The Glass Bead Game
The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesseby Hermann Hesse
Shares rank 74 of 122 novels by recommenders
Recommended as an influential, inspiring novel, especially for readers in their youth. Some critics find it hard going and prefer Hesse's Demian and Siddhartha.
Recommended as an influential, inspiring novel, especially for readers in their youth. Some critics find it hard going and prefer Hesse's Demian and Siddhartha.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 60%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Personally influential, especially in youth
“visions which Hermann Hesse's _The Glass Bead Game_ (originally published as _Magister Ludi_) inspired in me”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Mixing Visual and Textual Code” “his _The Glass Bead Game_ was quite influential on me”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “How Thomas Mann Wrote the Magic Mountain” “a book which greatly inspired me in my youth”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: What's the Point Anymore?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Other Hesse books preferred
“I preferred Demian & Siddharta far over Glass Bead game”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “I agree, I liked the former much more”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Glass Bead Gameby Hermann HesseThis page | 3 | 2 | 60% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the Glass Bead Game was unreadable”
“I also loved The Glass Bead Game, and Steppenwolf”
“visions which Hermann Hesse's _The Glass Bead Game_ (originally published as _Magister Ludi_) inspired in me”
“a book which greatly inspired me in my youth”
“his _The Glass Bead Game_ was quite influential on me”
“I agree, I liked the former much more”
“I preferred Demian & Siddharta far over Glass Bead game”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.