138 Best Books of All Time
... And Greatest Novels!
(according to 600+ really successful people)
Leading minds in business, entertainment, and tech are always asked
"what books would you recommend?"
We've collected and analyzed their responses 😊
Sources include interviews, biographies, podcast transcripts, public online lists (e.g., Oprah's book club), and more out the wazoo.
Total: 138 Books
25 Recommenders
23 Recommenders
22 Recommenders
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Ben Horowitz
22recommenders
19 Recommenders
18 Recommenders
The Innovator's Dilemma
When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
Clayton M. Christensen
18recommenders
16 Recommenders
The War of Art
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Steven Pressfield
16recommenders
15 Recommenders
14 Recommenders
13 Recommenders
12 Recommenders
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Stephen R. Covey
12recommenders
11 Recommenders
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
Adventures of a Curious Character
Richard P. Feynman
11recommenders
10 Recommenders
Crossing the Chasm
Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers
Geoffrey A. Moore
10recommenders
Tools of Titans
The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
Tim Ferriss
10recommenders
9 Recommenders
The Ride of a Lifetime
Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
Robert Iger
9recommenders
8 Recommenders
Only the Paranoid Survive
How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company
Andrew S. Grove
8recommenders
Becoming Steve Jobs
The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
Brent Schlender
8recommenders
Blitzscaling
The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies
Reid Hoffman
8recommenders
Measure What Matters
How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
John Doerr
8recommenders
The Coddling of the American Mind
How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
Greg Lukianoff
8recommenders
Creativity, Inc.
Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Ed Catmull
8recommenders
The Coming Wave
Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma
Mustafa Suleyman
8recommenders
FAQ
What is considered the greatest book of all time?
This is a highly debated (and based on pure subjectivity) topic so it opens the door to opinions that vary greatly. But according to we've called our list of greatest books of all time, the top winner is the history book "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari. If you haven't read this book, we highly recommend it. However a close all time second (which isn't too far off) is the beautifully written "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl (more of a biography). We recommend you buy and read both, since from all our research online they're the two clear winners. We also have all sorts of other choices from modern to classics for all who love reading books, so we're sure you'll find something you love!
Are there any notable ommissions from this list to read?
Because we try to focus on the (roughly) 100 best books and novels of all time, we didn't account for the best books that had less than 7 recommendations (and only took stock of those that had more). Of course, there are a lot of other top books out there in the world, but we didn't want to make this page too long :) We already wrote more than 100 and (both us and some readers) think it's too much!
How does reading something widely-acclaimed compare to discovering a hidden gem or under-the-radar novel you might love?
There is no real right or wrong answer to this question as it ultimately is based on each readers personal preference (although some people will race to make their own conclusions!). Some readers may prefer the reassurance and familiarity of what are called some of the most critically acclaimed books of all time, while others may enjoy the excitement and thrill of finding a lesser-known piece of literature they fall in love with. Both types of reading experiences can offer their own long list of real unique pleasures (social and personal). Reading a widely-acclaimed book (or named one of the greatest novels of all time, i.e. classics) allows the reader to connect with a larger community of readers and unite in its universal praise and admiration. Discovering a hidden gem, on the other hand, offers the sense of being part of an exclusive literary club/ family and being able to share your newfound love for the book with others who might not have heard about it before. The best books are ultimately the ones that make you feel the best (hence why debating it doesn't make any sense).
Why can't I buy any of these books here directly?
Our number one rule begins with don't try to out-Bezos Bezos. Which is why we sell everything via Amazon (plus that's where you can view a copy of each book, read the review, see which books got fancy stuff like a national book award, find advanced sharing options on Twitter, Facebook, etc, buy your own AND in different formats from digital to paperback, even translated if needed!). It just makes life easier for everyone.