If you asked me this question on any other day, I would give you different answers. I’ve read so many influential books. What I think is important however, is to know how that book has changed or affected the way you think, act or behave. 

What I find is that after I’ve read a book, I rarely remember it in depth afterwards. I make notes from books, highlight quotes, and revisit them often, but rarely do I remember them verbatim, and nor do they incur any lasting practical changes to my life. Things just accumulate on my mental scrap heap and stay there; useless information that will die with me. 

However, these are some books that have made impactful change to my life:

The Encyclopedia of Gardening by the Royal Horticultural Society, taught me most of the things I know about gardening, but also gave me a deep love of the pursuit. Gardening is a sublime activity and I constantly refer back to this book.

Birds of Britain and Europe by RSPB. If there is a more beautiful knowledge to have in the world than this, then I don’t know it. A ‘well thumbed Trollope’ as Roy Cropper would say. I love to know about the birds I see. Nature is so wonderful.

How Philosophy Works by Dorling Kindersley. I find reading heavy texts difficult, so this beautifully designed and illustrated, concise guide to the most celebrated philosophers in history is right up my street. I learned the principle ideas of some of the greatest minds to walk the planet in no time at all. What I’ll do with this knowledge, I’m not sure and that pretty much sums philosophy up too. Lots of fancy words that have little practical application. Give me William James any day.