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The Great Mental Models, Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts (The Great Mental Models Series) Hardcover – October 15, 2024

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,109 ratings

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Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast.

This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you.

Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields.

Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back.

The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results.

Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity.

This book will teach you how to:

  • Avoid blind spots when looking at problems.
  • Find non-obvious solutions.
  • Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes.
  • Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses,
… and more.

The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.
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From the Publisher

TRAIN YOUR BRAIN with the complete series of THE GREAT MENTAL MODELS by Shane Parrish
Cover image of Volume 1 of THE GREAT MENTAL MODELS Cover image of Volume 2 of THE GREAT MENTAL MODELS Volume 3 of THE GREAT MENTAL MODELS Volume 4 of THE GREAT MENTAL MODELS
Vol 1 Vol 2 Vol 3 Vol 4
Subject Matter General Thinking Concepts Physics, Chemistry, and Biology Systems and Mathematics Economics and Art
Concepts include… The Map vs. The Territory, Second-Order Effects, Occam's Razor Leverage, Inertia, Activation Energy Compounding, Regression to the Mean, Law of Diminishing Returns Creative Destruction, Representation, Genre
Page length 208 400 384 416
Illustrations throughout x x x x
New material Fully revised and updated Fully revised and updated Fully revised and updated Brand new volume with never-before-seen content

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I’m really glad this exists in the world and I can see that I will be recommending it often.”
— Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, founder and CEO of Automattic


“If you’ve read Charlie Munger’s Almanack this is the book you deeply crave in its wake. … Learn the big ideas from the big disciplines and you’ll be able to twist and turn problems in interesting ways at unprecedented speeds. … You owe yourself this book.”
— Simon Eskildsen


“This is what non-fiction books should aspire to be like. Informative, concise, universal, practical, visual, sharing stories and examples for context. Definitely, a must-read if you’re into universal multi-disciplinary thinking.”
— Carl Rannaberg


“I can truly say it is one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting lost in. I loved the book and the challenges to conventional wisdom and thinking it presents.”
— Rod Berryman


“Want to learn? Read This! This should be a standard text for high school and university students.”
— Code Cubitt

About the Author

Shane Parrish is the author of the New York Times bestseller Clear Thinking. He is an entrepreneur and wisdom seeker behind the popular website Farnam Street, where he focuses on turning timeless insights into action. His work has been featured in nearly every major publication, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. His weekly newsletter, Brain Food, has captivated the minds of over half a million subscribers worldwide and his podcast, The Knowledge Project, is one of the most popular in the world.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio (October 15, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593719972
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593719978
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.74 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,109 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4,109 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the mental models introduced in the book valuable and worth pondering. They describe the content as good, easy to understand, and recommended reading at school. The examples and language are simple and clear. Readers appreciate the well-crafted pacing and the foundation provided by the book. However, opinions differ on the writing quality - some find it concise and clear, while others feel it reads like a short story.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

65 customers mention "Mental model introduction"54 positive11 negative

Customers find the mental models introduced in the book valuable and well-structured. They appreciate the author's insights, explanations, and guidance. The book provides great frameworks for work and life. It introduces different approaches that help us better understand and interpret our world. Overall, customers find it a concise and insightful introduction to the topic.

"This book introduces basic mental models such as first principles thinking, anti-fragility, inversion, etc.,..." Read more

"...Unless you are an expert, it’s worth reading and keeping it handy. Where it could have been better is mostly when Shane writes examples...." Read more

"The book is great and it is worth pondering every single mental model he describes...." Read more

"...If you’re intrigued by the notion of thinking better—more effectively, more decisively, more confidently—this book is an accessible treasure trove..." Read more

46 customers mention "Readability"40 positive6 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and recommend it for school. They appreciate the well-balanced content, including anecdotes from history. Many consider it a solid read with great content. The book is described as a fantastic set of volumes once completed and a must-have reference.

"...to the novice reader, and it does a good job. You’ll need, however, more resources if you want to get deeper." Read more

"...Unless you are an expert, it’s worth reading and keeping it handy. Where it could have been better is mostly when Shane writes examples...." Read more

"The book is great and it is worth pondering every single mental model he describes...." Read more

"This is in the top ten books I’ve read. I’m planning to buy several of these to gift to close friends...." Read more

21 customers mention "Ease of understanding"18 positive3 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand with clear examples and simple language. They say it's structured well for first-time readers and those looking for a handy introduction. The frameworks are useful for everyday life, and the examples help them grasp the concepts better.

"This book is an easy read and contains very intelligent thoughts, explanations and guidance...." Read more

"...use the word assemble (with intention) because it is certainly an assembly book. The book does _..." Read more

"Quick read and straight to the point which I’m a fan of. The book goes over roughly 10 different thinking concepts and gives examples of each...." Read more

"...It will supply you with the necessary tools in order to help you look at the world and the problems we encounter in multiple ways...." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-crafted and organized. They appreciate the good foundation and clear explanation of system artifacts. The book provides overall clarity and is a problem solver and decision maker.

