
Trung Phan Recommended Books
Trung Phan has recommended 41 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
(Read more on Wikipedia)41 Books Recommended
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
The Prize
The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power
"If you were to ask me what single business book most changed my perception of the world, it is [this one.]" - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
List of books Bill Gates read in 2012.
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book
Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this bookPatrick O'Shaughnessy
"Might be the best book I’ve ever read." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy's recommendation of this book
Mohnish Pabrai recommended this bookMohnish Pabrai
"One of my favorite books." - Mohnish Pabrai
Mohnish Pabrai's recommendation of this book
The Box
How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
"[Has] comparable breadth as The Prize in terms of globe-spanning industries." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Tobi Lütke recommended this bookTobi Lütke
"We all live in Malcolm’s world because the shipping container has been hugely influential in history." - Tobi Lütke
Tobi Lütke's recommendation of this book
Jeff Dean recommended this bookJeff Dean
"A great book about the invention of the shipping container and what impacts it had across many industries." - Jeff Dean
Jeff Dean's recommendation of this book
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"Mostly about globalization, but there is also a larger story here that touches on business and philanthropy more broadly."- Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book
The World for Sale
Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources
"[Has] comparable breadth as The Prize in terms of globe-spanning industries." - Trung Phan (Source)
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
"As good as it gets in describing the development of the nuclear industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Lewis Cantley recommended this bookLewis Cantley
"I minored in theoretical physics [...] Yet I learned more physics from [this book] than I did in my courses." - Lewis Cantley
Lewis Cantley's recommendation of this book
Chris Dixon recommended this bookChris Dixon
"Truly epic story, showing humanity at both its best and worst." - Chris Dixon
Chris Dixon's recommendation of this book
More Money Than God
Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite
"About the Hedge Funds industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Tim Ferriss recommended this bookTim Ferriss
"A fantastic book." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book
Hard Landing
The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos
"About the Post-deregulation Airlines industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Patrick Collison recommended this bookPatrick Collison
Patrick Collison labeled this book "particularly great."
Patrick Collison's recommendation of this book
John Collison recommended this bookJohn Collison
"One of my favorite non-fiction books." - John Collison
John Collison's recommendation of this book
Fast Food Nation
The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
"About the Fast-food industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Richard Branson recommended this bookRichard Branson
Richard Branson recommended this book on his "70 must-read books" blog post.
Richard Branson's recommendation of this book
Shoe Dog
A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
"About the Footwear industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
15 people
Alexis Ohanian recommended this bookAlexis Ohanian
"A great one -- had no idea Nike had such a long history." - Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian's recommendation of this book
Anthony Pompliano recommended this bookAnthony Pompliano
"[One of the] best books I read in 2017." - Anthony Pompliano
Anthony Pompliano's recommendation of this book
Austen Allred recommended this bookAusten Allred
"Loved [this book]." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book
Bill Gurley recommended this bookBill Gurley
"All entrepreneurs should read." - Bill Gurley
Bill Gurley's recommendation of this book
Brian Armstrong recommended this bookBrian Armstrong
"Memoir by the Nike founder and CEO." - Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong's recommendation of this book +9
More recommendations
- Jason Calacanis
"Great inspirational [book]." - Jason Calacanis
- Kathryn Minshew
Most Recommended Books reached out to Kathryn Minshew directly.
- Tobi Lütke
"An autobiographical account of one of the world’s most recognizable brands." - Tobi Lütke
- Vlad Tenev
Vlad Tenev's response to Bloomberg's "The Best Books of 2017" survey.
- Warren Buffett
"The best book I read [in 2015]." - Warren Buffett
- Patrick O'Shaughnessy
"A perfect business book & memoir hybrid." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
- Tim Cook
"Best business book of the century." - Tim Cook
- Ryan Shea
Ryan Shea recommended this book on his website.
