Selected Readings

This list is still being updated and expanded.

Flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
"The Psychology of Optimal Experience". Applies very well to designing successful interactive experiences (if you read between the lines), not to mention your life. See it on Amazon.com

Myths to Live By. Joseph Campbell
Good foundation for any story teller. Easier to get through than his Hero with a Thousand Faces, which is also interesting Sweeping cross-cultural links. The importance of myths in modern issues. See it on Amazon.com

Man and His Symbols. Carl Jung and others
Dense with illustrations. Intro by Jung and many essays by his followers, largely about dream interpretation and symbolic communication. See it on Amazon.com

The Writer's Journey. Christopher Vogler
Applies Campbell's and Jung's ideas to the art of storytelling. How the structure of a successful story pushes all your favorite, culturally-inherited buttons. See it on Amazon.com

The Film Sense. Sergei Eisenstein
By the pioneering Russian silent filmmaker. (The films are silent, but he is not.) The meaning of film montage. Note his commentary about the role of the spectator in the creation of art. See it on Amazon.com

Understanding Comics. Scott McCloud
Entertaining and enlightening. A great series of "essays" highly relevant for understanding linear and non-linear storytelling, point-of-view, and juxtaposition. See it on Amazon.com

Amusing Ourselves to Death. Neil Postman
Has nothing to do with interface design. Has everything to do with the role of media and information in mass society. After you read this you'll be so proud of yourself for not watching television. See it on Amazon.com

Staying Sane in the Arts. Eric Maisel
"A guide for creative and performing artists."
Will either help you realize that your manic-depressive personality is not really that unique, or will help you develop one. See it on Amazon.com

The Age of Spiritual Machines. Ray Kurzweil
Genius inventor and visonary of the digital age traces a path into the near future, when the distinctions between human and computer may vanish. If you think your computer is already smarter than you are, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. See it on Amazon.com