I'd recommend staying away from the classics and also a lot of popular history books, in fact stay away from the books most commonly read by the general populat

I'd recommend staying away from the classics and also a lot of popular history books, in fact stay away from the books most commonly read by the general population and also by your peers. (Unless you really want to read them, or have nothing better to read, suit your fancy.) Why? If something is read widely, the important parts of it are likely to seep into your brain sooner or later regardless of if you read the book anyway. Especially if the book is fiction, but it works with popular nonfiction too. The advice is for avoiding commonly read books, however, not subjects or genres (indeed, fining uncommon books on "known" subjects that contradict that which is "known" can be very rewarding), and the "by your peers" qualifier allows "guiltless" reading of bestsellers your peers have no clue about. Reading less-read things will give you an orthogonal base of knowledge from your peers. This will make you more valuable as an individual. (Though if you're ignorant of the cogwork everyone must know as general knowledge you might face job dangers.) By definition adding another dimension to what you know gives you a whole new place to explore that you never could have gone to beforehand. There is a lot more potential to be found by reading the more uncommon things. Since we're all leaving book recommendations, the last book I read was The Information, http://www.amazon.com/The-Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/0375423729 http://www.amazon.com/The-Information-History-Theory-Flood/d.... Not incredibly rare but not incredibly common--hardly any of its elaborated history was ever mentioned in my K-12 education. I wouldn't say everyone should read it, though I thoroughly enjoyed it, and you can read the reviews on Amazon if you want a sample of opinions.