Books written by
The Y Combinator co-founder whose essays shaped how a generation of founders think about startups
Paul Graham is best known today as the co-founder of Y Combinator, the startup accelerator behind Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, and Reddit, but he came to that work sideways: through a PhD in computer science, a stint studying painting in Florence, and a startup, Viaweb, that he sold to Yahoo for roughly $49 million in 1998. His three published books are all from before Y Combinator existed — two are programming manuals for the Lisp language, and the third, Hackers & Painters (2004), collects the essays that first made him widely read outside programming circles.
Below is his complete bibliography, with my honest take on each book, a quick-facts box, a section on his most-searched essays (most people looking for “how to do great work” or “do things that don’t scale” are actually looking for free essays on his website, not a book — I’ll point you to the right place), a video, and an FAQ.
Sources: Wikipedia, paulgraham.com, and contemporary reporting cited throughout. Last updated August 2026.
“Do things that don’t scale.”
— Paul Graham, title and thesis of his 2013 essay of the same name
Quick facts
On Lisp: Advanced Techniques for Common Lisp
A technical book on advanced Lisp programming techniques, including macros and functional programming patterns, written while Graham was still primarily working as a programmer and researcher rather than an investor. It remains a reference work for programmers using Lisp and Lisp-family languages.
This is a specialist’s book, not a general-interest one — skip it entirely unless you actually write Lisp. Its main relevance to non-programmers is historical: it shows that Graham’s later essays on startups and “doing great work” came from someone who spent years as a genuine technical specialist first, not a career pundit.
ANSI Common Lisp
A textbook introduction to Common Lisp based on the ANSI standard for the language, widely used in university courses and by working programmers learning Lisp from scratch. It is considerably more accessible to beginners than On Lisp.
Also a specialist’s book, but a better starting point than On Lisp if you actually want to learn the language rather than master advanced techniques in it. For anyone outside programming, this one is safe to skip entirely.
His only essay collection
Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age
A collection of essays, most previously published on his website, arguing that programming is closer to painting than engineering — a craft built on taste, iteration, and aesthetic judgment rather than pure technical process. It covers hacking, startups, programming languages, and why nerds are unpopular in high school, among other subjects, and predates Y Combinator by a year.
This is the one book of his worth actually buying, and it holds up better than you’d expect for a 2004 essay collection about technology — mostly because Graham’s real subject was never really “tech,” it was how small groups of stubborn, opinionated people make things other people initially think are a bad idea. Some of the specific technical references have dated. The underlying argument about taste and craft hasn’t.
His most-searched essays (not books)
Most people looking for these titles are looking for free essays on paulgraham.com, not a separate book. A few are collected in Hackers & Painters; most are web-only.
Watch: A Conversation with Paul Graham
An official Y Combinator Startup School interview, moderated by YC president Geoff Ralston, in which Graham discusses choosing co-founders, why startup ideas seem obvious in hindsight, and his own path from painter to programmer to investor.
Paul Graham is a British-American computer scientist, essayist, and investor, best known for co-founding the startup Viaweb (sold to Yahoo in 1998) and the startup accelerator Y Combinator (2005), which has backed Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, and Reddit. He has published three books: two Lisp programming manuals, On Lisp (1993) and ANSI Common Lisp (1995), and the essay collection Hackers & Painters (2004). Most of his widely searched writing — essays like “How to Do Great Work” and “Do Things That Don’t Scale” — are free essays published on his own website, paulgraham.com, not separate books. He was born in England in 1964 and has lived there again since 2016.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Paul Graham?
Paul Graham is a British-American computer scientist, essayist, entrepreneur, and investor. He co-founded the early e-commerce startup Viaweb, sold to Yahoo in 1998, and later co-founded the startup accelerator Y Combinator in 2005 along with Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris, and Trevor Blackwell.
Who is Paul Graham, in one sentence?
Paul Graham is the Y Combinator co-founder and essayist whose writing on startups, ambition, and craft has shaped how a generation of entrepreneurs think about building companies.
Who is Paul Graham of Y Combinator?
He is one of Y Combinator’s four co-founders, alongside his wife Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris, and Trevor Blackwell, and served as its first president. Y Combinator has since funded over 4,000 startups, including Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Reddit, and Coinbase.
How old is Paul Graham?
He was born on November 13, 1964, making him 61 as of mid-2026.
Where does Paul Graham live?
He lives in England, where he and his wife, Jessica Livingston, have maintained a permanent residence since 2016, after previously living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Why did Paul Graham move to England?
Graham has written that the decision involved a mix of personal and family reasons rather than a single public explanation. He was born in Weymouth, England, and moved to the United States as a child in 1968, so the move in 2016 was, in a sense, a return.
Is Paul Graham a billionaire?
No confirmed public figure puts his net worth at billionaire level. Public estimates instead place it in the hundreds of millions of dollars, built primarily from the Viaweb sale and his equity stakes in Y Combinator-backed companies. Treat any specific figure with caution, since Graham has not published his own net worth.
Is Paul Graham gay?
No. He has been married to Jessica Livingston, his Y Combinator co-founder, since 2008, and the two have children together.
Is “How to Do Great Work” a book by Paul Graham?
No. It’s a free essay, published on paulgraham.com in 2023, not a standalone book. Graham’s only published books are On Lisp (1993), ANSI Common Lisp (1995), and the essay collection Hackers & Painters (2004).
Is the Paul Graham who is a bodybuilder the same person?
No. There is a separate, unrelated public figure named Paul Graham known for bodybuilding. This page is about Paul Graham the computer scientist, essayist, and Y Combinator co-founder.
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Written by Lisanne Swart
Lisanne curates books for curious readers at lisanneswart.com, publishing original reading lists, author deep-dives, and honest recommendations since 2021. Read more about Lisanne.
