best books on business biography

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The 25 Best Business Biographies For Entrepreneurs 2024

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Entrepreneurs and founders must constantly adapt and learn from every possible source, and books are no exception.

This is especially true for business biographies, as they tend to be personally written by the most powerful and game-changing people in the business world.

Below there’s a list of the best 25 business biographies, carefully picked to satisfy everyone’s taste.

25 Best Business Biographies

1) alibaba: the house that jack ma built.

Name of book : Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built

Description of the book : This excellent entrepreneur biography tells the ultimate story about the world-famous Chinese entrepreneur and founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma. 

The author, Duncan Clark, was an early advisor to Jack Ma in early 1999 when Alibaba was founded. You can read everything about Jack Ma, his breakthrough idea, and the impact it made in the e-commerce sector.

Entrepreneurs can also read about the humble beginnings of Alibaba, how Jack overcame his Silicon Valley rivals, and the story of Alibaba’s domination, with 80% of the market share. 

Author : Duncan Clark

Length : 304 pages

‍Notable quote : “Customers first, employees second, and shareholders third.”

2) Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Name of book : Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Description of the book : Onward is an excellent entrepreneur biography that presents the story of the popular coffee brand Starbucks and how they managed to stay on ‘top of their game’ during the 2008 crisis. 

The former CEO Howard Schultz describes his return after 8 years and the methods he implemented afterward. 

The biography offers a deep look at how Howard overcame all odds during the most challenging economic times in history and how Starbucks saved its soul and regained its profitability without sacrificing anything.

Author : Howard Schultz and Joanne Gordon

Length : 350 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Beverages have to be created. And they’re created by looking at what trend is in, say, the fashion industry – what color’s hot right now.”

3) Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Name of book : Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Description of the book : Steve Jobs is a well-presented entrepreneur autobiography regarding one of the most influential founders ever. The book is based on over 40 interviews with Steve Jobs, his family members, and colleagues. 

You can see how Steve Jobs got his ideas and how he rose above the challenges throughout time. Walters shows how Jobs revolutionized multiple industries, including music, animated movies, phones, and tablet computers.

As an entrepreneur, you will undoubtedly find this book quite helpful as it shows Steve's methods and work ethic during his journey and how to maintain your sanity during extreme times.

Author : Walter Isaacson

Length : 627 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.”

4) Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

Name of book : Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Description of the book : Nike’s CEO and founder Phil Knight decided to open up and tell his story behind one of the most iconic brands today, Nike. 

His idea to sell high-quality and cheap-priced shoes imported from Japan was born in 1962. Knight shares all details from his journey, including obstacles he overcame, risks he took, and the sacrifices made for Nike to become what it is today.

You can also read plenty about the first partners and relationships with his employees, proving to us that everything is possible through teamwork and loyalty.

Author : Phil Knight

Length : 400 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Let everyone else call your idea crazy... just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.”

5) Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Name of book : Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Description of the book : Have you ever wondered how Rockefeller gained his reputation and wealth? Well, award-winning biographer Ron Chernow explored that subject and wrote a book about it, too. 

Titan shows the impressive story behind the most controversial family in the US and their place in history. Chernow tells us a detailed story about John D. Rockefeller, Sr, and his ruthless methods and ethics that made him the world’s first billionaire.

You can clearly see how Rockefeller founded the most powerful and feared monopoly in American history, Standard Oil , all the way to his demise at the behest of President Teddy Roosevelt.

Author : Ron Chernow

Length : 832 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Success comes from keeping the ears open and the mouth closed”

6) Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony

Name of book : Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony

Description of the book : Made in Japan takes you on a journey behind Sony Corporation , from its co-founder, Akio Morita. 

As one of the best entrepreneur biographies, you can take a deep look at Japan’s business techniques and methods and how the Japanese think, which can be priceless information for founders.

The story narrated by the authors is centered on how Sony was built, from its humble beginning after World War II to its meteoric post-war rise as the most influential company for music entertainment, and multimedia.

Author : Akio Morita , Edwin M. Reingold and Mitsuko Shimomura

Length : 352 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Curiosity is the key to creativity.”

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7) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Name of book : The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Description of the book : The Everything Store is the definitive biography of Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos. Brad Stone narrates the story of Jeff Bezos’s corporate culture and the methods he implemented at Amazon . 

You will read what it took for Jeff to build this company and how he changed how we shop and read... Forever!

Author : Brad Stone

Length : 384 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Some of these investments will pay off, others will not, and we will have learned another valuable lesson in either case.”

8) Sam Walton: Made in America

Name of book : Sam Walton: Made in America

Description of the book : This is considered one of the greatest entrepreneur biographies because it describes the origin story of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club . You will read how Sam founded the biggest retail stores in history and the largest private employer in the world. 

The authors clearly state what it took for Sam to create Walmart and what techniques he used in that process. Also, you will read about all methods regarding the planning and hiring process that attracted many workers. Today, Walmart is the largest corporation in terms of revenue.

Author : Sam Walton and John Huey

Length : 346 pages

‍Notable quote : “Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who’s going to have a great idea.”

9) Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Name of book : Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Description of the book : Ashlee Vence presents the detailed life of Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX . It gives you a deep look into Musk’s ideas and innovations about the future he envisioned. Everything changed when Elon sold PayPal and shifted his focus on future investments, like clean automobiles and space programs.

Musk’s story is used to explore the question: can inventors still compete in today’s fierce global competition?

Author : Ashlee Vence

Length : 392 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Good ideas are always crazy until they’re not.”

10) The Snowball; Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Name of book : The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Description of the book : The Snowball presents the story of Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in history and the founder of Berkshire Hathaway Holdings.  

Alice Schroeder narrates this well-read CEO biography about the life of Warren Buffett and the idea to create a holding company that owns stocks in multiple famous corporations like Coca-Cola, American Express, and Apple.

As an entrepreneur, you will find important information about Warren’s secrets despite living in privacy for most of his life.

Author : Alice Schroeder

Length : 960 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Time is the friend of the wonderful business, the enemy of the mediocre.”

11) Morgan: American Financier

Name of book : Morgan: American Financier

Description of the book : One of the best business biographies, Morgan gives you a never-before-seen insight about J. Pierpont Morgan, one of the greatest investors in US history. 

In this book, you will read how Morgan reorganized the nation’s railroad and appointed himself as a one-man central bank. The author also guides the reader into Morgan’s life outside his business.

Author : Jean Strouse

Length : 816 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “No problem can be solved until it is reduced to some simple form. The changing of a vague difficulty into a specific, concrete form is a very essential element in thinking.”

12) Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles

Name of book : Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles

Description of the book : Here, There and Everywhere is one of the best business biographies regarding The Beatles chief engineer, the man responsible for their unique sound. 

Geoff Emerick describes his journey from the start of The Beatles in 1962, all the way to their meteoric rise to the top. In the book, you will find out how Geoff pioneered innovative recording techniques and how he achieved the sound of their most famous songs that changed rock music forever.

As an entrepreneur, you can learn that starting at a young age can be the best move you can make - just like Geoff did when he was 15 years old!

Author : Geoff Emerick

‍ ‍Notable quote : “It was down to me—not George Martin, not anyone else—to turn the Beatles’ new vision into a reality.”

13) Bloomberg by Bloomberg

Name of book : Bloomberg by Bloomberg

Description of the book : Bloomberg by Bloomberg is the origin story of Michael R. Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg L.P. 

Written by Michael himself, this book takes us deep into Bloomberg’s life and his idea of creating his own company after he got fired at the age of 39.

Throughout the book, readers will learn more about his creative mind and the challenges he faced at Wall Street , all the way up to founding the fastest-growing media empire on Earth.

Author : Michael R. Bloomberg

Length : 272 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : If you're going to succeed, you need a vision, one that's affordable, practical, and fills a customer need. Then, go for it.”

14) Carnegie

Name of book : Carnegie

Description of the book : Carnegie takes us on a journey into the life of Andrew Carnegie, one of the major figures in American history. 

Peter Krass describes the origin story of the titan who made his fortune through the steel industry and how he used the wealth upon his retirement.

The readers can take a look at how Andrew influenced the world’s political stage and the way he founded the largest and the most profitable steel industry on the planet. As a founder, you will learn how Andrew became one of the biggest philanthropists in the world, despite his notorious reputation.

Author : Peter Krass

Length : 612 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “The poor enjoy what the rich could not before afford. What were the luxuries have become the necessities of life. The laborer has now more comforts than the landlord had a few generations ago.”

15) Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company

Name of book : Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company

Description of the book : Every manager must understand that eventually everything changes. This is the critical point in Only the Paranoid Survive by former Intel CEO Andrew Grove. 

The charismatic innovator narrates his story in Intel and how he helped the company to remain the largest chip producer. Readers will discover the strategic inflection points or SIPs Andrew faced in his career and how he beat the Japanese competition.

Only the Paranoid Survive can be the ultimate lesson about leadership skills, which you can benefit almost instantly.

Author : Andrew S. Grove

Length : 224 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Only the Paranoid Survive.”

16) iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

Name of book : iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

Description of the book : Take a deep look into the creation of Apple and the first personal computer, brought to you by the charismatic Steve Wozniak. 

In iWoz , you will read about the early starts for Wozniak and the idea behind Apple . Narrated by Steve himself, he presents details about his personal life like never before and describes his groundbreaking idea to combine the first real personal computer named Apple I . 

Authors : Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith

Length : 313 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “The world needs inventors--great ones. You can be one. If you love what you do and are willing to do what it really takes, it's within your reach. And it'll be worth every minute you spend alone at night, thinking and thinking about what it is you want to design or build. It'll be worth it, I promise.”

17) My Life and Work: Autobiography of Henry Ford

Name of book : My Life and Work; Autobiography of Henry Ford

Description of the book : Published in 1922, this entrepreneur autobiography gives you the slightest details regarding Ford’s beginnings, the strategies he used to revolutionize the automotive industry, and how he got into the business.

Henry Ford guides the reader through his history and his own business philosophy used to create Ford Motor Company. 

Author : Henry Ford

Length : 204 pages

‍Notable quote : “There is no disgrace in honest failure; there is disgrace in fearing to fail

18) Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Name of book : Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Description of the book : This is the detailed story about Cornelius Vanderbilt, the forefather of modern American business. 

Readers will find out how Cornelius built his fortune and his vision to turn New York into the financial capital we see today. This book sheds light on Cornelius’s private life from previously unreleased articles.

Author : Edward J. Renehan Jr.

Length : 364 pages

‍Notable quote : “Never tell anyone what you are going to do till you have done it.”

19) Jack: Straight from the Gut

Name of book : Jack: Straight from the Gut

Description of the book : Many readers would agree that this book is one of the best business biographies. The authors will introduce you to the life of former General Electrics Chairman and CEO Jack Welch. 

You will find out how Jack managed to run one of the biggest corporations of our time in a robust economic era in the US.

Authors : Jack Welch , John A. Byrne , and Mike Barnicle

Length : 496 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : "There is no straight line to anyone's vision or dream."

20) Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Name of book : Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Description of the book : Written directly by former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, this entrepreneur biography contains detailed information and tips on how to manage your company. 

Entrepreneurs and founders will read about Tony’s early start and learn the creativity he used to run Zappos to the top of its industry.

Author : Tony Hsieh

Length : 246 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “I had decided to stop chasing the money, and start chasing the passion.”

21) Iacocca: An Autobiography

Name of book : Iacocca: An Autobiography

Description of the book : Let’s dive into the automotive world once again. Lee Iacocca, the former legendary President at Ford and Chairman at Chrysler, is the man behind this book . 

In this entrepreneur biography, Lee guides the reader from his humble beginnings and working at Ford and how he saved Chrysler Corporation from bankruptcy during the 1980s. 

Lee presents his vision and how he came up with the idea to create the Mustang , one of Ford’s famous models.

Authors : Lee Iacocca and William Novak

Length : 357 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Get all the education you can then go out and do something - do anything.”

22) American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company

Name of book : American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company

Description of the book : American Icon gives us a magnificent story about Ford Motors and its turnaround of the leadership from its CEO Alan Mulally. 

The book explains how Alan managed to save the company in the 2008 crisis, upon rejection of financial help from the government. 

Alan implemented the methods he used in Boeing , reorganized Ford’s management, and turned the corporation into the largest automotive producer during those difficult times.

Entrepreneurs can read this book and see what plans Alan used to prevent Ford’s collapse.

Author : Bryce G. Hoffman

Length : 432 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “You have to expect the unexpected, and you have to deal with it.”

23) The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Rev olution

Name of book : The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

Description of the book : The Man Who Solved the Market is a best-selling book about mathematician Jim Simons and his pioneering algorithm-driven approach to investing. 

The book follows Simons’s path to success, starting with his early years, education at MIT and work at IBM, and finally, his late-life acclaim as the founder of Renaissance Technologies. 

The is a great entrepreneur biography for those wanting to learn more about finances, teamwork, and professional collaboration.

