Doin’ Science Playlist: How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe
Merchants of Doubt
Naomi Oreskes
Mentioned 1 month ago
How Global Warming Works
Mash
Richard Hooker
Mentioned 1 month ago
M*A*S*H: The Story of the 4077th
Most Recommended
The Myths of Mexico and Peru
The hosts noted that Louis Spence wrote this 1913 book, which describes the Aztec festival Toxcatl and its associated death whistle ritual.
"
In 1913, there was a folklorist named Louis Spence who wrote Myths of Mexico and Peru, and he described this festival.
— Episode: Short Stuff: Aztec Death Whistle
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Episode: Short Stuff: Aztec Death Whistle
The hosts noted that Louis Spence wrote this 1913 book, which describes the Aztec festival Toxcatl and its associated death whistle ritual.
"
In 1913, there was a folklorist named Louis Spence who wrote Myths of Mexico and Peru, and he described this festival.
The Origin of Species (General Press POD Books)
The hosts identified the work as Darwin's seminal 1859 book that introduced natural selection, noting its long formal title and its common shorthand name. They also recalled reading its final paragraph on the entangled bank.
"
the official title of the book is On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. And that's why everybody calls...
— Episode: Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
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Episode: Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
The hosts identified the work as Darwin's seminal 1859 book that introduced natural selection, noting its long formal title and its common shorthand name. They also recalled reading its final paragraph on the entangled bank.
"
the official title of the book is On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. And that's why everybody calls it Origin of Species. Because it's long and wordy.
when his on the origin of the species came out in 1859, he was at a spa, recovering from bouts of nausea. He was basically writing any article he could to defend his theory.
the last paragraph of the origin of the species to me is one of the most beautiful things ever written. ... it is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth...
An Essay on the Principle of Population and Other Writings (Penguin Classics)
The discussion highlighted Malthus's essay as a gamechanging work that introduced the concept of scarcity and competition driving adaptation, influencing both Darwin and Wallace.
"
both were inspired by Thomas Malthus, who basically introduced the idea that scarcity and competition forces adaptation and change.
— Episode: Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
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Episode: Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
The discussion highlighted Malthus's essay as a gamechanging work that introduced the concept of scarcity and competition driving adaptation, influencing both Darwin and Wallace.
"
both were inspired by Thomas Malthus, who basically introduced the idea that scarcity and competition forces adaptation and change.
the book was called Essay on Principle of Population. And that was like a super game changer because it really gave him like the notion that by studying any species death, you can kind of study its life.
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation and Other Evolutionary Writings
They described the anonymously published 1844 book as a radical, widely read work that preempted Darwin's ideas and sparked controversy, noting its author Robert Chambers remained hidden for decades.
"
there were two texts that were vital and we talked about one of them, the Malthus Principle of Population. In 1844, there was a book written called The Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. It...
— Episode: Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
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Episode: Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
They described the anonymously published 1844 book as a radical, widely read work that preempted Darwin's ideas and sparked controversy, noting its author Robert Chambers remained hidden for decades.
"
there were two texts that were vital and we talked about one of them, the Malthus Principle of Population. In 1844, there was a book written called The Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. It was published anonymously for 40 years.
it was like a phenomenon. Everybody read it and everybody slammed it. It was hugely popular and it scared the crap out of Darwin because it contained many of the same ideas he had.
The American College and University
A History
The hosts noted that Flexner had authored a book titled The American College, describing it as a kind of Flexner Report for the university system as a whole.
"
He wrote a book called The American College, which was sort of the Flexner report of the university system as a whole.
— Episode: How the Flexner Report Changed Medicine
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Episode: How the Flexner Report Changed Medicine
The hosts noted that Flexner had authored a book titled The American College, describing it as a kind of Flexner Report for the university system as a whole.
"
He wrote a book called The American College, which was sort of the Flexner report of the university system as a whole.
The Common Sense Book Of Baby and Child Care
The hosts referenced Dr. Benjamin Spock's 1946 book *The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child* as an early influence on the freerange parenting philosophy.
"
It's funny you say that that sounds kind of 50s because this whole idea of like free-range kids is kind of based on that philosophy of Dr. Spock, who was like one of the first experts, one of the firs...
— Episode: Selects: How Free Range Parenting Works
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Episode: Selects: How Free Range Parenting Works
The hosts referenced Dr. Benjamin Spock's 1946 book *The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child* as an early influence on the freerange parenting philosophy.
"
It's funny you say that that sounds kind of 50s because this whole idea of like free-range kids is kind of based on that philosophy of Dr. Spock, who was like one of the first experts, one of the first child experts that America ever really paid attention to. And he wrote a book in 1946 called The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child.
The Mysterious Death of Jane Stanford
The hosts said the 2003 book revived interest in Jane Stanford's case and challenged the longstanding belief that she died of natural causes.
