Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

The Magicians, Lev Grossman

A Wizard of Earthsea

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study

it’s the Red Pill of diet and nutrition (not for everyone)

Illuminatus trilogy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illuminatus!_Trilogy

Knuth's TAoCP.

1. Winnie the Pooh to kids on their third or fourth or fifth birthday. 2. The Mythical Man Month to non-tech bosses. 3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to girlfriends (it's a test). 4. "Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To" to 70+ old friend (single) and 70+ old sister (single).

"Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet" Julian Assange.

"Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkess." Warren Carroll

Beyond Doer and Done to_ Recognition Theory, Intersubjectivity and the Third - Jessica Benjamin - (2017, Routledge)

The Therapeutic Relationship - Petruska Clarkson - (2003, Wiley)

Love's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy - Irvin D. Yalom - (2012, Basic Books)

Beautiful Chaos - Robert M. Drake - (2014, Vintage Wild)

* The Chronicles of Amber (10 volumes)

* CODE - Microsoft Press

* Snowcrash

More of a pamphlet than a book, I give it to all the college graduates in the family.

https://www.etf.com/docs/IfYouCan.pdf

A Business and its Beliefs

Conquest of Mind

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

I've given a few:

* the hard thing about hard things (by Horowitz)

* climate wars (dwyer)

* ender's game

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Corny name, but generally good advice for people who don't have an interest in personal finance. I buy it for friends when they get engaged.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

This is the first book that clearly made me realize that anyone can be very successful at any task that they pick. Talent is important but it's not the only and most important characteristic to success. People aren't born to succeed. They can and do learn how to do it. It's a learned process, not a God given gift.

The Art of Computer Programming boxed set.

Poems for the lost, because I'm lost too. By exurbia.

Excellent book, some poems go very deep but most of them are just funny (at least for me).

Depends on the audience. Generally, it's always "Getting Things Done" and "So Good They Can't Ignore You". For fellow programmers it's "Clean Coder" and "The Pragmatic Programmer". And I always wish my managers and tech leads read "The Mythical Man-Month".

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

A Wild Ride Through the Night by Walter Moers

Plot summary: "The story begins with 12-year-old Gustave, captain of the Aventure as he attempts to escape the deadly Siamese Twins Tornado. When the storm finally catches up with his crew, everyone is killed except Gustave, who meets Death, and his crazy sister Dementia. After the wicked siblings play dice for Gustave's soul, Death gives him six seemingly impossible tasks in order to stay alive. In one night, he must face six giants, rescue a damsel in distress from the clutches of a dragon, make himself conspicuous amidst a forest of evil spirits, encounter the Most Monstrous of all Monsters, and even meet himself." [0]

In addition the book has great illustrations from Gustave Doré.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wild_Ride_Through_the_Night

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life — William Finnegan — (2015)

Gave my nephew the Hitchhiker's Guide and Surely You're Joking this past xmas.

Tao Te Ching - short enough to be read by anyone in one sitting and potentially very meaningful

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

My own book https://a.co/d/gaHPDkT You get a copy of you write a good review

Labyrinths - Jorge Borges (I've gifted this many times)

Duino Elegies - Rainer Rilke, translated by Robert Hunter