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Paul Graham

Co-founder, Viaweb and Y Combinator

A programmer and investor who co-founded Viaweb, acquired by Yahoo, and Y Combinator. His own writing documents reading recommendations in history and mathematics.

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Recommendations sourcedBooks by kept separateBooks about kept separate

Founder Technology Computing Investing

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2Recommended books

Books Paul Graham recommends, documented so far

Each book appears once; every source record and quote remains linked to its evidence and the canonical book profile.

Biography Invention Founders

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

by Benjamin Franklin · 1791

Author signal

Benjamin Franklin · Founder, inventor, and author

Documented citation: Listed by Paul Graham among his most exciting books for learning history.

Documented citation · Recommended

Evidence details

Rarely-Asked Questions

This source documents the book relationship, but the displayed text is a catalog summary rather than a verbatim quote.

Paul Graham · undated · accessed 2026-09-30

personal-writing · Personal reading advice

Graham answers what to read to learn history with a positive named list including Franklin, Autobiography. Roberts history is discussed without a recommendation and not imported.

Open source

Amazon Audible Bookshop.orgAffiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through some links. Recommendations are included because of the source, not because of the retailer. Details

Mathematics Creativity Science

A Mathematician’s Apology

by G. H. Hardy · 1940

Author signal

G. H. Hardy · Mathematician

Documented citation: Recommended by Paul Graham to readers ambitious to do great work in any field.

Documented citation · Recommended

Evidence details

How to Do Great Work

This source documents the book relationship, but the displayed text is a catalog summary rather than a verbatim quote.

Paul Graham · 2023-07 · accessed 2026-09-30

personal-writing · Personal essay with explicit reading recommendation

Footnote7 explicitly recommends Hardy’s A Mathematician’s Apology. Page gives July2023, not an exact day.

Open source

Bookshop.orgAffiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through some links. Recommendations are included because of the source, not because of the retailer. Details