Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to In Praise of Shadows

Musings on Eastern aesthetic, Zen philosophy, & geopsyche

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. In Praise of Shadows launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   In Praise of Shadows▲68

   A delightful essay on the ethos of Japanese aesthetics

   2016 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Chasing Shadows▲5

   Visions of Our Coming Transparent World

   2017 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Dark Matter of the Mind▲67

   The Culturally Articulated Unconscious

   2017 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   The Mountain Shadow▲54

   Sequel to Shantaram

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Chasing Shadows▲10

   Visions of our coming transparent world

   2017 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   The Urban Monk▲58

   Eastern wisdom & modern hacks to stop time and find success

   2016 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Light▲58

   A Radiant History from Creation to the Quantum Age

   2016 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming▲69

   How can design inspire us to think about our future?

   2016 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   The Book of Disquiet▲61

   A haunting mosaic of dreams

   2016 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Essentialism▲80

    The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

    2016 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Psychedelic Suburbia▲70

    David Bowie and the Beckenham Arts Lab

    2016 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Deep Thoughts▲65

    Irreverent observations about life

    2016 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance▲89

    An inquiry into values

    2015 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Imaginary Cities▲70

    Mapping cities of sound, melancholia and the afterlife

    2016 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    On Beauty and Being Just▲66

    Have we become beauty blind?

    2016 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    American Gods by Neil Gaiman▲87

    Shadow is a man with a past...

    2016 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Sinclair ZX Spectrum: a visual compendium▲60

    An excellent pixel art book

    2016 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Design, Form, and Chaos▲80

    A great source of design inspiration

    2016 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Kobold's Guide to Worldbuilding▲56

    Essays on the creation of worlds, from geology to politics

    2016 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind▲66

    Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice

    2016 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Landmarks▲53

    On the importance of language and landscape

    2016 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    The Passionate State of Mind▲54

    An insightful collection of aphorisms

    2016 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    A Field Guide to Getting Lost▲68

    A meditation on the pleasures and terrors of getting lost

    2016 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    My Gita▲65

    Karma, Dharma and other ideas of Gita for modern times

    2016 · 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 →