The Billionaire Bookshelf

“By far the best book on investing ever written.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“Bill Gates and I both agree this is the best business book we've ever read.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“Charlie has the best 30-second mind in the world. This book captures his wisdom.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“An outstanding book about CEOs who excelled at capital allocation.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“One of the most important books I've ever read — an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“The most inspiring book I've ever read. Pinker shows that the world is getting better.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“I wrote this book because I think we need a plan to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“Both Melinda and I read this book and it sparked many great dinner conversations.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“It taught me that the tough thing is figuring out the right questions to ask. Once you do that, the rest is really easy.”

Recommended by Elon Musk

“It's really good if you want a primer on structural design.”

Recommended by Elon Musk

“Franklin was an entrepreneur. He was basically an entrepreneur in many ways, starting from nothing.”

Recommended by Elon Musk

“The heroes of the books I read always felt a duty to save the world.”

Recommended by Elon Musk

“If you read The Remains of the Day, which is one of my favorite books, you can't help but come away with a renewed determination to live your life to its fullest.”

Recommended by Jeff Bezos

“This book helped shape my thinking about building Amazon as a long-term company.”

Recommended by Jeff Bezos

“A really fantastic book. It's deeply influenced my thinking about business strategy.”

Recommended by Jeff Bezos

“I had all my senior executives read it. The concept of the Flywheel is critical.”

Recommended by Jeff Bezos

“This is one of my favorite books. It's a classic.”

Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg

“The book explores how power is shifting from large established entities to smaller nimble ones in every area of life.”

Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg

“It's a history of the world written by an intellectual in the 1300s. Really makes you appreciate how much progress we've made.”

Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg

“Charlie Munger says: 'Cialdini has done more to illuminate the dark arts of persuasion than any other psychologist.'”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“Charlie Munger recommends this as essential reading for understanding human behavior and evolutionary psychology.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“A fantastic, short book. The Durants have distilled the key lessons of 5,000 years of history into 100 pages.”

Recommended by Ray Dalio

“Campbell's work on the hero's journey helped me understand the archetypal patterns that shape all of our lives.”

Recommended by Ray Dalio

“I believe that having principles that work is essential for getting what we want out of life.”

Recommended by Ray Dalio

“Every moment in business happens only once. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Mark Zuckerberg won't create a social network.”

Recommended by Peter Thiel

“This book is remarkably prescient. Written in 1997, it predicted the rise of cryptocurrency and the digital economy.”

Recommended by Peter Thiel

“One of the best books ever written about the financial markets. I've read it multiple times.”

“The theory of reflexivity is the cornerstone of my approach to markets.”

Recommended by George Soros

“In business, as in war, surprise is the key to victory.”

Recommended by Carl Icahn

“Second-level thinking is what separates the great investors from the average ones.”

“Taleb brilliantly explains how much of what we attribute to skill is actually luck. Essential reading for investors.”

“Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors.”

“Isaacson traces the complete history of the digital revolution. It shows how collaboration drives innovation.”

“Ideas have sex. When minds meet, ideas combine and recombine in ways that drive progress. This book captures that beautifully.”

“I think this is our national novel. It changed how people think about race and justice in America.”

“This is one of the most important books I've ever selected for my book club. It can transform your consciousness.”

“The personal journal of a Roman emperor. It's the book I've gifted more than any other.”

“Seneca was the wealthiest person in Rome. His practical philosophy is still completely relevant today.”

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

“Make people an offer so good they would feel stupid saying no.”

“You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.”

“Lewis captured the insanity of the subprime mortgage crisis. I lived it — and he got the details right.”

“The bible of value investing. If you want to understand intrinsic value, this is where you start.”

Recommended by Bill Ackman

“Strategic thinking is about looking beyond the obvious. This book teaches you to think several moves ahead.”

Recommended by Masayoshi Son

“I wrote this memoir about the early days of Nike because I believe the true story is worth telling. It was messy, risky, and deeply human.”

Recommended by Phil Knight

“The key lesson: attract the best smart creatives, then get out of their way.”

Recommended by Eric Schmidt

“Jin Yong's wuxia novels taught me everything about leadership, perseverance, and the code of chivalry that I brought to Alibaba.”

Recommended by Jack Ma

“Napoleon was the ultimate disruptor. He rewrote the rules of warfare and governance.”

Recommended by Larry Ellison

“Iger's story of transforming Disney through acquisitions and bold bets resonates with building NVIDIA.”

Recommended by Jensen Huang

“I read this early on. Trump understood branding before anyone in real estate. LVMH is the same principle applied to luxury.”

