🐯 Princeton Engineering unofficial reading list 2026
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Freshman level
Engineering in the Modern World EGR 102 (fa26)
- The Innovators, Trade: The Engineering Pioneers Who Transformed America by David P. Billington
- From Insight to Innovation: Engineering Ideas That Transformed America in the 20th Century by Billington & Littman
- Power, Speed & Form: Engineers & the Making of the 20th Century by Billington & Billington
Foundations of Engineering: The Mathematics of Shape & Motion EGR 152 (fa26)
- Thomas’ Calculus: Early Transcendentals by Hass et al.
Sophomore level
Creativity, Innovation & Design EGR 200 (fa26)
- A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative by Roger von Oech
- Experiencing Design: The Innovator’s Journey by Liedtka et al.
Designing Sustainable Systems: Experiential Learning on Campus Energy EGR 208 (fa26)
- Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by McDonough & Braungart
- Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus
- Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows
Fundamentals of Statistics EGR 245 (fa26)
- Probability & Statistics for Engineering & the Sciences by Jay Devore
Ethics & Technology: Engineering in the Real World EGR 260 (sp26)
- Engineering Ethics: Contemporary & Enduring Debates by Deborah G. Johnson
- Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What’s Right & What to Do about It by Bazerman & Tenbrunsel
- Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right by Mary C. Gentile
- The Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems by Henry Petroski
- To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design by Henry Petroski
People-Centered: Doing Anthropology EGR 299 (fa26)
- The Ethnographer’s Way: A Handbook for Multidimensional Research Design by Peterson & Olson
- Making Livable Worlds: Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice by Hilda Llorens
Junior level
Optimization EGR 307 (fa26)
- Intro. to Linear Optimization by Bertsimas & Tsitsiklis
- Linear Programming: Foundations and Extensions by Robert J. Vanderbei
Probability & Stochastic Systems EGR 309 (fa26)
- Fundamentals of Probability: With Stochastic Processes by Saeed Ghahramani
- Intro. To Probability by Bertsekas & Tsitsiklis
- Intro. to Probability Models by Sheldon M. Ross
Black Mirror: Race, Technology & Justice EGR 339 (sp26)
- Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World & What We Can Do to Fix It by Mike Monteiro
- Data Feminism by D’Ignazio & Klein
- Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need by Sasha Costanza-Chock
- Empire of AI: Dreams & Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao
Senior level
Innovating Across Tech, Business & Marketplaces EGR 448 (sp26)
- ✔️ The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos & the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone (my highlights)
- In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works & Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy
- ✔️ The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz (my highlights)
- Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer & Venture Capitalist by Feld & Mendelson
- The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen
- Crush It!: Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk
- ✔️ Art of the Start : The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki
- Demand: Creating What People Love Before They Know They Want It by Slywotzky & Weber
- ✔️ Rework by Fried & Hansson (my highlights)
- ✔️ Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Ries & Trout (my highlights)
- ✔️ The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
- Running Lean: Iterate From Plan A to a Plan That Works by Ash Maurya
- Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster by Croll & Yoskovitz
- The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Blank & Dorf
- Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers & Challengers by Osterwalder & Pigneur
- ✔️ Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion & Purpose by Tony Hsieh (my highlights)
- Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom & Responsibility by Patty McCord
- ✔️ Crossing the Chasm: Marketing & Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore
- ✔️ Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap & Others Don’t by Jim Collins
- See website for article list
High-Tech Entrepreneurship EGR 491 (fa26)
- Built for Growth: How Builder Personality Shapes Your Business, Your Team & Your Ability to Win by Kuenne & Danner
Entrepreneurship: Ventures of Impact EGR 495 (fa26)
- Effectual Entrepreneurship by Sarasvathy & Wheatley
Entrepreneurial Leadership EGR 497 (fa26)
- How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen
- Startup Leadership: How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn Their Ideas Into Successful Enterprises by Derek Lidow
Graduate level
Technical Leadership in Engineering EGR 531 (fa26)
- The 8 Dimensions of Leadership: DiSC Strategies for Becoming a Better Leader by Sugerman et al.
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- ✔️ Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Burnett & Evans (my highlights)
- Managing Scientists: Leadership Strategies in Scientific Research by Alice M. Sapienza
- Leadership by Engineers & Scientists: Professional Skills Needed to Succeed in a Changing World by Dennis W. Hess