"
It just kind of went cold until a writer named Robert W.P. Cutler, who was a neurology professor at Stanford and a physician, put out a book called The Mysterious Death of Jane Stanford
— Episode: The Murder of Jane Stanford
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Episode: The Murder of Jane Stanford
The hosts said the 2003 book revived interest in Jane Stanford's case and challenged the longstanding belief that she died of natural causes.
"
It just kind of went cold until a writer named Robert W.P. Cutler, who was a neurology professor at Stanford and a physician, put out a book called The Mysterious Death of Jane Stanford.
Who Killed Jane Stanford?
A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits and the Birth of a University
The hosts noted that historian Richard White authored a book titled Who Killed Jane Stanford, released about two decades after Cutler's work, presenting new evidence and suspect theories.
"
There wasn't anything major about it until about 20 years later, another book from another Stanford professor, a historian named Richard White, came out. And he just came out and said it. Who killed J...
— Episode: The Murder of Jane Stanford
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Episode: The Murder of Jane Stanford
The hosts noted that historian Richard White authored a book titled Who Killed Jane Stanford, released about two decades after Cutler's work, presenting new evidence and suspect theories.
"
There wasn't anything major about it until about 20 years later, another book from another Stanford professor, a historian named Richard White, came out. And he just came out and said it. Who killed Jane Stanford was the title of his book.
Mars Mission I
Surviving the Kessler Effect - Second Edition
The advertisement promoted the novel as a pageturning thriller about space debris and encouraged listeners to purchase it on Amazon.
"
Find out with the latest page-turning thrilling novel, Mars Mission One, Surviving the Kessler Effect, by Christopher Lee Jones. Buy it now on Amazon.
— Episode: The Murder of Jane Stanford
Listen on Audible
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Episode: The Murder of Jane Stanford
The advertisement promoted the novel as a pageturning thriller about space debris and encouraged listeners to purchase it on Amazon.
"
Find out with the latest page-turning thrilling novel, Mars Mission One, Surviving the Kessler Effect, by Christopher Lee Jones. Buy it now on Amazon.
Something from the Nightside (Nightside Series Book 1)
They praised it as the greatest shortstory collection about seances, noting it was first published in the 1970s.
"
the greatest short story involving seances ever ... written by arguably the greatest American writer of all time, Joyce Carol Oates. It's called Nightside. It's a short story. It's the same title as a...
— Episode: Selects: How Spiritualism Works
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Episode: Selects: How Spiritualism Works
They praised it as the greatest shortstory collection about seances, noting it was first published in the 1970s.
"
the greatest short story involving seances ever ... written by arguably the greatest American writer of all time, Joyce Carol Oates. It's called Nightside. It's a short story. It's the same title as a collection of her short stories from the 70s, I think 1977. Nightside
The Devil in the White City
Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
The hosts said the book detailed the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, highlighting the rivalry between Westinghouse and Edison and praised the vivid description they read.
"
That was another big thing in Devil in the White City. Um, they, they really went behind the scenes. I think there was a huge struggle between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison to get the contract...
— Episode: Let's All Go to the World's Fair
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Episode: Let's All Go to the World's Fair
The hosts said the book detailed the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, highlighting the rivalry between Westinghouse and Edison and praised the vivid description they read.
"
That was another big thing in Devil in the White City. Um, they, they really went behind the scenes. I think there was a huge struggle between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison to get the contract to light the 1893 World's Fair and Westinghouse won.
I didn't see it, but I read Eric Larson's description and it sounded just totally amazing.
Mars Mission I
Surviving the Kessler Effect - Second Edition
The hosts promoted it as a pageturning, thrilling novel about navigating space debris and the Kessler effect, urging listeners to buy it on Amazon.
"
If we have astronauts on the moon, Mars, or on the International Space Station and excessive space debris causes the fullblown Kessler effect, will they ever make it home? And if so, what kind of Eart...
— Episode: Caterpillars: Nature's Magicians
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Episode: Caterpillars: Nature's Magicians
The hosts promoted it as a pageturning, thrilling novel about navigating space debris and the Kessler effect, urging listeners to buy it on Amazon.
"
If we have astronauts on the moon, Mars, or on the International Space Station and excessive space debris causes the fullblown Kessler effect, will they ever make it home? And if so, what kind of Earth would they return to? Find out with the latest pageturning thrilling novel, Mars Mission 1, Surviving the Kessler Effect, by Christopher Lee Jones. Buy it now on Amazon.
Strangers on a Train
The episode noted that Patricia Highsmith authored the novel Strangers on a Train.
"
The author Patricia Highsmith, who was a very interesting person in her own right. She wrote Strangers on a Train and the talented Mr. Ripley novels.
— Episode: How Snails Work
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Episode: How Snails Work
The episode noted that Patricia Highsmith authored the novel Strangers on a Train.