Recommended by Bernard Arnault

“Understanding power dynamics is essential in any business. Machiavelli wrote the manual.”

Recommended by Bernard Arnault

“Peters identified what separates great companies from merely good ones. At LVMH, we pursue nothing less than excellence.”

Recommended by Bernard Arnault

“Feynman had this incredible ability to simplify complex problems. That mindset built Google.”

Recommended by Larry Page

“Tesla was the ultimate inventor. His autobiography is a window into genius-level thinking.”

Recommended by Larry Page

“Creating isn't magic. It's work. Ashton debunks every myth about creativity and shows it's a process anyone can learn.”

Recommended by Larry Page

“Feynman's lectures are the gold standard. They teach you how to think about the physical world with clarity and rigor.”

Recommended by Sergey Brin

“A masterpiece about consciousness, patterns, and self-reference. It shaped how I think about artificial intelligence.”

Recommended by Sergey Brin

“Packard's management philosophy at HP was decades ahead. It's the blueprint for building a company that lasts.”

Recommended by Steve Ballmer

“Andy Grove was the best CEO in tech history. This book explains strategic inflection points better than anything I've read.”

Recommended by Steve Ballmer

“I wrote my story because I think entrepreneurs need honest accounts of what building a company is really like.”

Recommended by Michael Bloomberg

“Caro's biography of Robert Moses is the definitive study of how power works in a city. Required reading for anyone in politics.”

Recommended by Michael Bloomberg

“Zuckerman tells our story at Renaissance. I may not agree with every detail, but he captured the essence of what we built.”

“Hardy wrote the most beautiful defense of pure mathematics ever put on paper. It inspired my entire career.”

“Schwager interviews the greatest traders of our time. I read this before starting Citadel and it shaped my approach to risk.”

“The history of risk. Bernstein shows how humanity learned to understand and manage uncertainty. Essential for any investor.”

“Lewis captures the madness of Wall Street in the '80s. I lived through that era and he nailed the culture.”

Recommended by David Tepper

“The LTCM collapse is the ultimate lesson in hubris and leverage. Every hedge fund manager should read this annually.”

Recommended by David Tepper

“Horowitz tells the truth about building companies. There's no playbook — you make it up as you go. That resonates deeply with NVIDIA's journey.”

Recommended by Jensen Huang

“Slootman's intensity about raising the bar is exactly the philosophy that drives NVIDIA. Good enough is never good enough.”

Recommended by Jensen Huang

“The samurai ethos — discipline, honor, relentless pursuit of mastery. That's how I built Oracle.”

Recommended by Larry Ellison

“Symonds followed me for years to write this. It's the most accurate account of how Oracle was built.”

Recommended by Larry Ellison

“Mandino's scrolls taught me that persistence beats talent every time. I was rejected from 30 jobs before Alibaba.”

Recommended by Jack Ma

“The best book about the history of computing ever written. Licklider's vision of interactive computing shaped everything we build today.”

Recommended by Patrick Collison

“Rhodes captures the most consequential scientific project in history. The organizational lessons are as important as the physics.”

Recommended by Patrick Collison

“MacAskill shows that good intentions aren't enough — you need evidence and reason to actually help people effectively.”

Recommended by Patrick Collison

“Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse — three geniuses fighting to electrify the world. The parallels to modern platform wars are striking.”

Recommended by John Collison

“A book about shipping containers that's really about how infrastructure changes everything. Stripe is a container for internet payments.”

Recommended by John Collison

“The greatest novel ever written. Cervantes understood that the line between madness and vision is thinner than people think.”

Recommended by Carlos Slim

“A firsthand account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Understanding history is essential to understanding Mexico's future.”

Recommended by Carlos Slim

“I wrote about taking Dell private and public again. The biggest leveraged buyout in tech history. Sometimes you have to blow up the playbook.”

Recommended by Michael Dell

“Porter's five forces framework is the foundation of strategic thinking. I used it to understand how Dell could compete against IBM and Compaq.”

Recommended by Michael Dell

“I wrote this because I wanted to share everything I learned building Blackstone. Go big. The effort is the same whether you're solving a small problem or a large one.”

Recommended by Stephen Schwarzman

“Jesse Livermore's story is timeless. The market hasn't changed in a century — only the speed.”

Recommended by Stephen Schwarzman

“Sun Tzu teaches that the greatest victory is the one achieved without fighting. In business, the best deals are the ones your competitors never see coming.”

