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Anthropology and human origins

Society and culture

Holds anthropology and long-run accounts of human societies: hunter-gatherers, the evolution of cooperation and sex, myth, ritual, language and the rise of states.

36 books on Anthropology and human origins, 1 of them tier 1, recommended by 21 people including Mohnish Pabrai and Patrick Collison.

36 books · 21 experts

Start here

  1. Seeing Like a StateJames C. Scott, 1998
  2. The Hero with a Thousand FacesJoseph Campbell, 1949
  3. The Migrant Cocoa-Farmers of Southern GhanaPolly Hill, 1963
  4. What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?Katherine Verdery, 1996
  5. The World We Have LostPeter Laslett, 1965

The best books on Anthropology and human origins 36

Seeing Like a StateSeeing Like a State
T1 Seeing Like a State
James C. Scott · 1998
Open Library
Recommended byBalaji S. SrinivasanNat Eliason
The Hero with a Thousand FacesThe Hero with a Thousand Faces
T2 The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Joseph Campbell · 1949
The monomyth; why the same story shape persuades across cultures
Open Library
Recommended byNat EliasonPatrick O'ShaughnessyRay DalioNiki Scevak
The Migrant Cocoa-Farmers of Southern GhanaThe Migrant Cocoa-Farmers of Southern Ghana
T2 The Migrant Cocoa-Farmers of Southern Ghana
Polly Hill · 1963
Classic fieldwork proving African farmers were rational capitalist investors.
Open Library
What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?
T2 What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?
Katherine Verdery · 1996
Written from Romanian fieldwork; how the planned economy behaved in practice.
Open Library
The World We Have LostThe World We Have Lost
T3 The World We Have Lost
Peter Laslett · 1965
Pre-industrial English society before wage labour and cities
Open Library
“Laslett, The World We Have Lost”Paul Graham
Recommended byPaul Graham
The Vanishing HectareThe Vanishing Hectare
T3 The Vanishing Hectare
Katherine Verdery · 2003
Land restitution in Transylvania; a case study in manufacturing property rights.
Open Library
Homo LudensHomo Ludens
T4 Homo Ludens
Johan Huizinga · 1938
Open Library
Recommended byStewart Brand
The Loom of LanguageThe Loom of Language
T4 The Loom of Language
Frederick Bodmer · 1943
Open Library
Recommended byEric WeinsteinTim Ferriss
The Harmless PeopleThe Harmless People
T4 The Harmless People
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas · 1959
Open Library
Recommended byPaul Graham
Communistic Societies of the United StatesCommunistic Societies of the United States
T4 Communistic Societies of the United States
Charles Nordhoff · 1961
Open Library
Recommended byBalaji S. Srinivasan
Cows, Pigs, Wars & Witches: The Riddles of CCows, Pigs, Wars & Witches: The Riddles of Culture
T4 Cows, Pigs, Wars & Witches: The Riddles of Culture
Marvin Harris · 1974
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Sociobiology: The New SynthesisSociobiology: The New Synthesis
T4 Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
Edward O. Wilson · 1975
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of CulturesCannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures
T4 Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures
Marvin Harris · 1977
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
The Domestication of the Savage MindThe Domestication of the Savage Mind
T4 The Domestication of the Savage Mind
Jack Goody · 1977
Open Library
Recommended byBret Victor
The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San FrancThe Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area
T4 The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area
Malcolm Margolin · 1978
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Orality and LiteracyOrality and Literacy
T4 Orality and Literacy
Walter J. Ong · 1982
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
A Lycanthropy Reader
T4 A Lycanthropy Reader
Charlotte F. Otten · 1986
Open Library
Recommended byTim Ferriss
Why Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human SexuWhy Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality (Science Masters Series)
T4 Why Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality (Science Masters Series)
Jared Diamond · 1997
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
The Geography of ThoughtThe Geography of Thought
T4 The Geography of Thought
Richard E. Nisbett · 2003
Open Library
Recommended bySatya Nadella
The Company of Strangers: A Natural History The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life
T4 The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life
Paul Seabright · 2004
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish PabraiPatrick Collison
War and Peace and WarWar and Peace and War
T4 War and Peace and War
Peter Turchin · 2005
Open Library
Recommended byBalaji S. Srinivasan
The Old WayThe Old Way
T4 The Old Way
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas · 2006
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick CollisonPaul GrahamSam Altman
Natural Experiments of HistoryNatural Experiments of History
T4 Natural Experiments of History
Jared Diamond, James A. Robinson · 2010
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Why the West Rules—for NowWhy the West Rules—for Now
T4 Why the West Rules—for Now
Ian Morris · 2010
Open Library
Recommended byStewart Brand
Debt: The First 5,000 YearsDebt: The First 5,000 Years
T4 Debt: The First 5,000 Years
David Graeber · 2011
The long anthropological view of debt forgiveness and its politics.
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
The Social Conquest of EarthThe Social Conquest of Earth
T4 The Social Conquest of Earth
Edward O. Wilson · 2012
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish PabraiPatrick Collison
The World Until YesterdayThe World Until Yesterday
T4 The World Until Yesterday
Jared Diamond · 2012
Open Library
Recommended byBill GatesMohnish Pabrai
A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and HA Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History
T4 A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History
Nicholas Wade · 2014
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
TribeTribe
T4 Tribe
Sebastian Junger · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byAlfred LinMorgan HouselTim Ferriss
BlueprintBlueprint
T4 Blueprint
Nicholas A. Christakis · 2019
Open Library
Recommended byBill Gates
Civilized to DeathCivilized to Death
T4 Civilized to Death
Christopher Ryan · 2019
Open Library
“Tweeted "Incredible book... And timely" (2020), praising Ryan's critique of "progress.”Jack Dorsey
Recommended byAndrew WilkinsonNat EliasonJack Dorsey
The End is Always NearThe End is Always Near
T4 The End is Always Near
Dan Carlin · 2019
Open Library
Recommended byMorgan Housel
The WEIRDest People In The WorldThe WEIRDest People In The World
T4 The WEIRDest People In The World
Joseph Henrich · 2020
Open Library
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
Imagined CommunitiesImagined Communities
T4 Imagined Communities
unverified
Recommended byBalaji S. Srinivasan
Legal Systems Very Different From Ours
T4 Legal Systems Very Different From Ours
David Friedman
unverified
Recommended byEmmett Shear
The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters iThe Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World (CBC Massey Lectures)
T4 The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World (CBC Massey Lectures)
Wade Davis
unverified
Recommended byPatrick O'Shaughnessy

Experts 21

The people who wrote this page's books, and the people who recommend them.

Recommenders 21

MP
Mohnish Pabrairecommends 9 books herePatrick Collisonrecommends 6 books here
BS
Balaji S. Srinivasanrecommends 4 books herePaul Grahamrecommends 3 books here
NE
Nat Eliasonrecommends 3 books hereTim Ferrissrecommends 3 books here
MH
Morgan Houselrecommends 2 books hereBill Gatesrecommends 2 books here
PO
Patrick O'Shaughnessyrecommends 2 books hereStewart Brandrecommends 2 books hereMarc Andreessenrecommends 1 book hereRay Daliorecommends 1 book here
Show all 21
Alfred Linrecommends 1 book here
AW
Andrew Wilkinsonrecommends 1 book hereBret Victorrecommends 1 book hereEmmett Shearrecommends 1 book hereEric Weinsteinrecommends 1 book hereJack Dorseyrecommends 1 book here
NS
Niki Scevakrecommends 1 book hereSam Altmanrecommends 1 book hereSatya Nadellarecommends 1 book here
See all 21 in the Experts tab →

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