thımbles of plenty

Book summaries for busy founders · since 2014

Big books,
small thimbles.

The best business and self-help books, distilled to a 3-minute read with a 5-minute deep dive. Every one comes with an honest Thimbles Rating that tells you whether the summary is enough, or the whole book is worth your time.

Browse the libraryGet 5 summaries free

101 titles today, with new books added every week. Every summary is available in English, Polski, Română, Español, Português, Français, Italiano, Deutsch and ไทย.

The Thimbles Summary Zero to OnePeter Thiel with Blake Masters · 2014 4.5/5 Read the whole book The most valuable businesses don’t compete. They create something new, own a small market outright, and then grow out from there. big books, small thimbles

How a thimble works

3 min

The 3-minute read

The big idea, the five points worth keeping, and three things to try this week.

+5 min

The deep dive

When a book earns more of your attention, the frameworks and the reasoning behind them.

1–5

The Thimbles Rating

Usefulness, big idea, readability and staying power, plus a straight answer: is the summary enough, or should you read the whole book?

Highest rated

See all 101 titles ›
Atomic HabitsJames Clear 4.5 Read the whole book Built to SellJohn Warrillow 4.5 Read the whole book Business Model GenerationAlexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur 4.5 Read the whole book Four Thousand WeeksOliver Burkeman 4.5 Read the whole book InfluenceRobert B. Cialdini 4.5 Read the whole book Never Split the DifferenceChris Voss with Tahl Raz 4.5 Read the whole book Playing to WinA.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin 4.5 Read the whole book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleStephen R. Covey 4.5 Read the whole book

Six shelves

Start-up ShelfFinding a business worth building, testing it with real customers, and getting it to grow.22 titlesLeadership & Strategy ShelfMaking the big choices, running the team and turning a plan into results.26 titlesMarketing & Sales ShelfGetting noticed, pricing well, pitching and persuading.17 titlesConsulting ShelfAdvising clients: winning trust, running engagements and being paid what you're worth.3 titlesPersonal Effectiveness ShelfHabits, learning, focus and the mindset that compounds over a career.24 titlesMoney ShelfHow wealth is built, kept and spent, in the authors' own words and with our caveats.9 titles

The whole library for €39

Every summary as a PDF, plus every new title for 12 months. One payment, no subscription. Single summaries are €1.99.

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