Recommended by Li Ka-shing

“I left school at 15 to work in a plastics factory. Every chapter since has been about learning, adapting, and never being satisfied with what I know.”

Recommended by Li Ka-shing

“Drucker is my teacher. I have read every word he has written. Management is about making people productive — that insight built Uniqlo.”

Recommended by Tadashi Yanai

“I titled my book after my track record. For every success, I've had nine failures. The key is that you learn from each one and keep going.”

Recommended by Tadashi Yanai

“Power is never given. It is taken. Machiavelli understood media before media existed — whoever controls the narrative controls the outcome.”

Recommended by Rupert Murdoch

“Kael's analysis of the Hearst story is the best study of media empires ever written. The parallels are obvious and I don't mind.”

Recommended by Rupert Murdoch

“This book teaches you that material success without spiritual grounding is hollow. My father kept a copy on his desk. So do I.”

Recommended by Mukesh Ambani

“Smith understood 250 years ago what India is proving today — free markets and specialization create prosperity at scale.”

Recommended by Mukesh Ambani

“I wrote this novel before Amazon existed. Fiction teaches empathy in a way that business books never can.”

“Fitzgerald understood the American dream and its costs better than any economist. Every sentence is perfect.”

“Effective altruism changed how I think about philanthropy. It's not enough to care — you have to measure impact and allocate resources wisely.”

Recommended by Dustin Moskovitz

“Allen's system is the foundation of Asana. Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. We built a company around that principle.”

Recommended by Dustin Moskovitz

“Livermore traded with ticker tape. I built computers to trade with. But the psychology hasn't changed in a century.”

“Graham's margin of safety is as relevant to market making as it is to value investing. Every trade needs an edge and a cushion.”

“Christensen explains why great companies fail. At Tencent, we disrupt ourselves before someone else does. WeChat replaced QQ — our own product.”

“Kelly predicted the convergence of biology and technology decades before it happened. This book shaped how I think about platform ecosystems.”

“Walton built the world's largest retailer from a single store in Arkansas. His obsession with speed and efficiency mirrors what we built at Zara.”

“Jesse Livermore is the greatest trader who ever lived. I've read this book 20 times. If you want to understand markets, start here.”

“Lynch taught a generation that ordinary people can beat Wall Street by paying attention to what they buy and use every day. Booyah.”

“I wrote the truth about running a hedge fund. The 24/7 stress, living in your car, the wins and losses. Nobody else was honest about it.”

“I was there for the 2008 crash. Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, the Fed scrambling. I documented the weekend that changed everything.”

“After interviewing thousands of CEOs and investors, I distilled what separates enduring success from fleeting fame. Preparation beats talent.”

“Fisher taught me that qualitative research — talking to management, customers, competitors — is just as important as the numbers.”

“The Bible of value investing. Graham and Dodd wrote the framework that every serious investor builds on. If you manage other people's money, you must read this.”

“I wrote the book that started the primal/paleo movement. Eat real food, move naturally, sleep well, get sunlight. Your genes expect it.”

“Walker proves what I've been saying for decades — sleep is the single most important thing you can do for health and performance. Non-negotiable.”

“I studied every stock that returned 100x from 1932 to 1971. The lesson: buy right and hold on. The hardest part is the holding on.”

“Feynman's curiosity and his hatred of pretense shaped how I think about building products. WhatsApp had no ads, no games, no gimmicks. Just messaging.”

Recommended by Jan Koum

“Munger's mental models are the most practical thinking framework I've found. At ByteDance, we use multi-disciplinary thinking to solve problems others can't.”

“Grove's management system is the most efficient I've seen. At ByteDance, we scaled to 100,000 employees using principles from this book.”

“Buffett's shareholder letters are a masterclass in capital allocation. At Fidelity, we manage trillions — his long-term thinking is the gold standard.”

Recommended by Abigail Johnson

“Yergin's history of oil is the definitive story of the industry that built modern civilization. I lived it — fracking the Bakken was my chapter.”

Recommended by Harold Hamm

“Rockefeller built Standard Oil from nothing. Chernow captures the relentless drive that defines anyone who builds something in the oil business.”

Recommended by Harold Hamm

“Rockefeller understood that land and infrastructure are the foundations of lasting wealth. I applied the same thinking to Orange County.”

“Ammous makes the strongest economic case for Bitcoin as sound money. I read this before going all-in on crypto. It convinced me the future is decentralized.”

Recommended by Changpeng Zhao

“Written in 1997, it predicted cryptocurrency, remote work, and the decline of nation-state power. The most prophetic book of the last 30 years.”

