Hey makers! I've been working on every aspect of these books, from design to typography to editing, and I'm really excited to finally launch :) The LessWrong.com forum has been crucial in helping me think clearly and make smarter decisions. The rationalists predicted covid back in February and invented cryptocurrency before Satoshi. Learning the art of rationality from them has made me grow faster than I ever thought possible, both in the startups I've worked with and in my personal life. If there's any book I wish I could give to myself 10 years ago, this might just be it. But why did we decide to turn an online forum into a book? A few reasons... 1) It's a more focused reading experience. No need for distracting screens. 2) We want to make online discourse healthier. That means rewarding careful, nuanced writing that can stand the test of time. In order to do so, we’re celebrating LessWrong users by turning their best essays into a beautifully crafted book set. And we’re doing so 2 years after they were written, to encourage content that remains valuable over time. 3) It's a clear place to start. This book set is one of the best introductions to the latest thinking of the rationality community. It is quite a whirlwind tour through topics ranging from art to AI, introspection to integrity, software to social science, and beyond. But you can appreciate it without any previous LessWrong experience. In making the books, we really tried to optimise for readability. We made them small so that each page feels inviting and not overwhelming. We chose cover material and paper weight to make them easier to hold open with one hand. We filled them with colorful diagrams that are a joy to look at. My colleague has literally been sleeping with beta books in his bed for months now! :) I hope these will bring you as much wisdom and enjoyment as they brought us. Here’s what others have said: “Whenever there’s a cutting-edge new idea making the rounds, [LessWrong] was writing about it 5-10 years ago. A deep dive into LessWrong will make you smarter.” – Tim Urban (Blogger, "Wait But Why") “The rationality community is one of the brightest lights in the modern intellectual firmament.” – Bryan Caplan (New York Times Bestselling author and Professor, George Mason University) “Rationalists update their beliefs as new information comes in, whereas many non-rationalists try to make new information fit their preconceived ideas... [In predicting the coronavirus pandemic] It seems they were ahead of most of the rest of us.” – Scott Sumner (Blogger, “The Money Illusion”) "The essays from LessWrong have been one of my favorite sources of wisdom. Especially in our rapidly changing world, these writings are among those that I expect will continue to be read many decades from now." – Vitalik Buterin (Co-founder, Ethereum)

Excellent work, Jacob—these look beautiful! Just pre-ordered there and very excited to dig in.