Inventing the Renaissance
Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmerby Ada Palmer
Shares rank 28 of 51 history books by recommenders
Recommended as complex history told with science fiction tools and infectious enthusiasm. Its tone matches the author's videos, which may not suit everyone.
Recommended as complex history told with science fiction tools and infectious enthusiasm. Its tone matches the author's videos, which may not suit everyone.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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
Complex history told with science fiction tools
“It's a fantastic work of complex history, told with the tools of science fiction and fantasy writing.”
Comment from 6 Sep 2026 in “2026 Hugo Awards” Infectious enthusiasm from the author
“her enthusiasm is totally infectious”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Enjoyable, distinctive tone
“The book is in the same tone as her videos, so it won't be for everyone, but I've really been enjoying it”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Helpful for understanding the Renaissance
“It's good to read Ada Palmer's Inventing The Renaissance, because understanding whatever the Renaissance is”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Seven books I keep close because I love them”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Tone may not suit everyone
“The book is in the same tone as her videos, so it won't be for everyone, but I've really been enjoying it”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other history books people recommend
The four most recommended other history books, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dawn of Everythingby David Graeber and David Wengrow | 23 | 5 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Cadillac Desertby Marc Reisner | 18 | 0 | 100% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Boxby Marc Levinson | 16 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Sapiensby Yuval Noah Harari | 13 | 9 | 59% | 8 | — | — |
| Inventing the Renaissanceby Ada PalmerThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“her enthusiasm is totally infectious”
“The book is in the same tone as her videos, so it won't be for everyone, but I've really been enjoying it”
“It's a fantastic work of complex history, told with the tools of science fiction and fantasy writing.”
“It's good to read Ada Palmer's Inventing The Renaissance, because understanding whatever the Renaissance is”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.