Bible: The Bible is the guide for life. It covers everything including male friendship: “No greater love is this, to lay down one’s life for a friend.”

De Officiis (often titled “On Duties”) by Marcus Tullius Cicero, 44 B.C.: Frederick the Great of Prussia called this the greatest book on morality and ethics ever written. It’s a readable, inspiring outline of the ultimate man’s philosophy.

The Republic by Plato, 380 B.C.: A man needs a curious mind all his life. This foundation of Western philosophy will make you question everything.

Meditations (Ta Eis Heauton) by Marcus Aurelius, around 180 A.D.: This straightforward outline of Stoic philosophy will benefit every man.

The Art Of War by Sun Tzu, thought to be written between 200-400 B.C.: This is an ancient Chinese outline for war. Its humanistic philosophy will surprise and teach things to any man.

The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, around 700 B.C.: Men, heroism, courage, cleverness, justice … these epics are guides to manhood.

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamota Musashi, 1645: One of the greatest Samurai’s who ever lived wrote this guide to manhood.

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, 1884: This coming-of-age story tackles racism, propriety, and friendship.

Bhagavad Gita, written between the 5th and 2nd centuries B.C.: Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.” The content of the Gita is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna before battle. Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and a prince.

The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark, 1957: An old man instructs a boy how to grow into a man.

Captain’s Courageous by Rudyard Kipling, 1897: A rich brat is forced to become a man.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 1953: This haunting tale of censorship tells men to use their minds.


Hamlet by William Shakespeare, around 1600: Hamlet is the greatest coming-of-age story ever told.


Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, 1957: This novel about individual rights and limited government has changed millions of men.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, 1952: This is the story of a man who won’t give up. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925: This dramatic novel on a man maddened by love will become a part of you.


Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, 1986: The character Gus is the ultimate man.

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, 1933: This lyrical text follows a man’s struggle to be a man in the Great Depression.

Will by G. Gordon Liddy, 1980: This autobiography is a thunderous guide to being an honorable man.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1880: This is a drama of faith, free-will, and brotherhood.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843: This work argues that every man should have a generous heart.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, 1615: The lesson of this book is that men should live in reality.

Glory Road by Robert Heinlein, 1963: A man learns how to grow into a hero.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883: A boy does things most men couldn’t.

U.S.A. (the trilogy) by John Dos Passos, 1930: Intertwining lives develop a picture of manhood in America.

White Fang by Jack London, 1906: A boy saves a wolf that becomes his best friend, and thereby attains a right-of-passage.

Big Woods by William Faulkner, 1931: A boy goes on his first hunt with men for bear and doesn’t find a primal connection to nature as much as a path to manhood.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, 1937: Every man should have some adventure to develop his perspective.

The Lord of the Rings (the trilogy) by J.R.R Tolkien, 1954-55: Though fantasy, these books are a guide to heroism.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, 1926: A man navigates love and chivalry as he struggles to be a man without his physical manhood.

The Captive Mind by Czeslaw Milosz, 1990: This is a startling and convincing thesis on the virtues of intellectual freedom.

Parliament of Whores by P.J. O’Rourke:
This is a cynical but revealing and hilarious diatribe on how the American government really functions. 

The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek, 1944: This book was seen as heretical for its passionate warning against the dangers of state control.

The Aeniad by Virgil, 19 B.C.: This Roman epic is an answer to Homer; it features a hero more in keeping with today’s definition of heroism.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, 1847: Love and social status, virility and weakness between opposing men, question what a man should espouse.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, 1974: This work of historical fiction on the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War outlines courage, honor, and an epic battle for freedom.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, 1946: Frankl chronicles his experiences as a Nazi concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method for finding meaning in life.

Two Years before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr., 1840: This is an American classic and one of the best coming-of-age books. It recounts a young Harvard mans decision to cut his teeth aboard a merchant sailing vessel on a two-year tour to California between 1834-1836. 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1960: Its main character, Atticus Finch, stands heroically up to racism at a critical time in American history. 