"
The author Patricia Highsmith, who was a very interesting person in her own right. She wrote Strangers on a Train and the talented Mr. Ripley novels.
The Talented Mr Ripley (Vintage Quarterbound Classics)
The hosts mentioned that Patricia Highsmith also wrote the Talented Mr. Ripley novels.
"
She wrote Strangers on a Train and the talented Mr. Ripley novels.
— Episode: How Snails Work
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Episode: How Snails Work
The hosts mentioned that Patricia Highsmith also wrote the Talented Mr. Ripley novels.
"
She wrote Strangers on a Train and the talented Mr. Ripley novels.
Dandelion Wine
The hosts recalled that Ray Bradbury authored the novel Dandelion Wine in 1957, a literary work named after the plant.
"
Ray Bradbury had a novel called Dandelion Wine from 1957.
— Episode: The Fascinating History of Dandelions
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Episode: The Fascinating History of Dandelions
The hosts recalled that Ray Bradbury authored the novel Dandelion Wine in 1957, a literary work named after the plant.
"
Ray Bradbury had a novel called Dandelion Wine from 1957.
Mars Mission I
Surviving the Kessler Effect - Second Edition
The episode promoted the novel as a pageturning thriller that explores humanity's struggle to survive space debris and the Kessler effect.
"
Find out with the latest pageturning thrilling novel, Mars Mission 1, Surviving the Kessler Effect, by Christopher Lee Jones. Buy it now on Amazon.
— Episode: How Sneezing Works
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Episode: How Sneezing Works
The episode promoted the novel as a pageturning thriller that explores humanity's struggle to survive space debris and the Kessler effect.
"
Find out with the latest pageturning thrilling novel, Mars Mission 1, Surviving the Kessler Effect, by Christopher Lee Jones. Buy it now on Amazon.
Pooh's Library
Winnie-The-Pooh, The House At Pooh Corner, When We Were Very Young, Now We Are Six (Pooh Original Edition)
The hosts referred to early artificial beehives being illustrated in WinniethePooh, using the classic picture of a coneshaped beehive.
"
One of the earliest artificial hives is still pretty much the symbol for a beehive if you look at any A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh illustrations. Yeah. Like it's called - it's basically a cone, a basket...
— Episode: Honey: Nature's Wonder Sugar
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Episode: Honey: Nature's Wonder Sugar
The hosts referred to early artificial beehives being illustrated in WinniethePooh, using the classic picture of a coneshaped beehive.
"
One of the earliest artificial hives is still pretty much the symbol for a beehive if you look at any A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh illustrations. Yeah. Like it's called - it's basically a cone, a baskety cone turned upside down.
Bitten
The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons
The hosts noted that the book described a secret history linking Lyme disease to biological weapons research and that it had inspired a congressional representative to propose a Lymedisease bill.
"
I'm reading a lot about this in books and articles that we did research on Plum Island and other insects too, not just ticks, of turning them into bioweapons. And this thing passed. And a lot of this...
— Episode: Selects: The Skinny on Lyme Disease
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Episode: Selects: The Skinny on Lyme Disease
The hosts noted that the book described a secret history linking Lyme disease to biological weapons research and that it had inspired a congressional representative to propose a Lymedisease bill.
"
I'm reading a lot about this in books and articles that we did research on Plum Island and other insects too, not just ticks, of turning them into bioweapons. And this thing passed. And a lot of this comes from a book written by Chris Newby called Bitten, colon, The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons.
And this book, like, I think Chris Smith, the representative from New Jersey, said, like, this book really inspired me to take up this legislation.
The Body
The hosts introduced the novella as the source material for the film Stand By Me and noted that Will Wheaton narrated its audiobook version.
"
I'm sitting down with Will Wheaton, who played Gordie Lachance in Stand By Me 40 years ago, and now narrates Stephen King's The Body, the novella that inspired it all.
— Episode: Selects: The First Road Trip
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Episode: Selects: The First Road Trip
The hosts introduced the novella as the source material for the film Stand By Me and noted that Will Wheaton narrated its audiobook version.
"
I'm sitting down with Will Wheaton, who played Gordie Lachance in Stand By Me 40 years ago, and now narrates Stephen King's The Body, the novella that inspired it all.
Essays in Humanism
They noted that Einstein had published Essays in Humanism in 1950, highlighting his involvement with the humanist movement.
"
He supported the capital E, capital C, ethical culture movement and was a founding member of the First Humanist Society of New York and in 1950 published Essays in Humanism and he was...
— Episode: Humanists, the Happy Heathens
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Episode: Humanists, the Happy Heathens
They noted that Einstein had published Essays in Humanism in 1950, highlighting his involvement with the humanist movement.
"
He supported the capital E, capital C, ethical culture movement and was a founding member of the First Humanist Society of New York and in 1950 published Essays in Humanism and he was, he was, he was walking the walk.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.