Recommended by Changpeng Zhao

“Sloan built the modern corporation at GM. The organizational principles he created apply directly to how BMW operates as a family-influenced enterprise.”

Recommended by Stefan Quandt

“Knight built Nike the same way I built Red Bull — relentless belief in a product that critics said nobody needed. His memoir is honest about the chaos.”

“This is the book that made me understand compounding. Buy right and hold on. Phelps studied every stock that returned 100x from 1932 to 1971. If you read one investing book, make it this one.”

“Glen Rating: 10. This is more important than a high school education. If you want to make the most out of life, you are going to have to deal with people and this is THE TIMELESS BESTSELLER.”

“Glen Rating: 10. This helped me see that school and institutions encourage like-minded thinking. You can make a living or make a fortune. Common sense is uncommon. School teaches you to be an employee, not to be rich.”

“This gets you in the frame of mind that the world is for the taking. Question everything, take nothing for granted. I eagerly wait, Sun Tzu style.”

“This confirms several cognitive biases. You can teach these to yourself, but it's a lot easier to learn from examples. Clark does a good job of helping you understand opportunity cost.”

“There's no better way to see things than from the perspective of the most successful investors of our time. Soros: find a water spigot and put your bucket under it. Buffett: skate to where the puck is going.”

“Read this after you read Buffettology. It's also good alongside Security Analysis by Graham and Dodd. This goes into investment concepts that most people skip.”

“The one book you should read to see if you are even remotely interested in stocks. If this doesn't excite you, nothing will.”

“This is the book I read after working with my mentor to begin to visualize things more like Buffett. I've used his partnership agreements from this book in real life. If you want to understand companies like Buffett does, this is the way.”

“I met John Lux in person after he sent me his book. I told my dad that if I ever felt the need to write a book, that need has vanished because someone already wrote it for me.”

“I called it a New York Times Bestseller on page one. THIS IS BECAUSE I CAN. I wrote it after losing a million dollars. It's about running your life like a business.”

“Book 1. The first sound they'll hear is their heads hitting the floor. I was 28 and furious.”

“Book 2. Government theft of $100B+ of cash money. I documented everything while it was happening.”

“Book 3. Any solution will be dependent upon the GSEs being capitalized. I was right.”

“Book 4. Par value. That's what my position was worth at par. I wrote a whole book about it because I'm that guy.”

“Book 5. My first second million. Lost it all in Chinese frauds, made it back, then went all in on Fannie.”

“Book 6. Fanniegate last call. Spoiler: it wasn't actually the last call. There are two more books after this.”

“Book 7. Heading to the Lamberth trial. I documented the courtroom proceedings in real time. Nobody else did.”

“Book 8. Fanniegate recap and release. The endgame may finally be here. 10 years of writing about the same trade. Talk about conviction.”

“The complete letters from one of the greatest concentrated investors of all time. Published for free after Sleep closed the fund. Scale economics shared, radical concentration, and knowing when enough is enough.”

“Heads, I win. Tails, I don't lose much. The Dhandho framework is the simplest and most powerful explanation of low-risk, high-return investing I've ever read.”

“Li Lu's memoir of the Tiananmen Square protests. From earthquake survivor to student leader to Munger's most trusted investor. One of the most extraordinary life stories in finance.”

“Kahneman's work on cognitive biases is the most important psychology book of the century. Understanding System 1 and System 2 thinking is essential for any serious investor.”

Recommended by Charlie Munger

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

“Naval distilled the most important ideas about wealth creation and happiness into their purest form. This is the modern Poor Charlie's Almanack.”

“The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable. This book explains how to cultivate that skill.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“Housel brilliantly explains that doing well with money has little to do with how smart you are and a lot to do with how you behave. The best finance book for understanding yourself.”

“One of the most important books I read in 2020. In a world that demands specialization, generalists are actually the ones who excel. Epstein makes a compelling, research-backed case.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“OKRs transformed Google from a garage startup into a trillion-dollar company. Doerr's system for setting and achieving audacious goals is the operating system for high-growth companies.”

Recommended by Larry Page

“Catmull's insights on building a creative culture at Pixar are invaluable. The best book on managing creative people and sustaining innovation inside large organizations.”

Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg

“The disciplined pursuit of less. If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will. McKeown gives you the framework to focus only on what truly matters.”

“Frankl's account of surviving Auschwitz and discovering meaning through suffering is one of the most profound books ever written. It shaped my understanding of what truly matters in life.”

