Looking for a great book about business or investing? Check out these books recommended by Fool writers, employees, and even our co-founder Tom Gardner.
The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management
This is an excellent review of the best practices at Microsoft over the past decade. David Thielen lays out the underlying philosophy that drove Microsoft to superior financial results and 20 years of steady, yet dramatic, growth in shareholder value. A few of the principles are: A Killing on Wall Street: An Investment Mystery
Combining the idea of a murder mystery with an introduction to investing concepts is a novel idea, and makes for a pretty good novel. Stock splits, price-to-earnings ratios, options trading, and comparisons between full-service and discount brokerages are all explained in a way easy for the novice investor to grasp. Meanwhile, the reader is challenged to pick up the clues left for him by Niederman as to the whodunit. Written with humor and plenty of anecdotal sports observations (the author is a former national squash champion), the book will appeal especially to those who would like their first forays into investment terms introduced with a very light touch. Don't expect to figure out the murderer, however. I sure didn't see it coming. -- Bill Barker, Editorial
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Psychology professor Robert Cialdini states early on in this book the reason behind its writing -- he was tired of being a sucker. Ever wonder how a good salesperson can push your buttons and persuade you to buy something that, under ordinary circumstances, you might never, ever think of purchasing? This book explains some of the most common tactics of persuasion used by salespeople, many of which boil down to no more than taking advantage of certain ingrained human behavioral cues. Not only will this book make you think twice before falling for that latest infomercial hawking fat-burning skin cream or belly-cruncher exercisers, it will also give the investor in you psychological armor against the persuasive Wall Street selling machine. -- Brian Graney, Editorial
Built to Last
The companies portrayed in this management "classic" are committed to creating long-term value and hence have been long-lasting businesses. They contrast sharply with the current glut of start-ups with short-term exit strategies. For each company, Collins and Porras demonstrate how each has a solid core but then "stimulates progress" (achieves huge growth) through bold visions and commitment. What is most interesting about the book is the use a control group of "successful-but-second-rank" companies to highlight what's special about the 18 "visionary" picks. Thus Sony is compared to Kenwood, Ford to GM, and Motorola to Zenith. -- Duffy Winters, BizDev
Enterprise One to One
This marketing book recommends that companies move on a path toward one-to-one marketing. One-to-one marketing at its core is simply treating different customers differently. This may mean a customized product, a personalized e-mail campaign, or a customer service rep who knows all of your history with the company. The end goal is then share of customer, not just market share. Instead of selling as many products as possible to whomever will buy them in a sales period, the goal of the 1:1 marketer is to sell one customer at a time, as many products as possible over the lifetime of that customer's patronage. -- Duffy Winters, BizDev
A Short History of Financial Euphoria
Trust the title of this book; it's really short. It's also really interesting and reading it will increase your financial literacy. When people at cocktail parties compare the stock market today to tulips, you can weigh in knowingly with your thoughts and impress them. Even if you're like me and rarely go to cocktail parties, you'll still get a lot out of the book. It details some fascinating financial history, such as the wacky tulip boom in Europe hundreds of years ago, and other speculative get-rich-quick schemes that followed. You'll gain some insights into investors and the stock market today from one of our most renowned economists. -- Selena Maranjian, Editorial
Stocks for the Long Run
This is one of the three books TMF Hoops advised me to read before starting last month as a Foolish writer. It was well worth reading, even during a beach vacation! Professor Siegel made investing history with his research showing, for example, stocks' superior returns versus bonds over 20-year periods and that a long-term investor's returns are affected only marginally if she buys at a market top rather than a bottom. Written for the non-academic, it's definitely one of the must-reads for a stock investor. -- Tom Jacobs, Editorial
Investment Biker
When I first started reading this book, I didn't think I would make it through. Mr. Rodgers reminded me of the slick Wall Street type who is very sure of himself. However, by the end I found this to be a very interesting and quick read. The author looks at each country through his own investing lens. Most of this book was focused on adventure and learning about the world by experiencing it. His thoughts on history and economics were also put into context by his various experiences. If you enjoy adventure travel, motorcycling, and economics, this would be a worthwhile read. -- Buck Hartzell, Tech Dome
Beating the Street This is the first investment book I ever read, and it affects how I think about companies and stocks to this day. Lynch's message of "buying what you know and love" is a great way to spark interest in investing for yourself, your friends, or your kids. The things in your life you use everyday, the stores you shop in, the food you eat are all potential sources for investment ideas. This book is easy to read, humorous, and puts a very human spin on the sometimes-intimidating spectre that is investing. It also does a great job at driving home the connection between owning a stock and owning a part of a business. You aren't buying some fictional share of stock -- you are buying a piece of a living and breathing company. -- Lou Lofton, Editorial
Find out what other books Fools are recommending:
By David Thielen and Shirley Thielen
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how great technology companies got that way. -- Tom Gardner, Fool Co-founder
By Derrick Niederman
By Robert B. Cialdini
By James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras
By Don Peppers and Martha Rogers
By John Kenneth Galbraith
By Jeremy J. Siegel and Peter L. Bernstein
By Jim Rodgers
By Peter Lynch
Summer Reading List: 6/19/00
Winter 2000: 02/28/00
Our Holiday List: 12/09/99
CEO Book Recommendations: 08/31/99
The Premier List: 12/07/98
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