"...introduces basic mental models such as first principles thinking, anti-fragility, inversion, etc., to the novice reader, and it does a good job...." Read more

"...The use of stories of great men and women is well crafted in almost all discussions...." Read more

"...been missing, help you to become a better problem solver, decision maker and provide overall clarity...." Read more

"The foundation is good, the will to explain how system artifacts affect us is good...." Read more

16 customers mention "Writing quality"11 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it clear and easy to read, with specific examples to illustrate general concepts. Others feel the content is poorly written, lacking in informativeness, and simplistic. There are also typos and irrelevant material.

"I won’t give 5 stars because what is a five star book? This was a very easy read for anyone who knows how to read and want to polish their thinking..." Read more

"...If you’ve ever read Robert Greene and enjoyed it, this is written in a similar style without the diabolical tone and effect...." Read more

"...But the execution is simplistic, the text is short and the content reads like a short story, amidst a recommendation brochure...." Read more

"This book is an easy read and contains very intelligent thoughts, explanations and guidance...." Read more

Cover bound upside down.
5 out of 5 stars
Cover bound upside down.
The content is great but my book came with the cover bound upside down. It's a tough sell to gift a book on problem sol ing models packaged this way. Please let me know when this is corrected so that I can order it as a gift.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2024
    This book introduces basic mental models such as first principles thinking, anti-fragility, inversion, etc., to the novice reader, and it does a good job. You’ll need, however, more resources if you want to get deeper.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2019
    I won’t give 5 stars because what is a five star book? This was a very easy read for anyone who knows how to read and want to polish their thinking with a few tools. Unless you are an expert, it’s worth reading and keeping it handy. Where it could have been better is mostly when Shane writes examples. They are good, but I think half of them aren’t quite accurate or he is just speculating that someone used x or y model but he doesn’t really know. How about 5 examples that can contrast to one another; how about not showing them as a one mental model specific (as I’m sure all cases are a mix of several models) I guess it becomes the task of the reader to figure it out, but having listened to Shane before, I believe he could pull up better “case studies”. Also, we live in such complex interesting times; do we really need to talk about people who supposedly used these models 300 years ago? And not in our lifetime? I’m sure there is no malice in just writing about very old examples, it’s probably a Hanlin’s razor case! — FS / Shane is doing a great service putting this out there - but they can do much better with not a lot of effort. Thank you Shane.
    27 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2022
    The book is great and it is worth pondering every single mental model he describes. You may already know some of them or even all of them but having it described and discussed before you sheds some lights on aspects of the model you may have ignored in your use of it. I was deeply enlightened by many of the book’s discussions. The use of stories of great men and women is well crafted in almost all discussions.

    The only complaint I have is the naturalistic viewpoint that is preached in some parts of the book. I believe the author fails to apply the very thing he’s advocating for when he does that: a rational analysis of what is said. Take the Sagan example and do it by yourself, he throws one phrase from a scientist in the air as if the phrase was a scientific argument, which is clearly not. Note that the phrase in question is so damaging that it has been used many times to discredit important recent scientific discoveries.

    Anyways, my 2 cents: focus on what the author do best and forget about his wandering into metaphysics.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2022
    This is in the top ten books I’ve read. I’m planning to buy several of these to gift to close friends. If you’re intrigued by the notion of thinking better—more effectively, more decisively, more confidently—this book is an accessible treasure trove of practical information. If you’ve ever read Robert Greene and enjoyed it, this is written in a similar style without the diabolical tone and effect. Further, the design of it and reasonable price makes it an all around win. Just love it. Highly recommended! — from a guy who has a personal library of over a thousand books and reluctantly tells people I like to read when they ask what I do for fun.
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020
    I had high expectations, but the book was disappointing compared to them. This does not mean that book was bad. Farnam Street blog is maybe the best mental models for publishing, but the book does not match with the quality of the blog. When the book has Occam's Razor model in it, you must use it throughout the book. This did not happen. It is twice as long as it has to be. It lacks synthesis between the models. You can find more of it from the blog, but the book does not have it enough.

    I hope the second book is better because this wastes too much precious time. The content in the book is fine, but it could be better and shorter.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023
    This book is an easy read and contains very intelligent thoughts, explanations and guidance. I had a preconceived notion that this would be a long, boring read and that I wouldn’t finish it (typical for me). I was very wrong. I highly recommend it.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2020
    This book is a consolidation of the wonderful mental models that Farnam Street has learned over the years from its highly distinguished guests. The cover image does a perfect TL;DR on what the book really is - it is an assortment of important thinking concepts (frameworks) that you want:
    a) to be aware of, and
    b) keep handy to apply
    whenever you are thinking deeply about a problem or a life decision. It seems Shane Parrish has good motivations to assemble this because probably he is probably trying to teach all these models to his own kids.

