Hackers & Painters

Graham’s collected essays on programmers as makers rather than scientists, on wealth creation, on why nerds are unpopular, and on the Lisp advantage behind Viaweb.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. Not history in the usual sense, but a primary document of how the founder generation that followed it learned to think.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Paul Graham — the author.
• Silicon Valley — the culture these essays helped set.