Author : Gregory Zuckerman

Length : 359 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Any time you hear financial experts talking about how the market went up because of such and such—remember it’s all nonsense.”

24) The Animated Man: A Life Of Walt Disney

Name of the book : The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney

Description of the book : Michael Barrier is the man behind one of the best business biographies, the origin story of Walt Disney. In this book, readers will discover important details from Walt’s life and how he got the idea to make cartoons.

Michael recorded countless interviews with Disney’s partner and friends to write this book.

You will see what challenges Walt overcame and how he battled out of the disaster that occurred in 1941.

Author : Michael Barrier

Length : 393 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : "I am not a literary person. As far as realism is concerned, you can find dirt anyplace you look for it. I'm one of those optimists. There's always a rainbow. The great masses like happy endings. If you can pull a tear out of them, they'll remember your picture.”

25) I’d Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta

Name of the book : I’d Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta

Description of the book : I’d Like the World to Buy a Coke takes us on a journey in the life of Roberto Goizueta, one of the longest-serving and highest-paid CEOs in history. 

The book explains Roberto’s arrival from Cuba in the 1960s and his rise while working in Coca-Cola. You will find out how Roberto reorganized Coca-Cola, the leader in the soft-drink industry, and his marketing strategies that made Coke the most popular beverage on Earth. 

Author : David Greising

Length : 334 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Not to take risks is the biggest risk.”

What Business Biographies Did We Miss?

So there you have it!

25 of the best entrepreneur biographies out there that can undoubtedly give you some sort of inspiration as you prepare yourself for the next ‘big’ step. 

All of these biographies are written with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs, as many of them come from groundbreaking founders and investors that reshaped the business world. 

Just like always, if we missed any biography that deserves a spot on our pretty list , don’t forget to send us an email - we’re more than happy to update our list with more and more entrepreneur biographies.

Questions About Business Biographies

What are business biography books.

Business biography books tell the behind-the-scenes stories of the greatest minds in the business industry, including Walt Disney, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos.

What Are The Best Business Biographies?

The best business biographies are Alibaba, by Duncan Clark, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, and Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight.

What Are The Best CEO Biographies?

CEO biographies are a segment of business biographies, which share the stories of the CEOs of the biggest companies. Only the Paranoid Survive, by Andrew Grove, Jack, by Jack Welch, and Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh, are the best CEO biographies.

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100 Best Business Biography Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best business biography books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

Phil Knight | 5.00

Bill Gates This memoir, by the co-founder of Nike, is a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like: messy, precarious, and riddled with mistakes. I’ve met Knight a few times over the years. He’s super nice, but he’s also quiet and difficult to get to know. Here Knight opens up in a way few CEOs are willing to do. I don’t think Knight sets out to teach the reader... (Source)

Warren Buffett The best book I read last year. Phil is... a gifted storyteller. (Source)

Andre Agassi I've known Phil Knight since I was a kid, but I didn't really know him until I opened this beautiful, startling, intimate book. And the same goes for Nike. I've worn the gear with pride, but I didn't realize the remarkable saga of innovation and survival and triumph that stood behind every swoosh. Candid, funny, suspenseful, literary - this is a memoir for people who love sport, but above all... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Ashlee Vance | 4.76

Richard Branson Elon Musk is a man after my own heart: a risk taker undaunted by setbacks and ever driven to ensure a bright future for humanity. Ashlee Vance's stellar biography captures Musk's remarkable life story and irrepressible spirit. (Source)

Casey Neistat I'm fascinated by Elon Musk, I own a Tesla, I read Ashlee Vance's biography on Elon Musk. I think he's a very interesting charachter. (Source)

Roxana Bitoleanu A business book I would definitely choose the biography of Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance, because of Elon's strong, even extreme ambition to radically change the world, which I find very inspiring. (Source)

Walter Isaacson | 4.73

Elon Musk Quite interesting. (Source)

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012.] (Source)

Gary Vaynerchuk I've read 3 business books in my life. If you call [this book] a business book. (Source)

The Everything Store

Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Brad Stone | 4.70

Doug McMillon [I read and give this book because] you need to understand what you’re up against. (Source)

Santiago Basulto I love to read biographies and stories of companies. Hatching Twitter is a really good book, and if you’re into that sort of books, bios of Steve Jobs (by Isaacson) or Jeff Bezos are great too. (Source)

Tracy DiNunzio It's a great book and especially for people starting out. (Source)

Made in America

Sam Walton, John Huey | 4.59

"Here is an extraordinary success story about a man whose empire was built not with smoke and mirrors, but with good old-fashioned elbow grease." (Detroit Free Press)

Jeff Bezos Expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action—a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes. Bezos included both in Amazon’s corporate values. (Source)

Rob "Crypto Bobby" Paone @tmac604 Read it earlier this summer, a great book 👍 and also hilarious to compare to current corporate excess ala WeWork (Source)

Life and Work

Ray Dalio | 4.58

Mark Cuban The book I wish I had as a young entrepreneur. (Source)

Tony Robbins I found it to be truly extraordinary. Every page is full of so many principles of distinction and insights—and I love how Ray incorporates his history and his life in such an elegant way. (Source)

Bill Gates Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles. (Source)

The Ride of a Lifetime

Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Robert Iger | 4.56

Brian Chesky Bob's book is great and he's an excellent CEO. (Source)

Brené Brown I expected a book written by the person who has led Disney for decades to be defined by both gripping storytelling and deep leadership wisdom. [The author] delivers, and then some! [This book] is leadership gold—you won’t forget the stories or the lessons. (Source)

Karlie Kloss [Karlie Kloss] says [this book] really inspired her to become a better boss. (Source)

The Art of the Deal

Donald J. Trump, Tony Schwartz | 4.48

Jim Hanson You already had Trump officials testifythey disagreed w/ @realDonaldTrump Interesting thing about executive power The executive has the power Not the advisers Here's a good book on it https://t.co/KGlUpucCNI Time for the acquittal https://t.co/xICCPPuvM5 (Source)

Marc M. Lalonde The easiest way to Clean Up my Friends List is to post this... I love this book! | Let's get to know each other a little. I'll start... Here's MY Story: https://t.co/o8gIl1TxR7 #AskLalonde #marcmlalonde #wealthy #inspiration https://t.co/6ULSKHiIj3 (Source)

Secret Agent Number Six The failing George W. Washington and his dad George H.W. Washington were fake Presidents. They did not think of The Constitution before I did.They stole all of my ideas for it from "The Art of the Deal" which you should read right now because its the best book ever. No collution! (Source)

The Outsiders

Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success

William N. Thorndike | 4.47

Warren Buffett In his 2012 shareholder letter, Buffett praises The Outsiders as "an outstanding book about CEOs who excelled at capital allocation." Berkshire Hathaway plays a major role in the book. One chapter is on director Tom Murphy, who Buffett says is "overall the best business manager I've ever met." (Source)

Michael Dell Thorndike explores the importance of thoughtful capital allocation through the stories of eight successful CEOs. A good read for any business leader but especially those willing to chart their own course (Source)

Mason Hawkins The Outsiders is a must-read for leaders—and aspiring leaders—striving to become exceptional CEOs, and for investors interested in partnering with exceptional stewards of corporate capital. (Source)

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Ben Horowitz | 4.45

Larry Page Ben's book is a great read - with uncomfortable truths about entrepreneurship and how to lead to a company. It's also an inspiring story of a business rebirth through sheer willpower. (Source)

Mark Zuckerberg Ben's experience and expertise make him one of the most important leaders not just in Silicon Valley but also in the global knowledge economy. For anyone interested in building, growing or leading a great company, this book is an incredibly valuable resource - and a funny and insightful read. (Source)

Dustin Moskovitz [Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book during a Stanford lecture.] (Source)

Don't have time to read the top Business Biography books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

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The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Ron Chernow | 4.41

Ryan Holiday A biography has to be really good to make read you all 800 pages. To me, this was one of those books. Since reading it earlier this year, I’ve since found out it is the favorite book of a lot of people I respect. I think something about the quality of the writing and the empathic understanding of the writer that the main lessons you would take away from someone like Rockefeller would not be... (Source)

Adam Townsend @Sociopathlete Great book (Source)

Anas Alhajji @Morg2006 Yep, I already have it. great book. (Source)

The Millionaire Next Door

The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy

Ph.D. Stanley, Thomas J., Ph.D.; Danko, William D. | 4.39

Dave Collum @cullenroche You ever read "Millionaire Next Door"? You just described parts of it. Great book, IMO. (Source)

The Intelligent Investor

The Classic Text on Value Investing

Benjamin Graham | 4.39

Warren Buffett To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What's needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework. This book precisely and clearly prescribes the proper framework. You must provide the emotional discipline. (Source)

Kevin Rose The foundation for investing. A lot of people have used this as their guide to getting into investment, basic strategies. Actually Warren Buffett cites this as the book that got him into investing and he says that principles he learned here helped him to become a great investor. Highly recommend this book. It’s a great way understand what’s going on and how to evaluate different companies out... (Source)

John Kay The idea is that you look at the underlying value of the company’s activities instead of relying on market gossip. (Source)

The Snowball

Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Alice Schroeder | 4.37

Marvin Liao My list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make... (Source)

John Kay It’s on the list, firstly, because Buffet is the most successful investor in history. (Source)

Chude Jideonwo It's been so long, and I've been so busy that I haven't been able to recommend a book. I am sorry! I have read so many fantastic ones though, no matter how busy I have been. And I am soooooo excited to recommend this one. I love Warren Buffett ... https://t.co/ML0pM3G29k https://t.co/6yhfhT8WF5 (Source)

Creativity, Inc.

Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace | 4.33

Mark Zuckerberg This book is written by the founder of Pixar and is about his experience building a culture that fosters creativity. His theory is that people are fundamentally creative, but many forces stand in the way of people being able to do their best work. I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity. This should be inspiring to... (Source)

Timothy Ferriss No matter your circumstances, storytelling and creativity are two 'meta-skills' that can take your business and life to the next level. Ed is a master. (Source)

Ezra Klein An amazing, amazing book. (Source)

Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Sheryl Sandberg | 4.33

Mark Zuckerberg For the past five years, I've sat at a desk next to Sheryl and I've learned something from her almost every day. She has a remarkable intelligence that can cut through complex processes and find solutions to the hardest problems. Lean In combines Sheryl's ability to synthesize information with her understanding of how to get the best out of people. The book is smart and honest and funny. Her... (Source)

Oprah Winfrey Honest and brave... The new manifesto for women in the workplace. (Source)

Richard Branson If you loved Sheryl Sandberg's incredible TED talk on why we have too few women leaders, or simply believe as I do that we need equality in the boardroom, then this book is for you. As Facebook's COO, Sheryl Sandberg has first-hand experience of why having more women in leadership roles is good for business as well as society. Lean In is essential reading for anyone interested in righting the... (Source)

High Output Management

Andrew S. Grove | 4.33

Mark Zuckerberg [Andy’s] book played a big role in shaping my management style. (Source)

Ben Horowitz Andy Grove, who built himself from nothing to run Intel, stopped what he was doing to teach us his magic. And not through some ghostwriter either — Andy wrote this book himself. What an incredible gift. (Source)

Drew Houston The best book on management ever written. (Source)

Poor Charlie's Almanack

The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

Peter D. Kaufman, Ed Wexler, Warren E. Buffett, Charles T. Munger | 4.32

Warren Buffett From 1733 to 1758, Ben Franklin dispensed useful and timeless advice through Poor Richard's Almanack. Among the virtues extolled were thrift, duty, hard work, and simplicity. Subsequently, two centuries went by during which Ben's thoughts on these subjects were regarded as the last word. Then Charlie Munger stepped forth. (Source)

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2011.] (Source)

Naval Ravikant I always recommend [this book] as my top business book. (Source)

A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice

Bill Browder | 4.28

Eric Ries This reads like a thriller, but is an urgent and important story about the dangers of Putin’s Russia and the events leading to the Magnitsky Act. (Source)

Anand Sanwal @geoffreysbatt @patrick_oshag 2/ Reminded a bit of the story of @Billbrowder as told in the remarkable book Red Notice which chronicles his investments in Russia very early before everyone saw the opportunity (Source)

Jonathan Kay Am reading @Billbrowder's amazing book Red Notice. Did not know incredible story of Bill's dad, who got his @Princeton math PhD at age 20. Like many Jews of era, suffered massive discrimination, stigmatized because of his own dad's communism. Then Eleanor Roosevelt saves the day https://t.co/Bp5PFiIxm1 (Source)

Delivering Happiness

A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Tony Hsieh | 4.27

Chip Conley [The author] is a wise guy. Sincerely. He’s one of the wisest and most thoughtful business leaders of the modern age. (Source)

Adam Johnston Inspiring case study into building brand and customer service. (Source)

Julie Rice [At SoulCycle] we’re all big fans of [this book]. (Source)

