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Debbie Millman's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Debbie Millman recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Debbie Millman's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1
This famous anthology includes the works of more than 130 major American poets of the modern period--Robert Frost, Paul Goodman, Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn Brooks among them--along with short biographies of each. less
Recommended by Debbie Millman, and 1 others.

Debbie MillmanA book that has influenced my life and one that I keep going back to over and over. (Source)

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2

Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works

A guide to typography. It draws in the reader with its design and layout, making use of more than 200 illustrations and photographs. It explains in everyday layman's terms what type is and how you can use it to enhance legibility, meaning, and aesthetic enjoyment. It also includes chapters on Web typography and other forms of online text display. less
Recommended by Seth Godin, Debbie Millman, and 2 others.

Seth GodinThis book helped me see design differently. Good design costs just as much as bad design, but it breaks through all sorts of clutter. (Source)

Debbie MillmanThe great typographer Eric Spiekermann’s book. (Source)

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3
You don't have to starve to be an artist. Build a career doing what you love. In this practical guide, professional artist Lisa Congdon reveals the many ways you can earn a living by making art—through illustration, licensing, fine art sales, print sales, teaching, and beyond. Including industry advice from such successful art-world pros as Nikki McClure, Mark Hearld, Paula Scher, and more, Art, Inc. will equip you with the tools—and the confidence—to turn your passion into a profitable business.
LEARN HOW TO: • Set actionable goals • Diversify your income • Manage your bookkeeping •...
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Recommended by Maria Popova, Debbie Millman, and 2 others.

Maria PopovaLisa Congdon has managed to debunk the outdated and toxic notion that making money and making art are diametrically opposed outcomes, attaining one of which invariably compromises the other-a primary source of crippling self-consciousness. She equips emerging artists with the necessary tools-from the psychological to the practical-for defining success by their own standards, then attaining it on... (Source)

Debbie MillmanArt, Inc. is a revelation. At long last, there is a resource to help creative people articulate their aesthetic values, successfully brand their business, and manage their artist's income. Congdon insightfully reveals everything it takes to create, build, and sustain a sound, strategic, profitable practice. If you are just entering the field, growing a young business, or nurturing a seasoned... (Source)

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4

Ulysses

Loosely based on the Odyssey, this landmark of modern literature follows ordinary Dubliners in 1904. Capturing a single day in the life of Dubliner Leopold Bloom, his friends Buck Mulligan and Stephen Dedalus, his wife Molly, and a scintillating cast of supporting characters, Joyce pushes Celtic lyricism and vulgarity to splendid extremes. Captivating experimental techniques range from interior monologues to exuberant wordplay and earthy humor. A major achievement in 20th century literature. less

Debbie MillmanI also really love a line from [this book], which is 'The longest way around is the shortest way home.' (Source)

Robin RobertsonThere is more going on in one sentence in Ulysses than there is in most contemporary novels. (Source)

Robin RobertsonThere is more going on in one sentence in Ulysses than there is in most contemporary novels. (Source)

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5

Your Highest Calling

Richard BransonI have always believed that you will enjoy life and be more successful if you focus on creating amazing experiences; businesses and relationships. Chase’s book Creative Calling is an engaging guide to doing just that, from a man who has followed his passions and created a company in CreativeLive to inspire others. (Source)

Daymond JohnEveryone has a dream. In Creative Calling, Chase gives us the closest thing there is to a roadmap for pursuing that dream—and succeeding in the process. It’s a must read for any creator or entrepreneur. (Source)

Seth GodinRelentlessly generous and endlessly creative, Chase is challenging us to see the shifts in our culture and media as the opportunity of a lifetime. If you care about making things better, this book is here to help. (Source)

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6
In User Friendly, Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant reveal the untold story of a paradigm that quietly rules our modern lives: the assumption that machines should anticipate what we need. Spanning over a century of sweeping changes, from women's rights to the Great Depression to World War II to the rise of the digital era, this book unpacks the ways in which the world has been--and continues to be--remade according to the principles of the once-obscure discipline of user-experience design.
In this essential text, Kuang and Fabricant map the hidden rules of the designed world and...
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Recommended by Debbie Millman, J Wolfgang Goerlich, and 2 others.

Debbie Millman“Design presumes that we can make objects humane, but doing so requires a different way of seeing the world.” 21 lessons from @cliffkuang and @fabtweets’ brilliant new book, USER FRIENDLY: https://t.co/AT87gFmDht https://t.co/hhj51lMHgR (Source)

J Wolfgang Goerlich@APhoenixinflame User Friendly, Cliff Kuang, is my favorite Audible book I’ve read this year. Very applicable to tech. (Source)

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7
"I'm reading this book right now and loving it!"--Cheryl Strayed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wild

How can a mother and daughter who love (but don't always like) each other coexist without driving each other crazy?

"Vibrating with emotion, this deeply honest account strikes a chord."--People

"A wry and moving meditation on aging and the different kinds of love between women."--O: The Oprah Magazine

After surviving a traumatic childhood in nineteen-seventies New York and young adulthood...
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Recommended by Debbie Millman, and 1 others.

Debbie MillmanAnyone have a *complicated* relationship with their mother? @ElissaAltman processed hers on the page, leading to the cathartic new book MOTHERLAND. We explore her powerful story in the new episode of Design Matters: https://t.co/uiv1fFY7so (Source)

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