Let's make a comprehensive list of good business books/magazines

February 9, 2006 4:00 PM

Reading/BusinessFilter: I've started reading some business books that I found on the PMBA reading list and I'm intrigued. I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions expanding on this list, whether it be business books or business magazines.

For those of you who don't know the Personal MBA reading list, it's a collection of 42 books that were assembled as suggested reading material for those who would like to expand their knowledge of business. (http://personalmba.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=219&page=1#Item_0)

Now I've started on some of the books on the list, and have skipped others, but I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions for books/magazines that would expand on this list.

I'm welcoming ANY suggestions related to business(such as biographies of people like Bill Gates). I want the most comprehensive list of GOOD business-related books so that I can have a reading list for the next... well, few years.

Also, what are some good business/entrepreneur magazines? I'm interested in subscribing to a couple.

posted by petah to work & money (7 comments total)

Mags:
Wall St Journal - Free Trial (4 weeks)
BusinessWeek
Business 2.0
The Economist
Inc. Magazine

Books:
--
Winning -Jack Welch
Jump Right in- Mark Burnett (yeah yeah!)
Copy This! (Kinko's)
Good to Great




-- anyone here read Guy Kawasaki's books??
posted by Izzmeister at 5:07 PM on February 9, 2006

Take a look at the Harvard Business Review. Severl of my professors in library school told us to read that as often as possible because there are always innovative ideas in there that can be applied to any organization (including libraries). It's expensive, though you should be able to find it at a local Borders or university library.

David Packard's book The HP Way is a fascinating exploration of a unique (for the time, at least) corporate culture.
posted by arco at 5:39 PM on February 9, 2006

If you're interested in entrepreneurship, definitely read The E-Myth, or the updated version, The E-Myth Revisted. It's a classic and the BEST book for anyone starting his or her own business in my opinion.
posted by peppermint22 at 6:19 PM on February 9, 2006

While not a "business" book exactly, I enjoyed Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk.
posted by mullacc at 7:26 PM on February 9, 2006

Business magazine:
FAST COMPANY
-------------------------
posted by Gerard Sorme at 10:12 PM on February 9, 2006

I'm getting good mileage out of The Smartest Guys In The Room (good explanation of the whole Enron debacle), Fooled By Randomness (makes you rethink your notions of chance and risk, and unusually literate for a business book) and have previously very much enjoyed Jason Zweig's revision of Graham's Intelligent Investor (fundamental analysis, value investing, the cornerstone of Buffet's approach). You might also enjoy When Genius Failed (about the collapse of Long Term Capital Management and the risks of over-leveraged wonks). If you can stomach his dreadful, horrible "business novel" approach Eliyahu Goldratt's Critical Chain and It's Not Luck are good books on project management using the theory of constraints (message: basically, traditional project management is wrong headed). A Random Walk Down Wall Street (efficient market hypothesis, you may disagree with it but you'll have to think about why).

I read the Economist from time to time. But I'm coming to the conclusion that business journalism is often complete crap written by people who barely understand what's going on. This is certainly true of the investment and IT sectors, where I do know a little bit about what's what.

I've developed a strong aversion to happy clappy motivational books and am likely to put your cheese up somewhere unpleasant.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:31 AM on February 10, 2006

If you're interested in company and product strategy, particularly in high-tech markets, you should read Geoffrey Moore, Clayton Christiansen, and Michael Porter.
posted by fuzz at 4:34 AM on February 10, 2006