Alchemy
The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
by Rory Sutherland
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“About halfway through "Alchemy" by @rorysutherland. I don't like his "antireason/promagic" framing, but this book contains more clever ideas/great insights/excellent jokes per page than anything I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended. | Agree. This is a great book by @rorysutherland that will shake up how you think about lots of things. Try it, and you'll realize you're nowhere near as epistemically humble as you should be. | Finished reading Alchemy. Excellent book on behavioral economics & finding creative solutions to daily Business issues. A single book itself can give you so many approaches, all for a few dollars. Without extensive reading, nobody can succeed on a free mkt basis (not "setting") | I’ve been struggling to find a great nonfiction book lately, but Alchemy by @rorysutherland is off to a strong start. Looking forward to the rest. | Since it’s #WorldBookDay, I’ve decided to give away my favorite book this year: Alchemy by @rorysutherland It’s brilliant. If you like crazy ideas that don’t make any sense, you’ll love this book. I’ll send my copy (dog ears and all) to the person whose comment I like the most. | This book by @rorysutherland is as good as everyone else says it is.”
Source →“About halfway through "Alchemy" by @rorysutherland. I don't like his "antireason/promagic" framing, but this book contains more clever ideas/great insights/excellent jokes per page than anything I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended. | Agree. This is a great book by @rorysutherland that will shake up how you think about lots of things. Try it, and you'll realize you're nowhere near as epistemically humble as you should be. | Finished reading Alchemy. Excellent book on behavioral economics & finding creative solutions to daily Business issues. A single book itself can give you so many approaches, all for a few dollars. Without extensive reading, nobody can succeed on a free mkt basis (not "setting") | I’ve been struggling to find a great nonfiction book lately, but Alchemy by @rorysutherland is off to a strong start. Looking forward to the rest. | Since it’s #WorldBookDay, I’ve decided to give away my favorite book this year: Alchemy by @rorysutherland It’s brilliant. If you like crazy ideas that don’t make any sense, you’ll love this book. I’ll send my copy (dog ears and all) to the person whose comment I like the most. | This book by @rorysutherland is as good as everyone else says it is.”
Source →“About halfway through "Alchemy" by @rorysutherland. I don't like his "antireason/promagic" framing, but this book contains more clever ideas/great insights/excellent jokes per page than anything I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended. | Agree. This is a great book by @rorysutherland that will shake up how you think about lots of things. Try it, and you'll realize you're nowhere near as epistemically humble as you should be. | Finished reading Alchemy. Excellent book on behavioral economics & finding creative solutions to daily Business issues. A single book itself can give you so many approaches, all for a few dollars. Without extensive reading, nobody can succeed on a free mkt basis (not "setting") | I’ve been struggling to find a great nonfiction book lately, but Alchemy by @rorysutherland is off to a strong start. Looking forward to the rest. | Since it’s #WorldBookDay, I’ve decided to give away my favorite book this year: Alchemy by @rorysutherland It’s brilliant. If you like crazy ideas that don’t make any sense, you’ll love this book. I’ll send my copy (dog ears and all) to the person whose comment I like the most. | This book by @rorysutherland is as good as everyone else says it is.”
Source →“About halfway through "Alchemy" by @rorysutherland. I don't like his "antireason/promagic" framing, but this book contains more clever ideas/great insights/excellent jokes per page than anything I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended. | Agree. This is a great book by @rorysutherland that will shake up how you think about lots of things. Try it, and you'll realize you're nowhere near as epistemically humble as you should be. | Finished reading Alchemy. Excellent book on behavioral economics & finding creative solutions to daily Business issues. A single book itself can give you so many approaches, all for a few dollars. Without extensive reading, nobody can succeed on a free mkt basis (not "setting") | I’ve been struggling to find a great nonfiction book lately, but Alchemy by @rorysutherland is off to a strong start. Looking forward to the rest. | Since it’s #WorldBookDay, I’ve decided to give away my favorite book this year: Alchemy by @rorysutherland It’s brilliant. If you like crazy ideas that don’t make any sense, you’ll love this book. I’ll send my copy (dog ears and all) to the person whose comment I like the most. | This book by @rorysutherland is as good as everyone else says it is.”
Source →“About halfway through "Alchemy" by @rorysutherland. I don't like his "antireason/promagic" framing, but this book contains more clever ideas/great insights/excellent jokes per page than anything I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended. | Agree. This is a great book by @rorysutherland that will shake up how you think about lots of things. Try it, and you'll realize you're nowhere near as epistemically humble as you should be. | Finished reading Alchemy. Excellent book on behavioral economics & finding creative solutions to daily Business issues. A single book itself can give you so many approaches, all for a few dollars. Without extensive reading, nobody can succeed on a free mkt basis (not "setting") | I’ve been struggling to find a great nonfiction book lately, but Alchemy by @rorysutherland is off to a strong start. Looking forward to the rest. | Since it’s #WorldBookDay, I’ve decided to give away my favorite book this year: Alchemy by @rorysutherland It’s brilliant. If you like crazy ideas that don’t make any sense, you’ll love this book. I’ll send my copy (dog ears and all) to the person whose comment I like the most. | This book by @rorysutherland is as good as everyone else says it is.”
Source →Recommended by 7 notable people, including Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Patrick OShaughnessy
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Should I read this?
Recommended by 10 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Psychology, and Business.
HOW DOES MAGIC HAPPEN The Ogilvy advertising legend—“one of the leading minds in the world of branding” (NPR) and "the don of modern advertising" ( Sunday Times )—explores the art and science of conjuring irresistible products and ideas . "Sutherland, the legendary Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, uses his decades of expe...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 10 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Psychology, and Business.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Matthew Kobach
“About halfway through "Alchemy" by @rorysutherland. I don't like his "antireason/promagic" framing, but this book contains more clever ideas/great insights/excellent jokes per page than anything I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended. | Agree. This is a great book by @rorysutherland that will shake up how you think about lots of things. Try it, and you'll realize you're nowhere near as epistemically humble as you should be. | Finished reading Alchemy. Excellent book on behavioral economics & finding creative solutions to daily Business issues. A single book itself can give you so many approaches, all for a few dollars. Without extensive reading, nobody can succeed on a free mkt basis (not "setting") | I’ve been struggling to find a great nonfiction book lately, but Alchemy by @rorysutherland is off to a strong start. Looking forward to the rest. | Since it’s #WorldBookDay, I’ve decided to give away my favorite book this year: Alchemy by @rorysutherland It’s brilliant. If you like crazy ideas that don’t make any sense, you’ll love this book. I’ll send my copy (dog ears and all) to the person whose comment I like the most. | This book by @rorysutherland is as good as everyone else says it is.”
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Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
Alchemy
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