Natural Right and History by Leo Strauss, 1953: In this relative age, Strauss argues there is a distinction between right and wrong in ethics and politics.

Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton, 1908: The author argues Christianity is the “answer to a riddle” of mankind. 

Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841: Emerson argues that each individual needs to avoid conformity and false consistency, and to follow his or her own instincts and ideas.

Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison, 1953: This novel is narrated by an African American who thinks of himself as invisible in society, a perspective that forces the reader to see others as men, no matter their color or creed.

Kokoro by Souseki Natsume, 1914: “Kokoro” literally translates to “heart,” but the book is about a boy becoming a man during Japan’s transition from the Meiji society to the modern era.

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, 1987: A spoiled, wealthy man finds out the world doesn’t revolve around him.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, 1939: Philip Marlowe is a private eye who uses a code of justice to stay clean as he investigates blackmail, murder, and mobsters.

Shane by Jack Schaefer, 1949: A man comes to town, with him comes justice.

Casino Royale by Ian Flemming, 1953: This is the novel that began the James Bond series and created a manly, debonair icon that still affects how men see themselves today.

A River Runs Through It by Norman McClean, 1976: Brothers struggle to grow into men as they find a common bond through nature.

Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko, 1992: This is a first-person account of how Marcinko developed a counter-terrorism unit and battled military bureaucracy.

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, 1776: This classic look at capitalism argues there are unintentional benefits stemming from individuals’ pursuit of their desires and needs.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 1962: Based on real accounts and experiences, this story follows a day in the life of a man in a 1950s Soviet prison. 

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, 1894: These anthropomorphic tales set in India deal with the rudiments of becoming a man.


Gandhi on Non-Violence by Mohandas K. Gandhi, 1965: Gandhi said, “One has to speak out and stand up for one’s convictions. Inaction at a time of conflagration is inexcusable.” This book outlines his basic principles of the philosophy of non-violence (Ahimsa) and non-violent action (Satyagraha). 


The Last Lion by William Manchester, 1983: This biography of Winston Churchill captivates, inspires, and teaches men to boldly pursue their dreams.

Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends by Allen Barra, 2005: The most famous lawman of all time was the greatest, the legends were mostly true, and he mostly did what was right.

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, 1959: This tale of war and adventure follows a young man learning to be a man. 

FM 22-100 Army Leadership Manual: From this great little book you’ll learn to put people first and to achieve the mission.

The Fight by Norman Mailer, 1975: This first-person account of the “Rumble in the Jungle” is about men going for it all.

For Love of the Game by Michael Schaara, 1991: A pitcher wins his last game and discovers what manhood is from a woman he realizes he loves.

History of Christianity by Paul Johnson, 1976: Whether you’re an atheist or not, understanding the biggest influence on Western culture in the last 2,000 years is critical to every man.

Reflections of a Ravaged Century by Robert Conquest, 2000: This book asks, “How do we account for what has been called the ‘ideological frenzy’ of the twentieth century?” And then answers the question.

Memoirs of the Second World War by Winston S. Churchill, 1959: Churchill begins the book by writing: “One day President Roosevelt told me that he was asking publicly for suggestions about what the war should be called. I said at once, “The unnecessary war.” That’s the honest candor of the man.

The Revolt of the Masses by José Ortega y Gasset, 1930: Gasset warns of a populist rise that will negate individual freedom in Europe; his message is as true today.

On Liberty by John Stuart Mills, 1859: This argument for freedom from tyranny is an easy, accessible read every man should flip through.

The Art Spirit by Robert Henri, 1923: Most known for his leadership of realist painters (known as “The Eight”), Henri instructs how to find the artist in yourself.

Love in the Western World by Denis de Rougemont, 1939: Rougement traces the “courtly love” tradition from its 12th century A.D. orgins through the Romanticism of 19th century to the modern-day consequences of a love that is based on Eros.

