Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age

Essays by Paul Graham

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Hackers▲75

   Heroes of the computer revolution

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Hackers & Painters (2004)▲12

   Paul Graham's foundational piece on programmers

   2015 · paulgraham.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Hackers & Painters▲2

   Big ideas from the computer age

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Hackers and Painters▲15

   The computer world and motivations of those who occupy it

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Design for Hackers▲78

   Visual design, deconstructed

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   The Misfit Economy▲68

   Lessons in creativity from pirates & hackers

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   The Second Machine Age▲66

   Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant techno

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Paul Graham's Essays Visualized▲238

   Startup and entrepreneurship advice from PG in visual form

   2019 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   What the Dormouse Said▲55

   How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Social Engineering▲62

    The Art of Human Hacking

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming▲70

    Interviews with the 15 most interesting computer programmers

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects▲60

    Conceptual products & alternate narratives of gadget culture

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Innovator's Dilemma▲202

    The seminal business book

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    The Typewriter Revolution▲65

    A typist's companion for the 21st century

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Hardware Hacker▲63

    Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware

    2016 · nostarch.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    The Sketchbook Project▲87

    A crowd-sourced library of Sketchbooks

    2014 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future▲62

    The ingenious ideas that drive today's computers.

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Paul Graham Essay Translations▲144

    Collection of 174 essays covering up to 13 languages

    2016 · gigster.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Hacking Growth [Kindle Edition]▲79

    Untraditional marketing using the hacker mindset.

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Race Against The Machine▲66

    How the digital revolution is accelerating innovation!

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    The Soul of A New Machine▲62

    Inside look at the computer industry transition

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    The Boy and the Computer▲63

    Graphic novel inspired by real world programming hacks

    2016 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    The Dark Net▲62

    A revelatory examination of the internet

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Fearless Genius ▲80

    The digital revolution in Silicon Valley 1985 - 2000

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →