Bill Gurley Book Recommendations

Complexity

The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos

by M. Mitchell Waldrop

"Read this book, it changes everything." - Bill Gurley (Source)

How Innovation Works

Serendipity, Energy and the Saving of Time

by Matt Ridley

"I really, really loved [this book]." - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Rational Optimist

How Prosperity Evolves

by Matt Ridley

"[The author] has the ability to combine thinking from many fields - most notably science, technology, psychology, & a heavy dose of microeconomics." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Bad Blood

Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

by John Carreyrou

"An incredible book that should be read by each and every player in the startup/Silicon Valley ecosystem." - Bill Gurley (Source)

One Up On Wall Street

How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In

by Peter Lynch

"Any investor starts with just building bedrock and that comes from reading. [For example,] you can read [this book]." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Negotiating the Impossible

How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle)

by Deepak Malhotra

"If you want to be a world class big deal negotiator, make sure you pick up [this book]." - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Storytelling Animal

How Stories Make Us Human

by Jonathan Gottschall

"Nice compliment to Sapiens." - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Sixth Man

A Memoir

by Andre Iguodala

"If you love basketball, the @warriors, intense tenacity, or understanding how a great team executes as one, you will love [this book]." - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Billionaire Shell Game

How Cable Baron John Malone and Assorted Corporate Titans Invented a Future Nobody Wanted

by L.J. Davis

"Great book." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Monetizing Innovation

How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price

by Madhavan Ramanujam

"[This author] is to monetization strategy what Bob Marley is to reggae music. You must read this book." - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation

by David Ricardo

"Expanded upon [Adam Smith]'s work in developing the theory of Comparative Advantage." - Bill Gurley (Source)

A Random Walk Down Wall Street

The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing

by Burton G. Malkiel

"Offers the most pragmatic advice for the long-term saver." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Why We Get Fat

And What to Do About It

by Gary Taubes

"A toned down, more reader friendly, less technical version of [the author's] 2008 New York Times best seller." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Seeker

Seeker, Book 1

by Arwen Elys Dayton

"If you like epic, futuristic teen fantasy, check [this book] out!" - Bill Gurley (Source)

Virus of the Mind

The New Science of the Meme

by Richard Brodie

"Tim Cook is practicing 'meme warfare'. Microsoft used to be awesome at this. [This is a] great book on topic." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Shoe Dog

A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

by Phil Knight

"All entrepreneurs should read." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Setting the Table

The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

by Danny Meyer

"I'm a huge fan of [this author]." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Sharkproof

Get the Job You Want, Keep the Job You Love... in Today's Frenzied Job Market

by Harvey MacKay

"Had a whole section on your dream job and how to think about it over the long term." - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Soul of A New Machine

by Tracy Kidder

"A really old book, but it's a famous book." - Bill Gurley (Source)

eBoys

The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work

by Randall E. Stross

"[The author] got sucked into writing more of a Hollywood gossip story." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Mr. China

A Memoir

by Tim Clissold

"Great book [about] a British gentleman who went to China in '96 with a $400M PE fund to privatize businesses [and] returned $0." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Play Their Hearts Out

A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine

by George Dohrmann

"About AAU basketball." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Build

An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

by Tony Fadell

"Benefit from [the author]'s amazing journey and the advice he received from iconic mentors like Steve Jobs and Bill Campbell." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Think Twice

Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition

by Michael Mauboussin

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

Lean Solutions

How Companies and Customers can Create Value and Wealth Together

by James P. Womack

"A great book on that topic, applying lean manufacturing principles to services." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Sapiens

A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

"I really enjoyed [this book]." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Brotopia

Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley

by Emily Chang

"Historically important book that will hopefully stand as a critical catalyst to change in our industry." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Crossing the Chasm

Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers

by Geoffrey A. Moore

"All entrepreneurs should read." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Competitive Strategy

Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors

by Michael E. Porter

"All entrepreneurs should read." - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Innovator's Dilemma

When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

by Clayton M. Christensen

"All entrepreneurs should read." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Startup

A Silicon Valley Adventure

by Jerry Kaplan

"All entrepreneurs should read." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Security Analysis

by Benjamin Graham

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

Valuation

Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies

by McKinsey & Company Inc.

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

The Success Equation

Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing

by Michael Mauboussin

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

"Spectacular." - Bill Gurley (Source)

More Than You Know

Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places

by Michael Mauboussin

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

Expectations Investing

Reading Stock Prices for Better Returns

by Michael Mauboussin

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders

by Warren Buffett

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

The Most Important Thing

Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor

by Howard Marks

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

Mastering the Market Cycle

Getting the Odds on Your Side

by Howard Marks

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

The Most Important Thing Illuminated

Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor

by Howard Marks

Bill Gurley recommended this book on Quora. (Source)

Catastrophic Care

How American Health Care Killed My Father--and How We Can Fix It

by David Goldhill

"Enlightening." - Bill Gurley (Source)

Built to Last

Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

by Jim Collins

"[Suggests] that the very best companies set an audacious, very long-term goal that shines a light towards 'an envisioned future.'" - Bill Gurley (Source)

The Wealth of Nations

by Adam Smith

"[The author]'s magnum opus." - Bill Gurley (Source)