From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present by Jacques Barzun, 1999: This book will give the well-read man and the agnostic an educated perspective of our time.

Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman, 1962: This is a fundamental book on the libertarian philosophy; it focuses on preventing the accumulation of power by any individual or group.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, 1961: Read this book and your mind will open to your surroundings as never before.

The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, 1776: This lyrically written, studiously researched history of Rome will teach you about empire, men, and America today.

The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom, 1987: A man must educate himself all his life, argues Bloom, who then shows the way. 

1776 by David McCulough, 2006: This book traces how America heroically began.

Good-Bye to All That, Robert Graves, 1958: With criticism for his class, his country, his military superiors, and the civilians who mindlessly cheered the carnage of WWI, Graves outlines the reality of man and war.

How to Cook a Wolf by MFK Fisher, 1942: A well-rounded man needs to understand food, this book will make him savor the best.

The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson: Every man should know why America fought to be free.

The Constitution of the United States of America: So few today know what this bedrock of the U.S. system actually says.

Alive by Piers Paul Read, 1974: This is the true story of Andes flight disaster in people were forced to cannibalism to survive. 

The King Must Die by Mary Renault, 1958: This novel is an adaptation of the early life and adventures of the mythological Greek hero Theseus.

The Sea Witch by Jack London, 1904: An animalistic captain Shanghai’s a scholar and forces him to be a man or die. 

Leiningen Versus the Ants, Carl Stephenson, 1938: A plantation owner won’t give up despite the man-eating ants trying to get him and everything he owns. It’s a tale of man’s fortitude despite nature.

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, 1924: A man hunts another for sport; along the way they confront mortality.

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, 1895: A young soldier in the American Civil War deserts during battle because he thinks it’s senseless, but he later decides he has to find his courage and face his manhood.

Spartacus by Howard Fast, 1951: The novel’s portrayal of the Roman slave Spartacus argues man’s most basic universal values are freedom, love, hope, and finally, life itself.

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, 1951: Officers aboard a WWII destroyer relieve their captain, but later realize they’d been unjust all along. 

The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense by Walter Prescott, 1935: Webb helps you understand Texas and its great men who held together and solidified a way of life.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, 1719: This novel is written as an autobiography of a man who was castaway on an island and has to find meaning and hope on his own.

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl, 1950: To prove South American’s settled Polynesia, in 1947 Heyerdahl built and sailed a raft from South America to Polynesia. This book is about a man’s quest for truth.

Henry V by William Shakespeare, 1599: A party boy must mature to be an inspiring leader of the people and a nation.

The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter, 1992: This is the best book about the greatest game.

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy, 1993: A man of honor punishes terrible men.

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 1954: A group of British schoolboys are stranded on a tropical island, and then try to create order. This novel is a riveting look at human nature and of boys trying to be men.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, 1997: This historical fiction follows a deserter from the Confederate Army who travels for months on foot to find his love, a woman who has to learn to support herself. 

Reflexions ou Sentences et Maximes Morales by Francois de La Rochefoucauld, late seventeenth century: Rochefoucauld’s Maximes are never platitudes, but in sum are a guide to living as a man.

The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham, 1919: An artist sacrifices ethics and humanity to be great—it’ll leave you contemplating ambition.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, 1997: A pair of fraternal twins find that small things in life build up, translate into people’s behavior and affect their lives.

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, 1726: Though this was a deeply political work of its day, it’s still relevant because it embraces mans’ adventurism and questions his biases.

Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru, 1934: This series of essays were mostly written from an Indian prison as a guide to the world to the author’s daughter. His letters span the world because he didn’t like that school books are often confined to the history and perspective of a single people.

Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, 1949: Warren Buffet has described this book as “by far the best book on investing ever written.”

Style and the Man: How and Where to Buy Fine Mens' Clothes, by Alan Flusser, 1996: A man needs to know how to dress formally to rise in stature.