Last May, U.S. News and World Report asked 14 business leaders about the five books that they consider indispensible reading for managers. Their responses range from books that are business classics, to biology, history, and fiction. A partial list is below. For a complete listing, go here.
Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief Wired Magazine
Fooled by Randomness: the Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets HG4521 .T35 2001
The Cluetrain Manifesto: the End of Business as Usual HF5548.32 .C58 2000
Microcosm: the Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology HD9696.A2 G55 1989
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference HM1033 .G53 2000
Carly Fiorina, former CEO, Hewlett Packard
The World is Flat: a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century HM846 .F74 2005
Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of American Industrial Enterprise HD70.U5 C5
Jack Brennan, CEO, the Vanguard Group
Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points that Challenge Every Company HD58.8 .G765 1996
Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors HD41 .P67
Leadership is an Art HD57.7 .D46 1989
Jim Buckmaster, CEO, Craigslist
The Selfish Gene QH437 .D38 200
The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology QP376 .K85 2005
Manufacturing Consent: the Political Economy of the Mass Media P95.82.U6 H47 1988
John W. Rogers, Jr. chairman and CEO, Ariel Capital Management
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York Fine Arts NA9085.M68 C37 1974
Parting the Waters : America in the King years, 1954-1963 E185.61 .B7914 1988
Mark Cuban, owner, Dallas Mavericks
The Gospel of Wealth, and other Timely Essays HB835 .C3 1933
The Fountainhead PS3535.A547 F68 1993
The Innovator’s Dilemma : When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail HD53 .C49 1997