Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf
Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
91–100 of 529 posts
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#92I always have copies of George Orwell's "Animal Farm" to give out. As I get older, I love seeing younger people flip out when they read it and see how applicable it is in modern life.
Having read at least one history book about the Soviet Union, I'd recommend you not waste your time with Animal Farm and read an actual history book instead. The plot is basically ripped from Russian history, as it was intended to be a critique of Stalinism.
My taste for Orwell's two most read, Animal Farm and 1984 was especially dulled after I read his non-fiction masterpiece Homage To Catalonia which is a harrowing lesson in realpolitik and the socialist infighting of the 1930's.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#93My personal favourite that I've given as a gift is Thomas Glover's Pocket Ref [0]. Its easily the most useful thing you can buy for anyone in engineering, fabrication or just generally a tinkerer. I've loved my copy since I was given it as a kid.
[0] - https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Ref-4th-Thomas-Glover/dp/18850...
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#94"Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams"[1]. Even if you're not in a management track, it's a great read to learn and better understand how to structure teams for a happy, productive and successful path.
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-...
Edit: add Amazon link.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#95Complications by Atul Gawande
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#96Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus P. Thompson
I was surprised to find out how old this text was. It hasn't aged a day!
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#97i play a game where i have duplicate copies of some books to give to anyone interested who has yet to have heard of one here's a incomprehensive list in alphabetical order: a people's history of the united states; howard zinn a rebours; joris-karl huysmans alcestis; euripides apology; plato belaya staya; anna akhmatova die verwandlung; franz kafka elements; euclid epic of gilgamesh; unknown ficciones; jorge luis borg…
Someone stole a A People's History of The United States from me at a party I hosted, and I don't mind at all. Hope they read it or gave it to someone who would.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#98I've literally just bought someone "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. It was the first Murakami book I read, and I've read plenty since. Wonderful.
I read Murakami books not because they are entirely entertaining WHILE I'm reading them, but because the dream-like memory of the experience sticks in your mind for years.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#99Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I pay it forward. Stopped smoking six years ago and haven't had the desire to start again since. it feels great. I actually played the nintendo DS adaptation of the book, which was also available on ios for a while. it turned all the points the book was trying to make into a series of minigames that really illustrated the principles beautifully.
It's been a while since I read it, but didn't this book have a section in it about how you shouldn't lend people your own copy, but buy a fresh one?
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#100Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman is amazing.
I've always loved the book, I recently gave it to a co-worker with somewhat Feynman-like qualities. He reciprocated with 'The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century', Salsburg.