The Power Broker

Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

Robert A. Caro | 4.27

Barack Obama He may have the country’s finest experts at his fingertips, but it still doesn’t hurt to read up on environmental and economic issues. (Source)

Ryan Holiday It took me 15 days to read all 1,165 pages of this monstrosity that chronicles the rise of Robert Moses. I was 20 years old. It was one of the most magnificent books I’ve ever read. Moses built just about every other major modern construction project in New York City. The public couldn’t stop him, the mayor couldn’t stop him, the governor couldn’t stop him, and only once could the President of... (Source)

Ben Greenman Well, if you look at a picture of a place, you can normally get a sense of what it’s like. But hopefully what books do, or what thinking does, is to show you what that place is like underneath. The Power Broker is the definitive history of how, in modern America, cities get built, power gets thrown around, neighbourhoods are overpowered by developers and politicians. It’s gigantic and it’s a... (Source)

This is Going to Hurt

Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

Adam Kay | 4.23

Quinn Cummings @lorapenza You might love @amateuradam's book. (Source)

The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power

Daniel Yergin | 4.21

Chris Goodall A wonderfully readable history of the development of the oil age. (Source)

Losing My Virginity

The Autobiography

Richard Branson | 4.20

Yaro Starak Richard Branson, another guy with his second bio came out just recently, sort of like the part II of his life, the next 20 years. I grabbed that because his bio… I should actually go back and answer your first and second question about biggest impact and “Losing My Virginity” by Richard Branson was a huge one back in the late 90s for me, more about big thinking. The guy is crazy and I would never... (Source)

Holger Seim When it comes to biographies I particularly like Losing My Virginity. (Source)

Robin Sharma I encourage you to read his autobiography “Losing My Virginity” as well as his book “Business Stripped Bare” if you haven’t gone through them yet. Uber-inspiring. For people who want to become Remarkable Entrepreneurs – and express their absolute best. (Source)

My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business

Dick Van Dyke | 4.20

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith | 4.19

Elon Musk Adam Smith FTW obv. (Source)

Barack Obama Obama, unsurprisingly, appears to be more drawn to stories sympathetic to the working classes than is McCain. Obama cites John Steinbeck’s “In Dubious Battle,” about a labor dispute; Robert Caro’s “Power Broker,” about Robert Moses; and Studs Terkel’s “Working.” But he also includes Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” and “Theory of Moral Sentiments” on his list. (Source)

Neil deGrasse Tyson Which books should be read by every single intelligent person on planet? [...] The Wealth of Nations (Smith) [to learn that capitalism is an economy of greed, a force of nature unto itself]. If you read all of the above works you will glean profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world. (Source)

Hit Refresh

Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw, Jill Tracie Nichols | 4.18

Bill Gates With every new technology, there are challenges. How do we help people whose jobs are replaced by AI agents and robots? Will users trust their AI agent with all their information? If an agent could advise you on your work style, would you want it to? That is what makes books like Hit Refresh so valuable. Satya has charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology... (Source)

Aviers Lim I would recommend biographies of Elon Musk and Satya Nadella. (Source)

The 1-Page Marketing Plan

Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd

Allan Dib | 4.16

The Elon Musk Blog Series

Wait But Why

Tim Urban | 4.15

Setting the Table

The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

Danny Meyer | 4.15

Chip Conley One of the best books on hospitality ever written. (Source)

Noah Kagan A few months ago, I was drinking a Noah’s Mill whiskey (cute) with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life... During the conversation, we got on the topic of books that changed our lives. I want to share them with you. I judge a book's success if a year later I'm still using at least 1 thing from the book. (Source)

Julie Rice We did a lot of reading [this book] at SoulCycle. (Source)

One Up On Wall Street

How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market

Peter Lynch, John Rothchild | 4.15

Patrick Swalls Read this if you want to learn more about the stock market. (Source)

Cable Cowboy

John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business

Mark Robichaux | 4.15

The Reckoning

David Halberstam | 4.14

David J Lynch This one sort of speaks to something I’ve long been interested in. We get this general education in schools that follows the basic themes of presidents and wars and that kind of thing and then there’s this alternative history of finance and economics, and Lords of Finance impressed me because it gives you that alternative history, particularly through the inter-war years from the end of World War... (Source)

How to Win at the Sport of Business

If I Can Do It, You Can Do It

Mark Cuban | 4.13

Jason Khalipa I like it because it gets me fired up. (Source)

An Autobiography

Lee Iacocca, William Novak | 4.13

Ramit Sethi Every few years for the last 20 years, Ramit has read Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca and William Novak. (Source)

Shankar Sharma Reading the Iacocca autobio at age 21, was absolutely transformational. Taught me more than an MBA degree. The second book that did something similar at that age for me, was "The Mind of The Strategist" by Kenichi Ohmae. Such great business wisdom in these books. RIP Lee https://t.co/PCpkRiKwUV (Source)

Grinding It Out

The Making of McDonald's

Ray Kroc, Robert Anderson | 4.13

Aj Joshi @brianadgey Great book 👍🏼 very inspiring (Source)

The First Tycoon

The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

T.J. Stiles | 4.12

Josh Sternberg @mhbergen @nitashatiku “If [Cornelius Vanderbilt] had been able to sell all his assets at full market value at the moment of his death he would have taken one out of every 20 dollars in circulation.” From great book on Vanderbilt https://t.co/7SljC6fmbG (Source)

Skunk Works

A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed

Ben R. Rich, Leo Janos | 4.12

Chris Anderson @elidourado @pmarcas_likes What broke was our risk tolerance. The "Skunkworks" book is a great insider story of that. The day that the financial auditors outnumbered the engineers was the day the innovation died: https://t.co/ncrsulEZyC (Source)

Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

James Wallace and Jim Erickson | 4.12

Trillion Dollar Coach

The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell

Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle | 4.12

Sheryl Sandberg Bill shared his wisdom generously, expecting nothing back but the joy he got from teaching others. I was privileged to have him as my coach for several years. Many times since then, when asked for advice by others, I think of Bill and try to live up to the example he set. (Source)

Tim Cook Bill's passion for innovation and teamwork was a gift to Apple and the world. Trillion Dollar Coach has captured his tireless spirit so future generations can learn from one of our industry's greatest leaders. (Source)

Sundar Pichai Whenever I saw Bill, he gave me great perspective about what really matters. At the end of the day, it's the people in your life. Bill had such strong principles around community and how to bring people together. We used those principles - detailed in Trillion Dollar Coach - to form the foundation of Google's leadership training, so all of our leaders can continue to learn from Bill. (Source)

How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Howard Schultz, Joanne Gordon | 4.12

Ron Conway Story of his return to Starbucks, and the success of the company in a tumlutuous economic time in history. (Source)

In the Plex

How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives

Steven Levy | 4.11

Bill Slawski In The Plex is a great introduction to Google, and the many who work there. I knew many by the patents they file, so it was good to learn more about them as people. Some good insights to some algorithms in the book, too. https://t.co/TVz7GsD8nX (Source)

Alan Pierce I’m currently reading “In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works and Shapes Our Life" and am excited on gaining more insight into how google is changing the world and hopefully to get some valuable understanding I can use to maximize business decisions and read future trends while assessing investment opportunities for my company, ABM Investments. (Source)

Straight from the Gut

Jack Welch and John A. Byrn | 4.11

Warren Buffett In his 2001 shareholder letter, Buffett gleefully endorses Jack: Straight from the Gut, a business memoir of longtime GE executive Jack Welch, whom Buffett describes as (Source)

Tudor Mihailescu In every industry, there would be many relevant books but nothing would replace being in touch with the customers and people in own organisation. It’s a vast of space to recommend books, but I would suggest that learning how proven entrepreneurs or managers have done this as a good start (read about Jake Welch – Straight from the Gut, Steve Jobs, Shoe Dog – Phil Knight or Elon Musk) – admittedly,... (Source)

Annika Falkengren I read Jack Welch’s book back in 2003 and it was at the time a great source of inspiration. There were a couple of things that got stuck in my mind and in some cases changed my mind: that there are no shortcuts, that facts always must be faced no matter how brutal and that losing or failing had a value as long as your learn from them. His thoughts on how crucial the soft values are, inspired me a... (Source)

What It Takes

Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence

Stephen A. Schwarzman | 4.11

Eric Schmidt Reveals how [the author] has achieved the rarest kind of leverage in multiple fields. (Source)

Norman Ornstein What it Takes remains the best book written about American politics and politicians. i reread every few years. Want to know about Biden? Read it! https://t.co/ZlLwbRqADa (Source)

Trailblazer

The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change

Marc Benioff, Monica Langley | 4.11

Bill Gross I've been waiting "im"patiently for @Benioff 's new book to come out. It just came out on Kindle 10 minutes ago. It's terrific. Such a powerful, simple, but important lesson and message, "Values create Value!" I'll be sharing more highlights as I read further.. https://t.co/KAgrFs31fC (Source)

Jim Cramer I love this book and have already used it as the basis for several @MadMoneyOnCNBC segments and a talk to young entrepreneurs !!! https://t.co/fLYtdYAMxC (Source)

Natalie Petouhoff Trailblazer: @salesforce Founder and co-CEO Marc Benioff’s Inspiring New Book Shows How Business is the Greatest Platform for Change @Benioff https://t.co/lcIQbvG1Qo https://t.co/TKCiIpK6ZB (Source)

The House of Morgan

An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance

Ron Chernow | 4.11

Made in Japan

Akio Morita and Sony

Akio Morita, Edwin M. Reingold, Mitsuko Shimomura | 4.11

Bill Graham Presents

My Life Inside Rock And Out

Bill Graham, Robert Greenfield | 4.11

James Murphy Bill Graham Presents My Life Inside Rock and Out because I think it’s very important for young people to understand the history of the concert business before trying to jump into it. You need to have a clear understanding of where it’s been to know where it’s going and how you can help take it there. (Source)

Built from Scratch

How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion

Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank, Bob Andelman | 4.10

When a friend told Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank that, "You've just been hit in the ass by a golden horseshoe," they thought he was crazy. After all, both had just been fired. What the friend, Ken Langone, meant was that they now had the opportunity to create the kind of wide-open warehouse store that would help spark a consumer revolution through low prices, excellent customer service, and wide availability of products.

Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people-and their associates-built a business from nothing to 761...

Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people-and their associates-built a business from nothing to 761 stores and $30 billion in sales in a mere twenty years.

Built from Scratch tells many colorful stories associated with The Home Depot's founding and meteoric rise; shows that a company can be a tough, growth-oriented competitor and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to people in any business, from start-ups to the Fortune 500.

Great Stories

A Company with a Conscience

Great Lessons

Bernie Marcus is a cofounder of The Home Depot and currently serves as chairman of the board. From the company's inception until 1997, he served as CEO. With his wife, Billie Marcus, he founded the Marcus Developmental Resource Center, which provides support services for mentally impaired children and their parents. He sits on many boards of directors, including the New York Stock Exchange, and participates in many civic organizations, including the City of Hope, a cancer research center.

Arthur Blank is a cofounder of The Home Depot and is the company's president and CEO. He serves on the board of trustees of several organizations, including the North Carolina Outward Bound School, the Carter Center, Emory University, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs and was honored by the City of Hope for his fund-raising leadership.

Bob Andelman lives with his wife and daughter in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has collaborated on many bestselling business books, including Mean Business and The Profit Zone .

Frank Blake Very meaningful to me, not only because it’s the story of the founding of the Home Depot, but also because of my start as the CEO of Home Depot. (Source)

Rich Dad Poor Dad

What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!

Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter C.P.A | 4.10

Will Smith [Will Smith mentioned sharing this book with his son.] (Source)

The Man Who Solved the Market

How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

Gregory Zuckerman | 4.10

Abhishek Kar @Singh7575 ~The man who solved the market Nice book and interesting insights from Jim's life. Read it last month. Happy reading👍 (Source)

Andy Sum I finished reading a book! Pretty interesting biography and background on some of the emotions involved in quantatative trading. Worth reading. https://t.co/doi843dcGN (Source)

Steve Burns The new book on Jim Simons is in my top 5 favorite trading books of all time ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It is already the #19 best seller in Amazon nonfiction The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution Kindle Edition by Gregory Zuckerman https://t.co/FAZFigNNXy https://t.co/Jjz38Qpdnu (Source)

Let My People Go Surfing

The Education of a Reluctant Businessman--Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual

Yvon Chouinard, Naomi Klein | 4.10

Alastair Humphreys @SecondS37175185 A fantastic book. (Source)

Paul Kedrosky @dpfishman Yes, fantastic book by incredible human. (Source)

Holger Seim When it comes to biographies I particularly like Let My People Go Surfing. (Source)

Shark Tales

How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business

Barbara Corcoran, Bruce Littlefield | 4.09

Trust Me, I'm Lying

Confessions of a Media Manipulator

Ryan Holiday | 4.09

Timothy Ferriss Ryan is part Machiavelli, part Ogilvy, and all results. From American Apparel to the quiet campaigns he's run but not taken credit for, this whiz kid is the secret weapon you've never heard of. (Source)

Dov Charney Behind my reputation as a marketing genius there is Ryan Holiday, whom I consult often and who has done more for my business than just about anyone. (Source)

Tucker Max The strategies Ryan created to exploit blogs drove sales of millions of my books and made me an internationally known name. The reason I am standing here while other celebrities were destroyed or became parodies of themselves is because of his insider knowledge. (Source)

Jack Welch, Suzy Welch | 4.09

Living Proof

Onyx Moonshine's Journey to Revive the American Spirit

Adam von Gootkin | 4.09

Capital Gaines

Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff

Chip Gaines | 4.09

The Unbeatable Legend in Business World

All About Microsoft and How it Became The Most successful enterprise on The Earth!