- Blake Randall
"" - Blake Randall
- Jason Calacanis
The Power Law
Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future
"About the Venture Capital industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Patrick Collison recommended this bookPatrick Collison
"By far the best book I've read on the sector." - Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison's recommendation of this book
Paul Graham recommended this bookPaul Graham
"If you want to understand how venture capital works and the effect it has had on the US economy, this is the book to read." - Paul Graham
Paul Graham's recommendation of this book
Barry Ritholtz recommended this bookBarry Ritholtz
"Excellent." - Barry Ritholtz
Barry Ritholtz's recommendation of this book
The Reckoning
"About the Auto industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
The Power Broker
Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
"About the Urban Planning industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Ryan Holiday recommended this bookRyan Holiday
"One of the most magnificent books I’ve ever read." - Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday's recommendation of this book
Sam Hinkie recommended this bookSam Hinkie
"My favorite writer." - Sam Hinkie
Sam Hinkie's recommendation of this book
Shane Parrish recommended this bookShane Parrish
"It’s amazing. But it’s not a light read." - Shane Parrish
Shane Parrish's recommendation of this book
The Alchemy of Air
A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler
"About the Chemicals industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
David Friedberg recommended this bookDavid Friedberg
"Great book." - David Friedberg
David Friedberg's recommendation of this book
Masters of Doom
How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
"About the PC Gaming industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
6 people
Patrick Collison recommended this bookPatrick Collison
"One of my favorite books about building software." - Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison's recommendation of this book
Alexis Ohanian recommended this bookAlexis Ohanian
"[This book] convinced me to start a company. Thanks for helping create Reddit." - Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian's recommendation of this book
Jeff Atwood recommended this bookJeff Atwood
"Please read [this book]. It's such a great book." - Jeff Atwood
Jeff Atwood's recommendation of this book
Tobi Lütke recommended this bookTobi Lütke
"Wonderful." - Tobi Lütke
Tobi Lütke's recommendation of this book
Austen Allred recommended this bookAusten Allred
"Amazing book." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book
Elon Musk recommended this bookElon Musk
"A great book." - Elon Musk
Elon Musk's recommendation of this book
Barbarians at the Gate
The Fall of RJR Nabisco
"About the Private Equity industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Chamath Palihapitiya recommended this bookChamath Palihapitiya
"Excellent." - Chamath Palihapitiya
Chamath Palihapitiya's recommendation of this book
Jason Calacanis recommended this bookJason Calacanis
"Next level." - Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis's recommendation of this book
Keith Rabois recommended this bookKeith Rabois
"Suggested reading this book this am on stage at Techweek." - Keith Rabois
Keith Rabois's recommendation of this book
Creativity, Inc.
Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
"About the Animation industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
7 people
Ezra Klein recommended this bookEzra Klein
"An amazing, amazing book." - Ezra Klein
Ezra Klein's recommendation of this book
Mark Zuckerberg recommended this bookMark Zuckerberg
"I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity." - Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg's recommendation of this book
Jason Calacanis recommended this bookJason Calacanis
"Pixar has made some of the greatest stories of our time, but [the author]’s personal story, is perhaps the greatest story that has come out of Pixar." - Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis's recommendation of this book
Demis Hassabis recommended this bookDemis Hassabis
"About Pixar." - Demis Hassabis
Demis Hassabis's recommendation of this book
Alexis Ohanian recommended this bookAlexis Ohanian
"Must read." - Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian's recommendation of this book
Michael Mauboussin recommended this bookMichael Mauboussin
"Best business book I've read in a long time." - Michael Mauboussin
Michael Mauboussin's recommendation of this book +1
More recommendations
- Patrick O'Shaughnessy
"One of the most entertaining and useful business books I’ve ever read." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
- Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Digital Gold
Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money
"About the Bitcoin industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Anthony Pompliano recommended this bookAnthony Pompliano
