Some Favorite Non-technical Books

Modified September 16, 2018

I'm often asked what non-technical books I read, so here is a list of a few of my favorites.

I (Bjarne Stroustrup) have also been asked where I find the time to read non-technical books. Actually, it is not a question of finding the time. Reading non-technical stuff is essential. Without it, I'd go nuts and lose my sense of proportion. As a practical matter, I read for about an hour almost every evening before going to bed -- trying to go straight from technical work to sleep is usually not a good idea. This "use" of literature and history is reflected in my choice of reading: There is very little "heavy" reading listed here.

Apologies for misspellings, slightly-wrong titles, etc. This list is made partly from memory.

Literature

Adams, Douglas: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Dick Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency.

Blixen, Karen (Isak Dinesen): Den Afrikanske Farm (Out of Africa). Etc. short stories.

Camus, Albert: The Plague. The First man.

Chandler, Raymond: The Long Goodbye. Farewell my Lovely.

Dostovjevski, Fyodor: The Devils.

Dumas, Alexandre: The Three Musketeers.

Eco, Umberto: The Name of the Rose.

Herriot, James: All Creatures Great and Small.

Hansen, Martin A.: Orm og Tyr. Lykkelige Kristoffer. Loegneren (The Liar). -- If you appreciate subtlety and can find time to read one Danish book only, this is it.

Hansen, Thorkild: Jens Munk. Det Lykkelige Arabien. Syv Sejlsten.

Herodotus: The Histories. -- The first of its kind and still one of the best.

Homer: The Odyssey. -- The first of its kind and still one of the best.

O'Brian, Patrick: The Aubrey/Maturin series.

Orwell, George: Animal Farm.

Pears, Iain: An Instance of the Fingerpost.

Sayers, Dorothy: Nine Taylors. Gaudy Night.

Georges Simenon: Most Maigret stories.

Steinbeck, John: Cannery Row. Sweet Thursday. The log from a voyage to the Sea of Cortez.

Tolkien, J.R.R.: The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings.

Van Gulik: Judge Dee stories.

???: Beowulf.

???: Njall's Saga. Egil Skalagrim's Saga.

History

Barber, Malcolm: The Trial of the Templars.

Blanning, Tim: Frederick the Great.

Bullock: Hitler and Stalin. -- if this doesn't scare you, nothing will.

Churchill: A History of the English Speaking Peoples.

Farwell, Byron: Queen Victoria's Little Wars.

Hartfort, R.: Scott & Amundsen. -- what it takes to succeed isn't always what it takes to be seen as a hero (and vice versa).

Hugh, Thomas: Conquest. -- the Spanish conquest of old Mexico.

Keegan: History of WWII. The Face of Battle. The Price of Admirality.

Manchester (and Reid): The Last Lion. -- a biography of Churchill.

Massie, Robert K.: Dreadnought.

McPherson: Battle Cry of Freedom. -- I usually find books on the American civil war boring and/or annoying; this one is exceptional.

Norwich, John Julius: A History of Venice. The Byzantium trilogy.

Roger, N.A.M: Safeguard of the Sea. Command of the Ocean. The Insatiable Earl.

Runciman S.: The Sicilian Vespers.

Schrama, Simon: Citizens. -- an antidote to revolutionary romanticism.

Spence: The Search for Modern China.

Tuchman, Barbara: The Guns of August. The Proud Tower. A Distant Mirror.

Etc.