Rahul Doshi | 4.09

Liar's Poker

Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street

Michael Lewis | 4.09

With the eye and ear of a born storyteller, Michael Lewis shows us how things really worked on Wall Street....

With the eye and ear of a born storyteller, Michael Lewis shows us how things really worked on Wall Street. In the Salomon training program a roomful of aspirants is stunned speechless by the vitriolic profanity of the Human Piranha; out on the trading floor, bond traders throw telephones at the heads of underlings and Salomon chairman Gutfreund challenges his chief trader to a hand of liar's poker for one million dollars; around the world in London, Tokyo, and New York, bright young men like Michael Lewis, connected by telephones and computer terminals, swap gross jokes and find retail buyers for the staggering debt of individual companies or whole countries.

The bond traders, wearing greed and ambition and badges of honor, might well have swaggered straight from the pages of Bonfire of the Vanities . But for all thier outrageous behavior, they were in fact presiding over enormous changes in the world economy. Lewis's job, simply described, was to transfer money, in the form of bonds, from those outside America who saved to those inside America who consumed. In doing so, he generated tens of millions of dollars for Salomon Brothers, and earned for himself a ringside seat on the greatest financial spectacle of the decade: the leveraging of America.

John Lanchester It’s still a wonderfully entertaining book: An absolutely hilarious, very, very dark, vivid account of how Michael Lewis came out of Princeton and, with basically no qualifications, got a job in the bond trading department of Salomon Brothers (Source)

Audrey Russo Question: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path? Answer: Anything by Peter Senge. The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz Once you are Lucky, Twice you are good – Sara Lacey Revolutionary Wealth – Alvin Toffler Black Swan – Taleb Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change, by Ellen Pao. Creative Class – Richard Florida Creativity Inc. by Ed... (Source)

How the Internet Happened

From Netscape to the iPhone

Brian McCullough | 4.08

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

The Classic Novel Based on the Life of Legendary Stock Market Speculator Jesse Livermore

Lefevre Edwin, Price Tim | 4.08

Steve Burns "By far, the best investing book is Reminiscences Of A Stock Operator. Everything in that book is true about how markets work, how human nature works, the mistakes people make, the greed that they have, the ways they get themselves in trouble." - Gundlach https://t.co/asuBsN0BvM (Source)

Alykhan Satchu My all time favorite Book https://t.co/UxwPMlAcXU (Source)

Joshua M. Brown Each new generation of traders gets inspired by this book but I have come to love it as more of a cautionary tale. and FYI, this is the better book for that context: https://t.co/116lNciXCF https://t.co/mEYn2ZAqPI (Source)

The Big Payback

The History of the Business of Hip-Hop

Dan Charnas | 4.08

Lords of Finance

The Bankers Who Broke the World

Liaquat Ahamed | 4.07

Barry Ritholtz It covers a 50-year period from before World War I and leading up to World War II. Even if you’re not interested in finance, it’s a great read. (Source)

David J Lynch Lords of Finance gives you that alternative history, particularly through the inter-war years from the end of World War I into the Great Depression. (Source)

Pour Your Heart Into It

Highbridge | 4.07

Yaro Starak There were also more traditional books or businesses I read about, like the biography of Starbucks. It’s really more the biography of the CEO, Howard Schultz, a lot about him growing the Starbucks brand. Since I spent a lot of time writing in Starbucks cafés, that was an important company to me. (Source)

Jilliene Helman I really, really like company biographies. They're just kind of the style of book that I've gotten really into. [...] I've read the Starbucks CEO book. (Source)

The Unauthorized Autobiography

J.T. Owens | 4.07

Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out

Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business

Josh Noel | 4.07

Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Steven Levy | 4.06

American Gun

A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms

Chris Kyle, William Doyle | 4.06

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

Kind of the Story of My Life

Scott Adams | 4.06

Timothy Ferriss Scott has an incredible approach to 'career planning' that's as effective as it is unusual. He’s beaten all the odds and can help you do the same. (Source)

Gennady Batrakov [One of the] few books that made a great deal of impact on my life. (Source)

The Birth of Loud

Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll

Ian S. Port | 4.06

Confessions of an Advertising Man

David Ogilvy, Sir Alan Parker | 4.06

Rory Sutherland @GuruAnaerobic Love it. His best book. (Source)

Ronn Torossian Considering the overlap of similarities between PR and advertising, it is vital to learn from such legends as Ogilvy. His concepts, tactics, and techniques and are a must-read for not only those in marketing and PR but business in general. (Source)

Ola Olusoga For business, I've read Influence by Robert Cialdini 3 times, and Traction by Gabriel Weinberg twice, so if number of times read indicates favor, then those are it. There are a whole bunch of others, like The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman, Confession of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy, The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, and Running Lean by Ash Maurya, that I've also enjoyed and recommend to... (Source)

Andrew Carnegie

David Nasaw | 4.06

Charles T. Munger The definitive biography of an industrial genius, philanthropist, and enigma. At the meeting in May of this year, Munger also mentioned the Mellon Brothers as people to study. (Source)

Where Wizards Stay Up Late

The Origins Of The Internet

Katie Hafner | 4.05

At last, Hafner and Lyon have written a well-researched story of the origins of the Internet substantiated by extensive interviews with its creators who delve into many interesting details such as the controversy surrounding the adoption of our now beloved "@" sign as the separator of usernames and machine addresses. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past...

At last, Hafner and Lyon have written a well-researched story of the origins of the Internet substantiated by extensive interviews with its creators who delve into many interesting details such as the controversy surrounding the adoption of our now beloved "@" sign as the separator of usernames and machine addresses. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past -- and the future -- of the Net specifically, and telecommunications generally.

Lev Grossman If you want to go all the way back, Janet Abbate’s Inventing The Internet really takes it all the way back to the Eisenhower administration and the very beginnings of electronic computers. (Source)

Every Tool's a Hammer

Life is What You Make It

Adam Savage | 4.05

Scott Smith When @Alchemister5 and I decided to open @dnpeek, he gave me this book that @donttrythis wrote. I personally love hammers Jason. ;) https://t.co/ZabTx6JxGX (Source)

Learning to Breathe Fire

The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness

J.C. Herz | 4.04

Lead from the Outside

How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change

Stacey Abrams | 4.04

Wild Company

The Untold Story of Banana Republic

Mel Ziegler, Patricia Ziegler | 4.04

Against the Odds

James Dyson | 4.04

Console Wars

Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation

Blake J. Harris | 4.04

The King of Oil

The Secret Lives of Marc Rich

Daniel Ammann | 4.03

This Is Not a T-Shirt

A Brand, a Culture, a Community--A Life in Streetwear

Bobby Hundreds | 4.03

Gary Vaynerchuk Simply put, Bobby Hundreds is a social beast. He knows how to tell a story, where to tell that story, and he's great at bringing people together. He's also crazy dedicated to his work and has the laser-focused attention to detail needed to not only build an everlasting globally relevant brand, but any successful business. (Source)

Jessica Alba Building a brand is about identifying and fulfilling a need in a way that no one else can. It takes vision, dedication, and attention to detail. The Hundreds is a prime example of what it looks like when you've combined all these elements along with tapping into a culture and community. This is Not a T-Shirt guides you through methods and tools you can apply to get you one step closer to... (Source)

Tony Hawk This is Not a T-Shirt tracks the history of surf and skate culture and their relationship to streetwear—from the Zephyr skate team of the 1970s to brands like Stüssy, Supreme, BAPE, and, of course, The Hundreds, which has managed to stay relevant for more than fifteen years in a fickle market. This book is an insider's guide to the prevailing trends in youth culture of the last few decades that... (Source)

Sell It Like Serhant

How to Sell More, Earn More, and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine

Ryan Serhant | 4.03

Climate of Hope

How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet

Michael Bloomberg, Carl Pope | 4.03

iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon

How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

Steve Wozniak, Gina Smith | 4.03

The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products

Leander Kahney | 4.03

Bitcoin Billionaires

A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption

Ben Mezrich | 4.03

Kim Dotcom The Winklevoss brothers mailed me this awesome must-read book #bitcoinbillionaires with a really nice personal note. Thank you @winklevoss and @tylerwinklevoss. Facebook was stolen from you but what you’ve created since then is even more impressive. Crypto is the future. https://t.co/iAkfU1Dm65 (Source)

Bill Lee Thank you @tylerwinklevoss @winklevoss for sending me the must read @benmezrich book with the nice signed note. You guys are ushering in the crypto revolution and have captured lightning in a bottle again. #respect #BitcoinBillionaires https://t.co/QNaJLkQPJa (Source)

Negro with a Hat

The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey

Colin Grant | 4.03

The Facebook Effect

The Inside Story of the Company That is Connecting the World

David Kirkpatrick | 4.03

Craig Pearce If you read to maintain motivation and be entertained, I recommend a few books that in addition to telling great stories, also contain lessons and learnings. You won’t gain many step-by-step type lessons from these books but you will come away realizing that not all startups, regardless of what stage they are in, are as well polished as they make you think. You will realize that they make... (Source)

Angela Pham The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick made me a fan of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg years ago. I didn’t hesitate to take my current role at Facebook because I feel so strongly about their integrity and leadership, no matter the negative sentiments and media narratives the company has endured recently. (Source)

The Attention Merchants

The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads

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Yuval Noah Harari A very insightful book that surveys the history of modern information technology and its political implications, from the age of print and radio to the era of Google and Facebook. It gives the context of the current battle to control human attention. (Source)

Marvin Liao I tend to jump from book to book and may switch if I am interested in some new topic. This is a pleasure for me (which I also do benefit work wise from too). It’s quite a random list because I have eclectic interests (or just scatterbrained most likely) on tech business, AI, general global economy, geopolitics, rising Biotech economy & history. I'm basically 15% to 50% into all these books. (Source)

Rafat Ali Have to say @superwuster is best business writer there is. Just finished Master Switch , now reading “Attention Merchants”, the best history-in-context-with-rigor-and-intellectual-analysis writer/explainer there is. If I ever write a book, want to write it like Tim Wu. (Source)

Kevin Freiberg | 4.02

The House That Jack Ma Built

Duncan Clark | 4.02

Tim Draper Duncan Clark gets into the heart and soul of Alibaba and its founder, Jack Ma, who deftly maneuvered through the discontinuities and barriers in China to create one of the greatest companies in the world. China has thrived under the leadership of Jack Ma. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the present China and the heartbeat of a great entrepreneur. (Source)

Ken Wilcox This book provides excellent insight into the world of Jack Ma, perhaps the most famous of the leaders of the new economy in China. Duncan Clark is a real China 'Old Hand', unique in his knowledge of the Jack Ma generation. This book is definitely on the short list for those who wish to understand the Chinese economy today. (Source)

Erik Cheong I am a big fan of Jack Ma, I have 4 different books talking about Jack. He is a top entrepreneur & visionaire, who started out as a modest English teacher and built Alibaba into one of the world’s largest companies, an e-commerce empire on which hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers depend on. I am impressed about how he overcame his humble origins and early failures to achieve massive... (Source)

Paul Allen | 4.02

An Invisible Thread

The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

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LeBron, Inc.

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My Years with General Motors

Alfred Sloan | 4.01

Ben Horowitz My Years at GM by Alfred Sloan was very interesting particularly on scale issues. (Source)

Bogdan Iordache If you have to read just one business book to understand the global corporate world we live in today, I think this is it. And I think Bill Gates said this first. Alfred P. Sloan was the CEO of General Motors in its early beginnings, and he went through all the stages of the growth, going bust, growth and then consolidation of the beginning (when some companies were creating mechanical horses - no... (Source)

The Virgin Way

Everything I Know About Leadership

Richard Branson | 4.01

Madalina Uceanu I would recommend any biographies of business people, but definitely I would have on the list any of Richard Branson's books. That should cover a better business and mentality understanding. (Source)

Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit

William Knoedelseder | 4.00

The Maverick and His Machine

Thomas Watson, Sr. and the Making of IBM

Kevin Maney | 4.00

Just for Fun

The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary

Linus Torvalds, David Diamond | 4.00

Death of the Territories

Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever

Tim Hornbaker | 4.00

Best business books

All the books longlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award

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• Long listed

The Man Who Knew

Empire Of Pain

The Man Who Solved the Market

The Match King

The Snowball

The Age of Turbulence

Blood and Oil

Flash Crash

Make, Think, Imagine

Damaged Goods

Who is Michael Ovitz?

