meta.slashdot.org/story/12/10/11/0030249/linus-torvalds-answers-your-questions ↗

Robert A. Heinlein

“as a teenager I enjoyed Heinlein's 'Stranger in a strange land' a lot”

J.R.R. Tolkien

“I have to admit to 'Lord of the Rings' having been pretty important to me - but for a slightly odd reason, not as a huge Tolkien fan. For me, it was one of the first 'real' books I read in English, and I started with a dictionary by my side, and ended it reading without needing one.”

Richard Dawkins

“On the non-fiction side, Richard Dawkin's 'The Selfish Gene' was one book that I think is pretty influential.”