When you’re just too busy to curl up with a good book, these talks bring the beauty of literature in audio form.

A list of the talks mentioned in TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. Chris Anderson's comments on each talk (in the grey italics) indicate why they were included in the book. Use the book index for more info.

Software developer Mike Matas demos the first full-length interactive book for the iPad -- with clever, swipeable video and graphics and some very cool data visualizations to play with. The book is "Our Choice," Al Gore's sequel to "An Inconvenient Truth."

Deep inside Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library lies a 240 page tome. Recently carbon dated to around 1420, its pages feature looping handwriting and hand drawn images seemingly stolen from a dream. It is called the Voynich manuscript, and it's one of history's biggest unsolved mysteries. The reason why? No one can figure out what i...

Whether you're a budding bibliophile or already in the throes of whirlwind romance with your favorite writers, these talks are for you!

During the span of a single life, how do you reinvent yourself? Take a page out of the book of these speakers who have found creative ways to fit many lives into one.

Libraries are a magical place full of life and endless stories — both real and imagined. We're delighted to share these TED Talks as a love letter to libraries, librarians and the community they build.

As of August 2020, after many years, the TED Book Club will no longer be active. TED-curated books, sent a couple of times a year, were a part of the membership when registered for the flagship TED conference in Vancouver. Moving in the direction of sustainability, we’re looking at different ways to continue to provide you with recommended book...

These well-known writers weave beautiful words on the page ... and on the stage.

Libraries have the power to create a better world; they connect communities, promote literacy and spark lifelong learners. But there's one thing that keeps people away: the fear of overdue book fines. In this thought-provoking talk, librarian Dawn Wacek makes the case that fines don't actually do what we think they do. What if your library just ...

Intriguing nuggets regarding the intersection of work and happiness… a call, in a few pointed words, for an expanded, genuine work ethic. — Kirkus Review About the book For the overwhelming majority of people, work falls short—very short. The question is: why? Press and reviews About the author

Childhood is surreal. Why shouldn't children's books be? In this whimsical talk, award-winning author Mac Barnett speaks about writing that escapes the page, art as a doorway to wonder -- and what real kids say to a fictional whale.

Since day one as Director of Character and Content Development at Marvel Comics, Sana Amanat has pushed to create and promote superheroes who aren't just straight white men. In this inspiring talk, she discusses the encouraging results of that editorial mission -- and stresses the importance of diversity in a medium that serves a decidedly heter...

Book designer Chip Kidd knows all too well how often we judge things by first appearances. In this hilarious, fast-paced talk, he explains the two techniques designers use to communicate instantly -- clarity and mystery -- and when, why and how they work. He celebrates beautiful, useful pieces of design, skewers less successful work, and shares ...

We're in the dawn of a new space revolution, says engineer Peter Beck: the revolution of the small. In a talk packed with insights into the state of the space industry, Beck shares his work building rockets capable of delivering small payloads to space rapidly and reliably -- helping us search for extraterrestrial life, learn more about the sola...

For anyone who has ever been inspired by a TED Talk… this is an insider’s guide to creating talks that are unforgettable. TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson, curator of TED Now in paperback Since taking over TED in the early 2000s, Chris Anderson has shown how carefully crafted short talks can be the key to...

First impressions are the key to how we perceive the world, and are perceived by it. They are our introductions to everything: acquaintances, the workplace, products, experiences, retail stores, the Internet, entertainment, relationships, design. And based on our first impressions, we judge things. About the book Press and reviews About the author

Ann Morgan considered herself well read -- until she discovered the "massive blindspot" on her bookshelf. Amid a multitude of English and American authors, there were very few books from beyond the English-speaking world. So she set an ambitious goal: to read one book from every country in the world over the course of a year. Now she's urging ot...

These talks analyze the ways a story can enhance, alter and transform how we see the world around us.

Becky Blanton planned to live in her van for a year and see the country, but when depression set in and her freelance job ended, her camping trip turned into homelessness. In this intimate talk, she describes her experience of becoming one of America's working homeless.

A basic primer on some of the hows and whys, solutions and struggles surrounding the conversation on homelessness.

Surgeons are required every day to puncture human skin before procedures — with the risk of damaging what's on the other side. In a fascinating talk, find out how mechanical engineer Nikolai Begg is using physics to update an important medical device, called the trocar, and improve one of the most dangerous moments in many common surgeries.

A smart, snappy guide to romance… On-screen and on the page, Fry has a wry, chatty voice that illuminates age-old questions in brainy yet simple language. — The Washington Post About the book Thankfully, love—as with most of life—is full of patterns: from the number of sexual partners we have in our lifetime to how we choose who to message on a...

A surprisingly empathetic and practical volume, behavioral economist Dan Ariely’s slim, 100-page primer on motivation will be the book you wish your boss had read. –– Fortune About the book Explore the jungle of motivation's true nature, as well as our blindness to its strangeness and complexity. Rather than seeing motivation as a simple, rat-...

What can be accomplished in one year? These speakers tried something for 365 days and reported back.

As Alice wanders through the dreamscape of Looking-Glass Land in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There," she happens across a book written in an unintelligible language. Inside, she discovers an epic poem filled with nonsense, fearsome creatures, and whimsical language. Dive into Carroll's legendary poem, "Jabber...

Children's book author Jarrett Krosoczka shares the origins of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, in which undercover school heroes serve lunch...and justice! His new project, School Lunch Hero Day, reveals how cafeteria lunch staff provide more than food, and illustrates how powerful a thank you can be.

Chip Kidd doesn't judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book -- and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In this deeply felt (and deeply hilarious) talk, he shares the art and the philosophy behind his cover designs. (This talk is from The Design Studio session at TED2012, guest-curated by Chee Pearlman and David Rock...

Becky Blanton is a writer, photographer and former journalist who found herself homeless, but bounced back to tell her story and inspire others.

Steven Pinker's book The Blank Slate argues that all humans are born with some innate traits. Here, Pinker talks about his thesis, and why some people found it incredibly upsetting.