Hit Refresh

Brazillionaires

The Profiteers

Sons of Wichita

The Innovators

Car Guys vs Bean Counters

Myself and Other More Important Matters

• Book Collections

Home — Collections — 13 Best Business Biographies That Will Show You the Struggles of World’s Biggest Entrepreneurs

13 Best Business Biographies That Will Show You the Struggles of World’s Biggest Entrepreneurs

Table of Contents

Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others – it’s what Otto von Bismarck used to say . And what other better way to do that than by reading the biographies of those you admire?

Some of the most popular entrepreneurs admitted that they attribute their success to reading memoirs of the people they admire. Here’s a list of the  best business biographies recommended by them (is there something missing, any book that we absolutely-definitely-must add to this list? let us know !). There’s also one entrepreneur biography – or more – sprinkled in there, as well, so have a blast!

Oh, but before that, did you know we have a really good weekly newsletter where we write about things that make us better business people, better entrepreneurs, better professionals. So go HERE and see an example and subscribe!

1. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Elon Musk mentioned in multiple interviews that he learned a lot from reading biographies. Well, same thing is true regarding his biography. Published by Ashlee Vance in 2015, it’s a must-read for everyone who wants to shoot for the stars the same way he does.

“ Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future ” serves a great lesson on the sacrifices you’ll need to make when you have ambitious, almost impossible plans, and nobody believes in you.

Richard Branson , the founder of Virgin Group, recommended this book, saying that “ Elon Musk is a man after my own heart: a risk taker undaunted by setbacks and ever driven to ensure a bright future for humanity. Ashlee Vance’s stellar biography captures Musk’s remarkable life story and irrepressible spirit. “.

2. The Everything Store

Another fascinating biography, if you want to read all about how Jeff Bezos and Amazon conquered the world. Even though Jeff’s wife gave it a 1-star review on Amazon, you can still draw lots of lessons from it, especially about management, leadership and inovation.

Written by Brad Stone after he conducted tens, perhaps even hundreds of interviews with Amazon employees, Jeff’s former colleagues and family members, this is the most comprehensive book you’ll find about how Amazon became the everything store.

3. Alibaba – The House That Jack Ma Built

And speaking of Amazon… If you want to know more about its main competitor, how Jack Ma built the giant empire we now know as Alibaba, read this biography published last year by Duncan Clark.

Jack managed to get past China’s political obstacles and turned Alibaba into one of the biggest companies in the world.

This is what Sir Martin Sorrell , CEO of WPP, had to say about this book: “ Anybody who thinks the Chinese just copy or steal technology from the West should read this book and think again. Jack Ma is part Bill Gates, part Steve Jobs, part Larry Page, part Sergey Brin, and part Mark Zuckerberg, all rolled into one “.

4. Steve Jobs

This book probably needs no introduction, as I’m confident it’s the most popular biography from this list. Based on more than 40 interviews conducted by Walter Isaacson over 2 years with Steve Jobs , as well as hundreds of interviews with his family members, friends, colleagues and so on.

Jobs cooperated for this book and encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly, saying that: “ I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, such as getting my girlfriends pregnant when I was 23 and the way I handled that, but I don’t have any skeletons in my closet that can’t be allowed out. ”

5. Creativity, Inc

And since we mentioned Steve Jobs, here’s another book that might interest you: Creativity, Inc. is the story of Pixar Animation and its co-founder, Ed Catmull . If you want to learn great lessons on leadership and management, check it out.

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the CEOs who read and recommend this book.

6. Iacocca: An Autobiography

In his podcast with Tim Ferriss , Ramit Sethi mentioned that he read Iacocca: An Autobiography every few years for the last 20 years.

Lee Iacocca’s best selling autobiography was originally published in 1984 and follows his career in the auto industry, first with Ford, and afterward with the Chrysler Corporation. Iaccoca’s considered an American legend, a businessman who turned around Chrysler when the company was facing a crucial point.

7. Empire State of Mind: How Jay Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office

“I’m not a businessman – I’m a business, man.” – This book follows Jay Z and how he climbed from the ill famed streets of Brooklyn, where he spent his childhood, to the heights of the business world.

Ryan Holiday recommended this biography, saying that: “ This is a biography that also functions as a business book. It shows how Jay applied hustling techniques to the music business and eventually built his empire “.

8. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

This is probably one of the best biographies published in the recent years. Shoe Dog follows Phil Knight’s memories, from the times when he was just a young boy, lost and with no idea what to do with his life, until he built the giant sports brand that we know today as Nike.

Bill Gates wrote on his blog about this book: “ […] is a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like: messy, precarious, and riddled with mistakes. I’ve met Knight a few times over the years. He’s super nice, but he’s also quiet and difficult to get to know. Here Knight opens up in a way few CEOs are willing to do. I don’t think Knight sets out to teach the reader anything. Instead, he accomplishes something better. He tells his story as honestly as he can. It’s an amazing tale. ”

9. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller

This is one huge biography, with more than 800 pages filled with the life and story of John D. Rockefeller. Considered to be the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism, Rockefeller “ was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and medical centers “.

10. Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

This book is recommended by Warren Buffett , who co-founded Berkshire Hathaway together with Charlie Munger. It’s a collection of his speeches and talks.

11. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!

I’ve been bumping into this book for a long time, as it’s one of the most recommended books by entrepreneurs. Filled with stories and memories of Richard Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize for physics, who was always questioning the status-quo and testing assumptions. In this book he recalls all the experiences he conducted, but also his pranks and adventures (even the ones he pulled in the years he was working on the Manhattan Project).

Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin , are among the fans of this book. Noah Kagan , founder of Sumo, even said that he if you ever meet him in person, he always has an extra copy, “ because it’s just that amazing “.

I have to agree – I finished it recently, after a few nights of reading Feynman’s adventures until 4 AM (yes, it’s just that addictive!).

12. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

We couldn’t mention Charlie Munger without bringing up his partner’s biography. Lots of books were written about Warren Buffett , the “Oracle of Omaha”, but this was written with his cooperation and is considered to be the best.

13. Losing My Virginity

And last but not least: the autobiography of the famous entrepreneur Richard Branson . If you want to find out more about how he built the business empire Virgin Group, this is a good place for you to start.

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Best Business Biographies for Startup Founders to Read in 2024

• Startup Resources
• Business Biographies

Last Updated: October 11, 2023 By TRUiC Team

No matter what startup path you're walking, there's a very good chance that someone has forged it, or at least something similar, and succeeded. So who better to learn from than those who've already climbed the mountain and conquered it?

Business biographies are fast becoming the go-to content for startup founders and small business owners who want to learn from the best. We've sourced the 10 best business biographies for entrepreneurs to read in 2024. Ready to be inspired?

Running short on time?  Try Blinkist to gain key insights from the books below.

Best Business Biographies for Entrepreneurs

1. ‘alibaba: the house that jack ma built’ by duncan clark.

After Amazon, Jack Ma's Alibaba is probably the most famous success story in ecommerce history. In the biography “Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built ” Duncan Clark tells Ma's story of humble beginnings as an English teacher which culminated in his creation of a company that forever changed the global economy. 

This biography will be particularly beneficial to startup founders in countries where government policy can often be a stumbling point to success. Ma's home country of China was not always his ally in building Alibaba into a company that currently holds 80% market share, but this unlikely titan of business managed to outwit competitors from all over the world to achieve unimaginable success.

2. ‘Creativity, Inc.’ by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace

Any startup founder in a creative space will find the biography of Ed Catmull, founder of animation giant, Pixar, riveting. “Creativity, Inc. ” is written by Catmull with the help of Amy Wallace and details how Catmull brought his college dream of creating the world's first computer-animated movie to fruition with the release of the smash hit, Toy Story in 1995. Of course, this was simply the first of many successes for Catmull and Pixar, and his unlikely journey from startup to entertainment glory is a must-read for anyone on a similar path. Catmull also now heads up Disney Animation. Additionally, the book provides a few excellent leadership insights, especially where managing creatives is concerned. 

3. ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight

Although this business biography is based around the journey of the creator of sports brand Nike, it holds insights and valuable lessons for all startups and businesses. “Shoe Dog” is written by Phil Knight, the founder of the world-famous brand, and as far as business biographies go, this one, which is also a New York Times bestseller, carves out a new space for the genre. 

Knight walks readers through Nike's journey from an intrepid startup to an iconic household name. If you're a startup founder struggling with funding, you'll definitely want to find out how Knight built Nike with an initial funding of $50 from his dad.

4. ‘Losing My Virginity’ by Richard Branson

Richard Branson's biography “Losing My Virginity” charts his journey from a young entrepreneur with a dream to create businesses that would make a positive difference in the world, to becoming one of the most well-known and revered business leaders in the world. Branson's businesses also cross numerous spaces and industries, which just goes to show that strong insights are translatable no matter the subject. 

For startup founders, it can often feel that creating a successful business and having a well-balanced personal life are two completely irreconcilable goals, and this is perhaps one of the most important insights this business biography offers with Branson providing tips on how he learned to manage this aspect as he built Virgin.

5. ‘The Man Who Solved The Market’ by Gregory Zuckerman

Startup founders in the finance or fintech space will find Jim Simons' story of creating an algorithm-driven approach to investing which would go on to achieve unheard-of market returns, invaluable. The business biography, “The Man Who Solved The Market,” written by Gregory Zuckerman, details Simons' early years as a mathematician with a dream. 

Simons would go on to found his company, Renaissance Technologies, and change the face of investments forever. Despite the very specific subject matter, the book also holds some valuable general insights into teamwork and collaboration for startup founders in any sector.

Looking for more business books? Check out our list of the best startup books and book recommendations by startup founders !

6. ‘How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big’ by Scott Adams

Now, Dilbert (yes, the comic book series), is, of course, not technically a company or business, but this list would be incomplete without this contribution from Scott Adams. Adams, the creator of the highly successful comic strip, penned “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big” in which he explains how he managed to take some of his biggest failures and turn them into successes. The book also presents a very interesting management idea called the Dilbert Principle which purports that businesses will systematically shift poorly performing team members to management, as this is the area in which they can do the least damage. If you're a startup founder building a team from the ground up, you'll definitely want to consider whether the Dilbert Principle might apply to your team. 

7. ‘Sam Walton: Made In America’ by Sam Walton

“ Sam Walton: Made In America” is a business biography that will undoubtedly inspire any startup founder in the retail space. In the book, Sam Walton, the founder of the retail giant, Walmart, shares his rags-to-riches tale of taking his dream from a single dime store to a massive international chain. Perhaps one of the most unique elements of the book is Walton's insights on how to pair your own personal values with your business journey and keep a hold on your identity throughout. Walton also shares leadership insights around recognizing and fostering great thinkers within your team. Despite being set in the retail space, Walton's insights are valuable for entrepreneurs in any industry, especially if they find themselves struggling to maintain their personal values while doing business. 

8. ‘Believe It’ by Jamie Kern Lima

Female startup founders will be motivated and engaged by the business biography of Jamie Kern Lima, who went from serving tables for tips to owning a billion-dollar cosmetic startup. “Believe It ” has been called part biography, part manifesto, and perfectly plots out how some defining moments in Lima's life contributed to her success despite those events seeming like stumbling blocks when they first occurred. 

The book's subtitle, "How to Go From Underestimated to Unstoppable," perfectly sums up the type of motivational read startup founders can expect from this business biography.

9. ‘The Widow Clicquot’ by Tilar Mazzeo

The business biography about one of the world's most iconic food and beverage brands is a historical tale, but it proves the old adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same, and its insights are just as relevant to modern startup founders. 

“The Widow Clicquot” is certainly a story of female empowerment in the startup space with writer Tillar Mazzeo relating how Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin managed to take control of her late husband's business and turn it into an empire. All this while living at a time in history when women were not seen as business leaders. This is another biography that will be appreciated by female startup owners who are pushing to smash through those glass ceilings. 

10. ‘Elon Musk’ by Ashlee Vance

This business biography, written by Ashlee Vance, is about such an accomplished entrepreneur that it covers three of the most well-known brands in the world. “Elon Musk,” a book about the businessman of the same name, will inspire and motivate any startup founder who feels their idea is crazy. 

Musk, after all, was told this on several occasions by many different people, from his beginnings in South Africa to his journey through Silicon Valley, but when suddenly, his ideas started to take shape and change the world, those people would eat their words. The book also provides a sneak peek into what we can expect from Musk's future plans for SpaceX and why he believes that company may just be his biggest yet.

Recommended : Read our list of the best startup books !

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Nonfiction Books » Best Nonfiction Books of 2023

The best business books of 2023: the financial times business book of the year award, recommended by andrew hill.