Recommended by Ray Dalio

“The original success book. Hill interviewed 500 of the wealthiest people in America and distilled their secrets. The chapter on the Mastermind principle alone is worth the read.”

“The simplest and oldest financial wisdom still holds. Pay yourself first, live below your means, and make your gold work for you. Timeless parables that every investor should read early.”

“Lynch's follow-up to One Up on Wall Street is just as essential. His approach of investing in what you know and doing your homework is the foundation of successful stock picking.”

“Isaacson's definitive biography of Jobs captures the reality distortion field, the relentless pursuit of perfection, and the intersection of technology and liberal arts that defined Apple.”

Recommended by Elon Musk

“Einstein's imagination changed the world more than any other scientist. Isaacson shows how his rebellious, curious mind worked. A masterclass in thinking differently.”

Recommended by Jeff Bezos

“The book that started millions on their financial journey. The distinction between assets and liabilities is the most important lesson in personal finance. Make your money work for you.”

“Begin with the end in mind. Covey's framework for personal effectiveness is the gold standard. His principle-centered approach to life and leadership has stood the test of time.”

Recommended by Jeff Bezos

“Build, measure, learn. Ries revolutionized how startups think about product development. The MVP concept alone has saved billions of dollars in wasted engineering effort.”

“Carnegie's practical wisdom on conquering worry is just as powerful as his book on winning friends. Live in day-tight compartments. The best antidote to anxiety ever written.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“Understanding the rise and decline of empires, reserve currencies, and debt cycles is essential for any macro investor. History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes — and Dalio shows you the pattern.”

“Peter Bevelin has done a masterful job distilling the mental models that lead to better decisions. This is the operating manual for rational thinking.”

“The only authorized biography — Buffett gave Schroeder unprecedented access. Essential reading for understanding how compounding applies to relationships, knowledge, and capital alike.”

“The funniest book ever written about Wall Street. Schwed's wit cuts through the nonsense of the financial industry with timeless precision.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“Don't let the title fool you — Greenblatt lays out special situation investing (spinoffs, mergers, bankruptcies) better than anyone. This is where the real edge lives.”

“Hagstrom breaks down Buffett's investment framework into actionable principles. One of the best introductions to value investing ever written.”

“A neurosurgeon facing terminal cancer reflects on what makes life meaningful. Gates called it one of the most impactful books he's ever read.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“Isaacson's deep-access biography reveals the relentless drive, brutal intensity, and engineering obsession behind SpaceX, Tesla, and the quest to make humanity multi-planetary.”

Recommended by Elon Musk

“Drucker's classic on executive productivity is required reading at Amazon. Effectiveness can be learned — and this book teaches it in under 200 pages.”

Recommended by Jeff Bezos

“Senge's framework for building learning organizations changed how Gates thought about scaling Microsoft. Systems thinking is the meta-skill every leader needs.”

Recommended by Bill Gates

“Ariely reveals the hidden forces that shape our decisions. Understanding these biases is essential for any investor trying to avoid the traps of human psychology.”

“Lewis tells the story of Kahneman and Tversky's partnership that revolutionized behavioral economics. Understanding how humans misjudge risk is the investor's ultimate edge.”

“Munger called Lee Kuan Yew the greatest leader-statesman of the modern era. This memoir shows how Singapore went from swamp to superpower in one generation through sheer pragmatism.”

“Skip the $200K MBA — Kaufman distills the core concepts of business into one readable volume. Every entrepreneur should read this before spending a dime on business school.”

“The definitive account of the RJR Nabisco leveraged buyout — the deal that defined an era. A masterclass in corporate greed, Wall Street deal-making, and the power of leverage.”

“Chernow's masterpiece on America's first Treasury Secretary — the man who created the financial system that built the nation. Hamilton understood credit, debt, and central banking before anyone.”

Recommended by Warren Buffett

“The definitive biography of the original activist investor. Stevens captures Icahn's genius for spotting undervalued companies and his ruthless ability to unlock shareholder value.”

Recommended by Carl Icahn

“Mallaby's definitive history of hedge funds — from Alfred Winslow Jones to the quants. Every chapter reveals a different approach to beating the market.”

“Greenblatt explains why most investors fail and offers a simple, value-weighted approach that gives the little guy a genuine edge over Wall Street.”

“Marathon Asset Management's collected wisdom on capital cycle investing. Understanding how capital flows into and out of industries is one of the most powerful frameworks in all of investing.”

“Green spent decades interviewing the greatest investors alive and distilled their wisdom into principles for investing and life. Pabrai, Marks, Templeton, and Munger all shine in these pages.”