    Note, I use the word assemble (with intention) because it is certainly an assembly book. The book does
    _not_ introduce some extensive new research or offer a brand new concept/model per se but rather is a nice consolidation of many important ideas in one single place -- the content is by no means author's original findings and they don't claim so either. Having said that, getting everything organized cohesively isn't easy at all, so kudos to them in my opinion. A clear read overall & definitely something to have in your bookshelf.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
    Whether it be your everyday problems, or how politicians, inventors, scientists, artists, leaders solve a variety of problems, this book lights the way. Your mind sees with new eyes after reading it.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Carlos Henrique Rueckert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perspectivas diferentes para resolver problemas.
    Reviewed in Brazil on June 20, 2024
    The Great Mental Models vol1 - Modelos mentais explicados para serem usados para solucionar problemas. Como se fossem óculos diferentes para enxergar de maneiras diferentes.

    - O mapa não é o território: embora úteis para conhecer, não é possível descrever a realidade com leis absolutas, use os mapas ao seu favor mas entenda suas limitações
    - Circulo de competência: entenda que você não sabe de tudo, não deixe seu ego interferir decisões. Aprenda, use e veja o resultado, use feedback alheio para melhorar.
    - Ponderamento através de princípios: foque em entender os conceitos e não a estratégia detalhada, entendendo o fundamento você monta a própria estratégia e consegue ver erros nas vigentes
    - Imaginação das possibilidades: faça perguntas para compreender conceitos e coisas, imagine possibilidades fora do normal para entender até onde aquela coisa chega, como ela funciona em determinada situação.
    - Imaginação das consequências: pense no resultado que a sua decisão irá causar, muitas vezes uma decisão ruim agora é a melhor para o longo prazo, as vezes uma ação boa agora acarretará em ruína no futuro.
    - Pensamento probabilístico: use matemática e lógica para estimar chances e ter uma perspectiva melhor do problema, bote as opções lado a lado antes de ponderar.
    - Inversão: ao invés de começar pelo inicio, comece pelo final. Pergunte-se o que precisaria acontecer para esse resultado ser real. Alternadamente, com um objetivo em mente, ao invés do melhor caminho, procure evitar os piores. -
    - Occams razor: a explicação mais simples geralmente é a correta.
    - Hanlons razor: As pessoas que te causam mal não fazem por vilãnia, fazem por ignorância, estupidez ou preguiça. Não leve para o pessoal.
    Customer image
    Carlos Henrique Rueckert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perspectivas diferentes para resolver problemas.
    Reviewed in Brazil on June 20, 2024
    The Great Mental Models vol1 - Modelos mentais explicados para serem usados para solucionar problemas. Como se fossem óculos diferentes para enxergar de maneiras diferentes.

    - O mapa não é o território: embora úteis para conhecer, não é possível descrever a realidade com leis absolutas, use os mapas ao seu favor mas entenda suas limitações
    - Circulo de competência: entenda que você não sabe de tudo, não deixe seu ego interferir decisões. Aprenda, use e veja o resultado, use feedback alheio para melhorar.
    - Ponderamento através de princípios: foque em entender os conceitos e não a estratégia detalhada, entendendo o fundamento você monta a própria estratégia e consegue ver erros nas vigentes
    - Imaginação das possibilidades: faça perguntas para compreender conceitos e coisas, imagine possibilidades fora do normal para entender até onde aquela coisa chega, como ela funciona em determinada situação.
    - Imaginação das consequências: pense no resultado que a sua decisão irá causar, muitas vezes uma decisão ruim agora é a melhor para o longo prazo, as vezes uma ação boa agora acarretará em ruína no futuro.
    - Pensamento probabilístico: use matemática e lógica para estimar chances e ter uma perspectiva melhor do problema, bote as opções lado a lado antes de ponderar.
    - Inversão: ao invés de começar pelo inicio, comece pelo final. Pergunte-se o que precisaria acontecer para esse resultado ser real. Alternadamente, com um objetivo em mente, ao invés do melhor caminho, procure evitar os piores. -
    - Occams razor: a explicação mais simples geralmente é a correta.
    - Hanlons razor: As pessoas que te causam mal não fazem por vilãnia, fazem por ignorância, estupidez ou preguiça. Não leve para o pessoal.
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  • Odessa Champs
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
    Reviewed in Mexico on December 14, 2021
    Soy de la misma idea que los autores del libro: si no conocemos los fundamentos del mundo y nuestros modelos de pensamiento, no vamos a llegar muy lejos. Bastante disfrutable y con una estética muy sugerente. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.
  • Jose Manuel Monroy Diaz
    1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible condition
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 4, 2024
    The book arrived in terrible condition, like it was used as a doorstop. This is a disservice to the content it holds, which is completely uncoupled to the review.
    Customer image
    Jose Manuel Monroy Diaz
    1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible condition
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 4, 2024
    The book arrived in terrible condition, like it was used as a doorstop. This is a disservice to the content it holds, which is completely uncoupled to the review.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
  • Balletti
    5.0 out of 5 stars a free time reading
    Reviewed in Italy on November 10, 2024
    I Liked this book even if I found short and oversimplified. It does clear many aspects of people reasoning and how to face them. In my opinion, I suggest it like a free time reading.
  • Bernd Karlovits
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, concise, right to the point
    Reviewed in Germany on May 20, 2024
    Best ever read book on this topic. The provided knowledge is scientifically proven and delivered in an effortless easy way. A pleasure to read it.