WINNER OF THE 2023 FT BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive by Amy Edmondson

If you like nonfiction books that will get you up to speed with what's going on in the world, the Financial Times annual book prize is a great place to start. If you run a business, one or two useful books also feature. Andrew Hill , the newspaper's senior business writer, talks us through the books that made the 2023 shortlist, from cobalt extraction in the Congo to how to manage the AI genie that's out of the bottle and coming towards us at speed.

Interview by Sophie Roell , Editor

Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway

How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between by Bent Flyvbjerg & Dan Gardner

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara

The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma by Michael Bhaskar & Mustafa Suleyman

1 Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway

2 right kind of wrong: why learning to fail can teach us to thrive by amy edmondson, 3 how big things get done: the surprising factors that determine the fate of every project, from home renovations to space exploration and everything in between by bent flyvbjerg & dan gardner, 4 elon musk by walter isaacson, 5 cobalt red: how the blood of the congo powers our lives by siddharth kara, 6 the coming wave: technology, power, and the twenty-first century's greatest dilemma by michael bhaskar & mustafa suleyman.

B efore we get to the books, tell me a bit about this year’s Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award. What were the highlights of 2023?

This year the prize had over 500 entries. That wasn’t a record. I never know quite how to gauge that: whether that means that some publishers didn’t submit as many books or whether there weren’t as many books published.

For only the second time that I can remember, we had a book that the judges called in and put directly onto the shortlist. This was Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk. As the person who administers the prize, I would want it to be as rare as once a decade, because you want books to have gone through the longlist process. Isaacson’s book muscled its way onto the shortlist on the basis of being the newsy new book. That’s unusual but doesn’t say anything about its prospects to come out as a winner.

It’s an interesting shortlist because it divides into three pairs. One is natural resources and the environment – not so much climate change (although there was a climate change book on the longlist). Two of the books are about extractive natural resources. Those are Material World by Ed Conway and Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara.

Another theme was technology and AI . I didn’t think we would have any books about generative AI, because the big ChatGPT breakthrough that seemed to revolutionise everything didn’t happen until November of last year. But we had a couple of books on the longlist and Mustafa Suleyman’s The Coming Wave , which is about technology advances, got through to the shortlist. A lot of books on the longlist addressed the effect of technology and automation on jobs and people. I guess one could put the Musk biography into that category because of the various technologies that he’s worked on.

Let’s go through the books individually. Shall we start with Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future , by Ed Conway ? I remember reading the beginning and being quite struck by it. He is watching gold being extracted and thinking, ‘I wonder whether I really needed that gold wedding ring, now that I’ve seen what has to happen in order for it to come into existence.’

What I like about this book—and he makes this point very clearly—is that this is stuff that you can see. Ed Conway is a journalist for Sky News and of course TV journalists are always looking for things that can be filmed. Our review of the book pointed out that it’s a shame that there aren’t more pictures in it. He’s trying to paint a picture, and you want to see what he’s seeing, which is the extraordinary effort that goes into mining the six vital materials that he focuses on: salt, sand, iron, copper, oil, and lithium .

Let’s turn to Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive , by Amy Edmondson, one of the two books about failing you mentioned. In recent years, I’ve read quite a bit about failure being good for you. What does this book bring to the picture?

Amy Edmondson is a very distinguished Harvard researcher, best known for having explored the concept of ‘psychological safety.’ This is the idea, which she pursues further in this book, that you can only advance and become more successful if you are in an environment where you can safely admit—and indeed call out—errors and mistakes being made.

She did a lot of work, which recurs in this book, in the healthcare sector. That’s where she started and where she discovered—slightly to her astonishment—that it wasn’t the teams that were making the fewest errors that were the most successful. It was the teams that were admitting to the most errors, because they were then able to correct and work together to improve.

That is the fundamental underpinning of her research and that of others in this area. She bases this on a fundamental point: that if we’re not able to admit to failure and to approach failure in a constructive way, we’re never going to want to take any risks. We’re not going to be able to make the smarter and more adventurous decisions that lead us to advance.

I find it a very compelling hypothesis, well backed up by research and interesting tales – everything from the Columbia shuttle disaster to open heart surgery – to show how we reached the level of sophistication that we now have in some of these vital areas. I think it’s an important book from an important researcher.

So it’s not so much a self-help book about me, personally, failing in my daily life and learning from that — it’s more about society at large?

Let’s go on to the other failure book: How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration , by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner. That sounds exciting, it’d be nice to get some big things done right now.

This book is exceptionally interesting. Bent Flyvbjerg is an Oxford-based Danish academic. He is the main writer and it’s mainly based on his work, with Dan Gardner as co-author. Flyvbjerg’s work is to look at megaprojects and he poses a law of megaprojects: that they generally go over budget and over time and why this is bad.

In the current circumstances, in the UK, there’s HS2, which Flyvbjerg has written about and talked about, but there are lots of great examples. He’s very fond of the Sydney Opera House debacle because it was a Danish architect who designed it. He points out that it essentially deprived the world of this architect’s future work because he was in such despair at the portrayal of the Sydney Opera House as a failure that he didn’t design anything much after that.

Let’s move on to Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. I’m not generally drawn to biographies of tech gurus, but I read Isaacson’s book about Steve Jobs to prepare for a Five Books interview, and I was blown away by it. I was expecting great things from his Elon Musk book, but the reviews have been mixed. What’s your impression of the book?

The first thing to mention is that this is the second Elon Musk biography that has been on the short or longlist of the award. A few years ago, Ashlee Vance’s Elon Musk biography, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future , was on the longlist. Everybody thought it was great, but obviously Elon Musk was in an earlier phase of his rise to multibillionaire-dom.

This book is at a later phase, but it still isn’t done, as the book makes clear. Inevitably, you’ve got to put a full stop somewhere. The Steve Jobs biography came out just after Jobs had died, so, in a sense, there was a roundness to it that any Musk biography that comes out now isn’t going to achieve.

Isaacson sat at the feet of Musk – literally, in the same room as Musk – for two or three years, I think. The whole second half of the book is about the last three years, so it’s very detailed. It’s very much reporting. He doesn’t step back except right at the end, and then to make a rather general point about how you need the good and the bad in order to have a genius (which was similar to the Steve Jobs conclusion, if I remember correctly). Isaacson doesn’t say, ‘I’m now going to make a judgment on what’s happened.’ It’s very much an account of being with this extraordinary, tempestuous entrepreneur.

From that point of view, it fits into the historical record. Some of the things that have happened in the last few years, including the Twitter takeover, SpaceX, and Tesla — all the events that we’ve read about — are recounted from the Musk point of view in quite a lot of detail.

It’s a long book with very short chapters. It’s quite punchy, in that sense of ‘OK now we’re moving on’ which gives you a bit of an impression of what it must be like to live with or work with Elon Musk. But it doesn’t then step back and say how significant it is.

And, surprisingly, as somebody else pointed out recently, it’s not much about his businesses, as you might expect. There’s not a whole lot about ‘how has he managed to build this?’ It’s very much about the entrepreneurial leader.

Is there anything about Elon Musk that perhaps we don’t know that we’ll learn from this biography?

I think one of the revelations is that he has more children than we thought.

Putting my management hat back on, you get a bit more of an impression of this dynamo who is driving everything. One thing that stuck with me was this idea that he’ll take what had been, until Musk came along, a bureaucratic process, like launching a rocket, a lot of which is to do with safety and protocols, and he will tear it down to its bare essentials.

Let’s turn to Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara. At the beginning of the book, the author goes to the mining region of Katanga. It’s like scenes from the 19th century, with people working for very little money in horrible conditions.

Yes. I’ve been reading it on an iPad and it does make you put down your iPad and think, ‘What is in this thing that I am reading from?’ It’s about cobalt, a vital raw material and one that probably could have made it into Ed Conway’s Material World as a seventh critical material. It’s vital, particularly for rechargeable batteries, and therefore hugely in demand.

Siddharth Kara goes, literally, deep into the holes being dug, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, by artisan miners who are pulling rocks from the ground in the most extraordinary circumstances. Kara interviews the workers and the traders who are buying it and, he alleges, putting it into the formal supply chain. There’s a shocking moment where he just throws in that none of them has ever held a mobile phone. And yet, they’re at the very end of the chain that leads to our iPhones and our electric cars.

It is a shocking account, and he sets it in the context of the terrible history of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo – previously Zaire, and before that the Belgian Congo – as a place that has been exploited, from the word go, for these minerals, which could have made its people wealthy and prosperous and well looked after.

It’s a shocking indictment and his underlying polemical point is that there are big companies who are whitewashing this out of the record, who are claiming to have a clean supply chain. His essential contention is there is no such thing as clean cobalt.

What’s upsetting is that this is a country of nearly 100 million people.

Yes, and his point is that at the top end – the bottom end, ethically speaking – of the DRC, there are people making out like bandits. There are literal bandits in this book, and there are also politicians who are creaming off an extraordinary amount of money.

Let’s turn to the final book on the 2023 Business Book of the Year shortlist: The Coming Wave: AI, Power and the Twenty-First Century’s Greatest Dilemma  by Mustafa Suleyman with Michael Bhaskar. Tell me about this book.

The Coming Wave is in that category of books I mentioned about technological progress and its consequences. It sets the advances in automation and in synthetic biology (e.g., gene splicing and DNA printing) and in quantum computing —these current waves of technology—in the context of what happened with past waves, including the Industrial Revolution , and the Luddites, who, bizarrely, crop up in three of this year’s longlisted books. (One of the longlisted books that didn’t make the shortlist – Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion against Big Tech , by Brian Merchant – is actually about the Luddites).

In the context of the history of technological advances, it’s asking, ‘What can we expect?’ It poses the question: ‘Can we contain the bad consequences of fast-moving technological advance and if so how?’

The main author, Mustafa Suleyman, who worked with Michael Bhaskar on the book, is a co-founder of DeepMind, which is now owned by Google. Google and DeepMind are at the heart of some of the technologies mentioned here that are being developed.

In the book, he points out that he started out thinking he was going to write a very optimistic book, as a techno optimist himself, and became more pessimistic. It ends with the anguished idea that we’re trying to contain the uncontainable. Suleyman thinks containment is the way to approach this. It can’t be regulated away: there isn’t enough that any individual regulator can do. But he lays out some ways in which he thinks that the potentially lethal consequences of some of these advances might be contained and channelled.

He makes a lot out of the positive aspects as well, all the amazing things that you can do by combining AI, quantum computing, and synthetic biology, in terms of preserving and extending life, and making life better.

But the overall impression I got from the book is that it’s a warning. We’ve got to work now to think about ways in which we can at least impose some guardrails that prevent this becoming a disaster for humanity. And that, as I say, is slightly echoed in some of the other books that made it to the longlist this year.

What is the worst-case scenario, then, if everything goes wrong, and we don’t manage to put in those guardrails?

There are various ways in which he thinks we could get this wrong. In AI, there’s the possibility that you end up with self-generating solutions that turn out not to be beneficial for wider humanity, a race to the bottom between AI-fuelled machines or the risk of weaponisation – it could be literal weaponisation – of these tools to go after somebody else or another state. Part of his warning is that accidents happen when humans are involved in doing this stuff. We do not necessarily get things right all the time, which brings us back to our books on failure.

What he’s suggesting is that you need to have some context around this, involving regulators and governments and some of the private sector actors working together to prevent those things happening, or, at least, to have a game plan for if they do. I didn’t come out of this book whistling a happy tune, but it’s a contribution to the way in which that worst-case scenario can be mitigated or even avoided.

November 30, 2023

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Andrew Hill

Andrew Hill is senior business writer at the Financial Times, consulting editor of FT Live and organiser of the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award . He is a former management editor, City editor, financial editor and comment and analysis editor. Andrew was named Business Commentator of the Year at the 2016 Comment Awards and Commentator of the Year at the 2009 Business Journalist of the Year Awards, where he also received a Decade of Excellence award. He is the author of Ruskinland: How John Ruskin Shapes Our World .

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16 Great Business History Books to Read in 2024

You found our list of the best business history books .

Business history books are publications that discuss the establishment and effects of business operations on different economic sectors. Examples include Titan by Ron Chernow and DisneyWar by James B. Stewart. The purpose of these books is to broaden readers’ knowledge of the business world and learn from the past mistakes of renowned business persons.

These examples are similar to  business books , business strategy books , and business biographies . These resources can help entrepreneurs learn more about  cost-saving ideas ,  professional development ideas , and  building strong teams .

This list includes:

• true story business books
• books about companies throughout history
• American business history books
• best selling business history books

Let’s get started!

List of business history books

Business history is a fascinating subject that offers insights into the evolution of economic systems. From The Everything Store by Brad Stone and Grinding It Out by Ray Kroc, here is a list of the best books that individuals can use to learn the history of business.

1. Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar

As one of the best selling books about business history, Barbarians at the Gate provides insights into the fall of RJR Nabisco. Bryan Burrough and John Helyar discuss the era of federal bailouts and spectacular business crashes leading to the fall of the American conglomerate. Barbarians at the Gate entails handy lessons on hostile takeovers, acquisitions, assets, and liquidity. The authors include interviews of the main characters of corporate histories, obscure financial procedures, and legal ramifications. Readers will learn about the closure of businesses after obtaining the maximum profit. In addition, the authors focus on vital lessons such as the dangers of allowing companies to trade on the stock markets and corporate mismanagement.

Notable quote: “Recognize that ultimate success comes from opportunistic, bold moves which, by definition, cannot be planned.”

Read Barbarians at the Gate .

2. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow

Titan details the life of John D. Rockefeller, an American philanthropist and business magnate. Ron Chernow provides a psychologically insightful history of America’s first billionaire and the most famous dynasty. Readers will get insights into the rise of Rockefeller, from rustic origins to becoming a renowned multibillionaire and the most controversial businessman in America’s history. The book also entails Rockefeller’s creation of Standard Oil, the most powerful monopoly in America. Chernow talks about the belief that the billionaire’s empire results from predatory pricing, bribery of political officials, collusion with the railroads, and industrial espionage. Titan also captures America’s business history, including the post-civil war shift and the rise of corporations.

Notable quote: “Rockefeller equated silence with strength: Weak men had loose tongues and blabbed to reporters, while prudent businessmen kept their own counsel.”

Read Titan .

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3. The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind

The Smartest Guys in the Room is one of the best true story business books. Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind take readers through the biggest business story of our time, with exclusive details of the history of Enron. McLean and Elkind discuss past private meetings that led to the disastrous demise of the corporation. The authors also reveal the role of major characters such as Andy Fastow and Cliff Baxter in the rise and fall of Enron. Business leaders can learn pivotal lessons about the scandal of the former American energy, services, and commodities corporation. For instance, readers will get insights into the dangers of the lack of reliable corporate finance systems.

Notable quote: “Unmistakable message to boardrooms across the country: You can’t lie to shareholders. You can’t put yourself in front of your employees’ interests. No matter how rich and powerful you are, you have to play by the rules.”

Read The Smartest Guys in the Room .

4. For Profit: A History of Corporations by William Magnuson

For Profit discusses the history of corporate innovation and its effect on the economy, politics, and society. William Magnuson argues that corporations hold immense power, with some using these entities as engines of progress while others use businesses for selfish prosperity. The author uses a diverse group of bankers, merchants, and investors to tell the corporation’s story. Readers will learn about the eight periods in corporation evolution, from Rome to the start-up age. The book also contains interesting characters such as powerful, brave, fraudulent, and conniving individuals.

Notable quote: “He who deals in exchanges and he who deals in merchandise is always anxious and beset by worry.”

Read For Profit .

5. Den of Thieves by James B. Stewart

Den of Thieves is a fantastic choice of American business history books. The publication entails an insider trading scandal that nearly ruined Wall Street. James B. Stewart, a Pulitzer Prize–winner, explains the role of four of the biggest names on Wall Street in the scandal. Readers will learn how Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken, Dennis Levine, and Martin Siegel created an insider trading ring and almost walked away with billions. The author based the book on secret grand jury interviews, transcripts, and trading records.

Notable quote: “If Wall Street escapes another major threat to its integrity for even half as long, the crackdown that culminated in Milken’s conviction will have proven of historic value.”

Read Den of Thieves .

6. The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni

The Founders dives into the history of PayPal, an American financial technology company with a global presence. Jimmy Soni tells stories about PayPal’s founders and the employees who have revolutionized the technology industry. The author discusses the founders’ journeys, from unknown creators to building leading companies like YouTube, LinkedIn, and Tesla. The book discusses the competition, online fraud, and internal strife the founders faced throughout their journey. The Founders also includes stories of unknown individuals monumental to PayPal’s success.

Notable quote: “The indescribable financial excesses, the massive increase in debt, the monstrous use of leverage upon leverage, the collapse in private savings, the incredulous current account deficits, and the ballooning central bank assets all describe the very severe financial imbalances.”

Read The Founders .

7. Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis

Readers searching for US business history books will relish Liar’s Poker . Michael Lewis reviews his experience working at Salomon Brothers, a premier investment firm on Wall Street. The author talks about his rise from a callow trainee to a bond salesman. In the book, Lewis provides behind-the-scenes insights during challenging times in American business, including the eras of outrageous fortune and greed. The author also covers the mortgage bond business’s creation in the ’80s and its effect on the 2008 global economic meltdown. Liar’s Poker is a great resource for individuals who want to gain in-depth insights into the past decade’s financial bailouts, crashes, and bubbles.

Notable quote: “I thought instead of a good rule for survival on Wall Street: Never agree to anything proposed on someone else’s boat or you’ll regret it in the morning.”

Read Liar’s Poker .

8. DisneyWar by James B. Stewart

DisneyWar details the dramatic story of Disney through the leadership of Michael Eisner. The book discusses events that led America’s leading entertainment firm to civil war. James B. Stewart bases the resource on his access to current and former Disney executives and board members. The author also includes details from memos, letters, and transcripts to get to the bottom of Disney mysteries. DisneyWar is a must read for individuals who want to get in-depth information about one of the world’s most influential media and entertainment entities.

Notable quote: “You don’t do something because it’s a sure thing. You don’t do something for the bank. That’s the one that flops. That’s a riskier proposition than doing something completely original. It’s risky to be safe.”

Read DisneyWar .

9. Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity by Michael Lewis

Panic is a great choice of historical books about companies. Michael Lewis uses his humor to discuss the financial history and its effects on business markets. In addition, Lewis dives into market factors behind the events and analyzes the best course of action at the time. Panic also covers events such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2008 global financial collapse, and the 2000 dotcom collapse. Other notable insights include the fast business growth in the internet stage, housing bubbles, and plummeting of foreign currencies.

Notable quote: “Everything, in retrospect, is obvious. But if everything were obvious, authors of histories of financial folly would be rich.”

Read Panic .

10. Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton and John Huey

Sam Walton is a story about entrepreneurship, hard work, and risk. Renowned for founding Walmart and Sam’s Club, Sam Walton takes readers through his journey to growing the largest corporation globally by revenue. The publication contains exciting stories about Walton’s business struggles and relationships with partners, competitors, and associates. Some notable lessons include the businessman’s tactics to motivate team members and entice his customers. In addition, the book will encourage entrepreneurs to believe in their idea and navigate business challenges.

Notable quote: “It is a story about entrepreneurship, and risk, and hard work, and knowing where you want to go and being willing to do what it takes to get there.”

Read Sam Walton .

11. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone

The Everything Store tops the list of books about companies throughout history. Brad Stone talks about the history of Amazon, from its founding stage to becoming a global entity. Additionally, the book touches on the corporate culture behind the venture’s success. Stone discusses Amazon’s strategies to respond to business challenges and how new businesses can build lasting structures. The Everything Store gives readers in-depth details of life at Amazon, the pursuits for new markets, and the company’s journey to transform retail.

Notable quote: “Jeff always said that when you focus on the business inputs, then the outputs such as revenue and income will take care of themselves.”

Read The Everything Store .

12. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein

When Genius Failed provides insights into Long-Term Capital Management. Roger Lowenstein captures the roller coaster of the hedge fund, discussing untold details about the bailouts and deal brokerages. The author bases the facts on interviews and internal memos with key players. Readers will also get a glimpse of Long-Term’s partners, the mathematical uncertainties, and the effect of the Wall Street culture on the hedge fund. Other notable historic moments include catastrophic losses that affect even the biggest banks on Wall Street. When Genius Failed also shows why the rise and fall of Long-Term Capital Management is a template for market meltdowns.

Notable quote: “Investors long for steady waters, but paradoxically, the opportunities are richest when markets turn turbulent.”

Read When Genius Failed .

13. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Shoe Dog is an excellent read for individuals looking for best selling business history books. Phil Knight shares inside details of Nike’s early days to its evolution into one of the most profitable global entities. Knight talks about his journey from borrowing $50 to building a business with an average of $30 billion in annual sales. Readers will also get insight into Nike’s financing, especially in the early stages. The author is open about the setbacks, risks, and triumphs in building a successful brand.

Notable quote: “It’s never just business. It never will be. If it ever does become just business, that will mean that business is very bad.”

Read Shoe Dog .

14. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The biography of Steve Jobs is an excellent read for individuals who want to learn more about Apple, the largest technology company by revenue. Walter Isaacson bases the publication on interviews within more than two years. These interviews contain tales by Steve Jobs, competitors, friends, and colleagues. The resource talks about the life of the founder and his drive to revolutionize phones, music, personal computers, and digital publishing industries. Steve Jobs also details the experience of building a company as the world strives to sustain an innovative edge. The book includes instructive yet cautionary tales with lessons on character, leadership, innovation, and values.

Notable Quote: “Some people say, ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.”

Read Steve Jobs .

15. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s by Ray Kroc and Robert Anderson

Grinding It Out is an excellent choice of business books about a true story. Ray Kroc is renowned for acquiring McDonald’s and transforming the chain into one of the most successful food operations globally. Kroc takes readers through his journey in McDonald’s, detailing the challenges that he experienced along the way. Kroc talks about the importance of hard work and determination when it comes to seizing business opportunities. The book also discusses the importance of fairness, especially with suppliers. In addition, Grinding It Out details notable revolutions in food service automation, advertising, and franchising.

Notable quote: “You must perfect every fundamental of your business if you expect it to perform well. We demonstrated this emphasis on details, and saw it pay off, in our approach to hamburger patties.”

Read Grinding It Out .

16. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz

Pour Your Heart Into It recounts the history of one of the most amazing business success stories in decades. Howard Schultz details his experience as the CEO of Starbucks, an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves. The author gives his firsthand experience of realizing a vision through discipline, determination, and patience. Schultz illustrates the principles that shape the company, from the mission to making coffee an essential part of the American experience. The author also provides lessons to managers, marketers, and aspiring business owners who want to turn passion into profit.

Notable quote: “In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign.”

Read Pour Your Heart Into It .

From ancient trade networks to modern global corporations, the history of business provides rich and complex details of human endeavors and achievements. Our list of books about business history explores corporations’ narratives from various perspectives. These resources examine the economic, social, and political forces that shape the business landscape. In addition, readers will get insights into the rise and fall of individual firms and industries and the impact of technological changes.

Next, check out our list of entrepreneur books , business ethics books , and growth hacking books .

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FAQ: Business history books

Here are answers to questions about business history books.

What are business history books?

Business history books are publications that focus on the stories of enterprises and their impact on specific societal aspects. These resources cover the origins and development of companies, industries, and economic systems and the individuals and events that shape them.

What are the best books about business history?

Books about business history may focus on a specific company, industry, or period. These resources often examine the decisions, strategies, and innovations that lead to the success or failure of a particular business or industry. These books also cover the broader social, political, and economic context in which these events occur. The choice of resources about business history depends on the topics an individual wants to learn. Some of the best books about business history include Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein, and The Founders by Jimmy Soni.

Why should you read about business history?

Business history encompasses the development of business enterprises, the emergence of new industries and markets, and the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in economic growth.

Some of the benefits of reading business history resources include:

• Learn from past mistakes and successes: By studying the history of businesses and industries, individuals can gain insights into the factors that could lead to successes and failures. Thus, readers can avoid making the same mistakes and adopt successful strategies.
• Gain perspective on current events: Understanding the historical context of current business trends and events can provide a broader perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing businesses today.
• Develop critical thinking skills: Business history requires the analysis of complex data. By engaging with these narratives, readers can develop their analytical skills and learn to think critically.
• Broaden knowledge of the world: Business history can provide insights into the social, political, and economic forces that shape the world.
• Get inspiration from great entrepreneurs: Business history often highlights the stories of successful companies. These stories can inspire and motivate readers to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

Reading business history can be a fascinating and rewarding way to develop critical thinking skills and broaden your perspective on the world of business.

Author: Grace He

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com. Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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The 10 best new books of March 2024

• Deep Read ( 2 Min. )

March 21, 2024

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” This saying, attributed to motivational speaker William Arthur Ward, also describes the attitude of many characters in our 10 best books for this month. 

Individuals sowing the seeds for change include Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of labor, Frances Perkins, in the historical novel “Becoming Madame Secretary,” and George C. Marshall, in the biography “The Making of a Leader,” whose design for post-World War II Europe became known as the Marshall Plan.   

Among the authors of nonfiction books, Marilynne Robinson draws on her love of Scripture in “Reading Genesis,” Elizabeth Kolbert offers an antidote to climate despair in “H Is for Hope,” and Nancy A. Nichols explores the social impact of driving in “Women Behind the Wheel.” 

Why We Wrote This

Books we love this month include a legendary romance between two poets, a thrilling mystery set in Ireland, and a compelling biography of George C. Marshall, architect of the Marshall Plan.

The Swan’s Nest,  by Laura McNeal

Laura McNeal’s historical novel “The Swan’s Nest” captures the great love between poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. McNeal dramatizes the challenges the two Romantics overcame to forge a life together.

Becoming Madam Secretary,  by Stephanie Dray

Frances Perkins, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of labor, steps crisply and convincingly from the pages of Stephanie Dray’s novel. As events unfold – including the Great Depression – Perkins practices an ethos of “investigate, agitate, legislate” to effect change. 

Help Wanted,  by Adelle Waldman

Adelle Waldman’s novel looks at the hardships faced by part-time workers at a big-box store. Her characters, who long for the stability, benefits, and job security of full-time work, cook up a plan that sparks their hopes and dreams.

The Hunter,  by Tana French

Tana French stretches the tension – and the mystery genre – like taffy in her return to the ethically murky Irish village of Ardnakelty. Retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper has crafted a life with veterinarian Lena and Trey, the teen he teaches carpentry and ethics. Then Trey’s father returns, claiming, “There’s gold in them hills.” Only those who have read “The Searcher” first will fully appreciate the stakes as Cal and Lena work to save Trey.

James,  by Percival Everett

Huck Finn’s sidekick Jim earns pride of place in Percival Everett’s retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Here, he becomes James, a smart, self-educated man confronting a vivid cast of ne’er-do-wells, enslavers, and fellow escapees as he wends north hoping to buy his family’s freedom. 

The Far Side of the Desert,  by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

Alliances – familial, situational, political – gird this engrossing thriller from novelist Joanne Leedom-Ackerman. U.S. foreign service officer Monte disappears during a visit to Spain; the search to find her, spearheaded by older sister Samantha, ricochets from Morocco and Egypt to Washington. Monte’s captivity is brutal, but there’s resilience, too, as both sisters slay old demons and chart new paths.

Reading Genesis,  by Marilynne Robinson

Marilynne Robinson, author of the 2005 Pulitzer-winning novel “Gilead,” offers her idiosyncratic reading of the Book of Genesis. By not taking any of the familiar Bible stories at face value, she makes a case for God’s enduring covenant with creation.

The Making of a Leader,  by Josiah Bunting III

Rather than focusing on George C. Marshall’s military accomplishments during World War II and, later, his role in rebuilding postwar Europe, historian Josiah Bunting III examines Marshall’s early years. His insightful, admiring biography illuminates Marshall’s leadership qualities.

Women Behind the Wheel,  by Nancy A. Nichols

Journalist Nancy A. Nichols offers a spirited exploration of the effects of the automobile on American women. She documents the ways driving has both expanded women’s freedoms and, citing midcentury isolation in the suburbs, limited their opportunities.

H Is for Hope,  by Elizabeth Kolbert 

New Yorker science writer Elizabeth Kolbert’s trenchant essays on climate change are combined with haunting illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook into a graphic nonfiction alphabet. It’s an urgent, innovative book.  

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An Exquisite Biography of a Gilded Age Legend

In Natalie Dykstra’s hands, the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner is a tribute to the power of art.

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By Megan O’Grady

Megan O’Grady is a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is working on a book about art and life.

CHASING BEAUTY: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, by Natalie Dykstra

Bright, impetuous and obsessed with beautiful things, Isabella Stewart Gardner led a life out of a Gilded Age novel. Born into a wealthy New York family, she married into an even wealthier Boston one when she wed John Lowell Gardner in 1860, only to be ostracized by her adopted city’s more conservative denizens, who found her self-assurance and penchant for “jollification” a bit much.

Belle, as she was known, thought nothing of bringing home lion cubs from the zoo to show off at teatime, or of taking a younger lover. The necklines of her couture dresses were low; her trademark rope of pearls — a gift from her devoted (and long-suffering) husband — hung nearly to her knees. Society columnists struck a tone of derisive admiration: One 1894 profile marveled at Gardner’s magnetism, given that her face was “almost destitute of those lines of beauty” appreciated at the time.

Gardner cast a mold for ultrawealthy bohemianism, leaving behind the kind of legacy few Bostonians could match in Fenway Court (now known as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum), the palazzo-inspired Gesamtkunstwerk she designed largely herself. She filled it with Old Masters, rare manuscripts and objets d’art. Inviting Boston’s elite to the 1903 opening reception, she greeted them like subjects, serving champagne and doughnuts to the strains of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

A portrait both of a lady and of a glittering era, Natalie Dykstra’s “Chasing Beauty” draws from Gardner’s travelogues, scrapbooks and few surviving letters to track her subject’s expanding sensibilities as an art collector. Dykstra, the author of an acclaimed biography of Clover Adams, astutely situates her subject within Gardner’s growing web of connections: expatriates, artists and scholars.

Privilege didn’t inure the Gardners to tragedy: In 1865, their toddler son, John III, died of pneumonia. Belle’s grief metastasized into severe depression when, following a miscarriage, she was told not to make further attempts to have children. When a doctor suggested she travel abroad, Belle was so frail that she had to be carried onto the boat on a cot. (Ten years later, they would take over guardianship of their three nephews after Jack’s brother, Joe, shot himself; his wife had died in childbirth.)

Among her longstanding friendships was one with Henry James, who may have based several characters on her, wrote her obsequious letters and gossiped about her behind her back — though he was socially generous, introducing her to John Singer Sargent.

Sargent painted two extraordinary portraits of Gardner, the first of which depicts her head-on, wasp-waisted and a little bosomy in a black dress — so risqué, in the context of puritanical Boston, that it was hung in Jack’s private office. After Fenway Court opened, Sargent became its first artist in residence.

Gardner became serious about collecting after attending the impassioned lectures of Charles Eliot Norton, Harvard’s first professor of art history. Norton took Gardner’s intellectual curiosities seriously, advising her to invest in art and rare manuscripts rather than couture and jewels. “He knew, as Belle was beginning to know, how beauty can meet loss, how aesthetic experience assuages,” Dykstra writes, noting that Norton was mourning the death of his wife.

At an 1892 Paris auction, Gardner made her first major acquisition: Vermeer’s 1664 painting “The Concert.” When Gardner brought the painting home, it was only the second Vermeer in the United States and the first in Boston. (Stolen in a notorious 1990 heist, it has never been recovered.)

With the help of Bernard Berenson, the Renaissance specialist, she procured her first Botticelli in 1894; two years later, Berenson helped her obtain Titian’s “The Rape of Europa,” which Rubens had called “the greatest painting in the world.”

After Jack’s 1898 death, Gardner focused her energy on Fenway Court’s construction, modeling the museum after Venice’s Palazzo Barbaro — though she and her architect, Willard T. Sears, placed the arches and balustrades around a central courtyard garden, effectively turning the palazzo inside out.

As Dykstra tells it, Gardner never lost her desire to know more; her growing interest in Impressionism led her to purchase portraits by Manet and Degas, and she badgered friends to introduce her to Monet. Eventually she obtained an early Matisse, the first in an American collection.

Like other wealthy American collectors, Gardner delighted in the thrill of the hunt — and part of the pleasure of this exquisitely detailed and perceptive biography is in imagining which Vermeer we might have bid on in Gardner’s bejeweled shoes, or where in our own homes we’d hang the Rembrandt.

But its deeper revelations have more to do with Gardner’s emerging attunement to the emotional affirmation to be found in art — its joys and consolations, the pleasures of sharing those experiences. And as Gardner (intentionally) left few written traces of her inner life, this is a real feat of biography.

What gives art real power, after all, isn’t its moneyed visionaries, but its ability to inspire impassioned encounters in all of us. And while Gardner, largely alone in her fortress of priceless objects in her later years, strikes a poignant figure, there’s a sense of invincibility, too. In her will, Gardner mandated that nothing could be rearranged in the museum’s galleries; in the end, no one else’s judgment mattered but her own.

CHASING BEAUTY : The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner | By Natalie Dykstra | Mariner | 502 pp. | $37.50

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When the author Tommy Orange received an impassioned email from a teacher in the Bronx, he dropped everything to visit the students  who inspired it.

A few years ago, Harvard acquired the archive of Candida Royalle, a porn star turned pioneering director. Now, the collection has inspired a new book , challenging the conventional history of the sexual revolution.

Gabriel García Márquez wanted his final novel to be destroyed. Its publication this month  may stir questions about posthumous releases.

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A 101-year-old former CEO shared his longevity advice: Early retirement is 'stultifying,' and the Mediterranean diet is best

• I. Roy Cohen celebrated his 101st birthday in October.
• The former CEO said his ambition and projects in retirement had led to a longer life.
• His health tips include eating fresh fish and vegetables, and he walks circuits around his home daily.

When I. Roy Cohen was born in 1922, his parents' farmhouse had no running water or electricity. A wood stove in the kitchen heated the entire property, and there was an outhouse for a toilet.

"It was tough from day to day," Cohen, a second-generation immigrant to New York, told Business Insider.

But his upbringing motivated him to aim high.

"I remember carrying buckets of water to the chicken coops, one in each hand," he said. "It was cold. 'I'm not going to live this way all my life,' I said to myself."

Cohen, who attended a one-room schoolhouse, received a scholarship to an agricultural college — "The only thing it didn't cover was board and lodging," he said — where he earned a bachelor's in microbiology and a master's in biochemistry and nutrition.

A pharmaceutical company hired him at a salary of $3,900 a year. He got married, had three children, and became the CEO of another pharmaceutical firm.

Now 101 years old and still in his home, he's in good health. He manages his finances, oversees renovations, and is interested in philosophy .

"I keep in shape, mentally and physically," he said.

He said he'd learned a series of longevity lessons over the decades and shared some with BI.

Be ambitious

Cohen said he "came from zero" to become a CEO.

The centenarian took risks in his career, such as pivoting from research to a role in advertising at his first drug company, despite having no experience in the latter.

Cohen spent his 55-year career at three companies, culminating in his role as CEO.

He traveled the world — for business and pleasure — before retiring at 81.

"The idea of early retirement is horrible to me," he said of working almost six decades. "It's stultifying."

He said the secret to a fulfilling career — and longevity in general — included stepping out of your comfort zone.

"If you want something badly enough, if you feel something's not right and you need a change, you'll find a way," he added.

Work at relationships

Cohen, who had seven brothers and sisters, said he learned to "get along with other people," often out of necessity.

His childhood revolved around relationships with his siblings.

"You have no choice but to figure out how to stay stable," he said. "If you live with a whole bunch of other people, you can't carry on wildly and selfishly as if you're the only person in the family."

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His first marriage was annulled after less than a year. It was sad, he said, but the experience helped him reconsider the idea of a life partner.

"I was cautious about making that commitment again," he said, adding that he found "the right woman" in his second wife, Joan, a teacher, who died six years ago at 83.

"It took a while to adjust to each other, but, like all things, you have to work at it," Cohen said. "It's no good if you head down a negative pathway without communicating properly ."

He urged younger people to do the same. "You should keep an open mind and listen to the other person's point of view."

Follow the Mediterranean Diet and walk daily

Cohen thinks his longevity has a genetic element. His father and mother died at 86 and 90, respectively.

Still, he said there were some simple rules he'd followed throughout his life.

The 101-year-old, who said his only health issues were prostate-related, is a devotee of the Mediterranean diet , popular among wealthy executives like Jeff Bezos, who famously ate " breakfast octopus. " Biohacking tech millionaire Bryan Johnson also follows aspects of the diet, and sells his own "longevity" olive oil.

While the diet is beloved by wealthy longevity-seekers, it features relatively accessible ingredients that are easy to prepare. Cohen avoids processed foods and meat in favor of fresh fish, vegetables, and olive oil.

"If I want a snack, I'll munch on a piece of cauliflower, a carrot, or a red pepper," Cohen said. "I eat a lot of cabbage and salad."

He said he'd long incorporated fitness into his life, starting with his work on the farm.

"I used a pitchfork to throw bundles of hay onto the wagon and into the barn," he recalled. "You're lifting a chunk of hay over your head, and it's very difficult."

These days, his exercise regimen involves 20 minutes of leg exercises while sitting on the bed every morning. He also walks "circuits" around his open-plan kitchen and living room. "I do at least 60 every day."

Keep your brain agile

The centenarian said he was sorting paperwork to prepare his tax return for the accountant to submit in April.

"I keep track of all my finances," he said. "I tackle all the details before they before they even come up.

"It keeps my mind in shape."

He said he "constantly has a project on the go." Most recently, he had the driveway and roof of his house redone and installed lighting in the trees.

"Being busy keeps me happy," Cohen said.

He said it was important to nurture a positive attitude with age .

"People allow things that are not that important to drag them down," he said. "But you can't allow yourself to be angry or jealous all the time."

He also said spirituality had helped steer him through life.

"It doesn't have to be organized religion, but it's important to try at least to figure out what makes the world tick."

Do you have a powerful story to share with Business Insider? Please send details to [email protected] .

Watch: Watch how Joe Biden has aged from 1974 to 2022

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