"[One of the] best books I read in 2017." - Anthony Pompliano
Anthony Pompliano's recommendation of this book
Barry Silbert recommended this bookBarry Silbert
"Fantastic, entertaining read...and historical record of bitcoin's first 5 years." - Barry Silbert
Barry Silbert's recommendation of this book
Saagar Enjeti recommended this bookSaagar Enjeti
"The theory of bitcoin, its utility, and the subculture that birthed it is nonetheless an important and profound one that will shape the way we use the internet as the years progress." - Saagar Enjeti
Saagar Enjeti's recommendation of this book
Liar's Poker
"About the Trading industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Tim Ferriss recommended this bookTim Ferriss
"A very exciting book." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book
Tim O’Reilly recommended this bookTim O’Reilly
"A time machine into this place when our financial economy went crazily wrong." - Tim O’Reilly
Tim O’Reilly's recommendation of this book
Chamath Palihapitiya recommended this bookChamath Palihapitiya
"Probably my favorite book." - Chamath Palihapitiya
Chamath Palihapitiya's recommendation of this book
Easy Riders Raging Bulls
How the Sex-Drugs-And Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
"About the Post-70s Hollywood industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
B.J. Novak recommended this bookB.J. Novak
"Highly recommend it. [...] About filmmaking in the glory days of the '70s." - B.J. Novak
B.J. Novak's recommendation of this book
The Attention Merchants
The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads
"About the Digital Ads industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Tristan Harris recommended this bookTristan Harris
"Must read." - Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris's recommendation of this book
Brianne Kimmel recommended this bookBrianne Kimmel
"Highly recommend [this] book." - Brianne Kimmel
Brianne Kimmel's recommendation of this book
The Fish That Ate the Whale
The Life and Times of America's Banana King
"About the Bananas industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
4 people
Ryan Holiday recommended this bookRyan Holiday
"Sucked me in completely. Everyone I’ve recommended it to loves it." - Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday's recommendation of this book
Andrew Wilkinson recommended this bookAndrew Wilkinson
"Love [this] book." - Andrew Wilkinson
Andrew Wilkinson's recommendation of this book
Jason Calacanis recommended this bookJason Calacanis
"About Sam Zemurray, who was the banana king." - Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis's recommendation of this book
Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this bookPatrick O'Shaughnessy
"The most fun book that I’ve read in a while." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy's recommendation of this book
The Goal
A Process of Ongoing Improvement
"About the Operations industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Jeff Bezos recommended this bookJeff Bezos
Part of "Jeff's Reading List."
Jeff Bezos's recommendation of this book
Kevin Systrom recommended this bookKevin Systrom
"About basically manufacturing and supply chain management. It sounds really boring, but I promise you it’s really good." - Kevin Systrom
Kevin Systrom's recommendation of this book
Empires of Light
Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World
"About the Electricity industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Austen Allred recommended this bookAusten Allred
"About Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book
Chris Dixon recommended this bookChris Dixon
"One of my favorite history books." - Chris Dixon
Chris Dixon's recommendation of this book
Genentech
The Beginnings of Biotech
"About the Biotech industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Patrick Collison recommended this bookPatrick Collison
"Enjoyed [this book]." - Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison's recommendation of this book
The House of Morgan
An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
"About the Banking industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Max Levchin recommended this bookMax Levchin
"Trying new routine: starting day by reading few pages from a history book. Currently, [this book]." - Max Levchin
Max Levchin's recommendation of this book
The Master Switch
The Rise and Fall of Information Empires
"About the Media Platforms industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Andrew Chen recommended this bookAndrew Chen
"Awesome book." - Andrew Chen
Andrew Chen's recommendation of this book
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art
"About the Contemporary Art industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Vinod Khosla recommended this bookVinod Khosla
"A look at the economics and the marketing strategies that enable the modern art market to generate such astronomical prices." - Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla's recommendation of this book
Brianne Kimmel recommended this bookBrianne Kimmel
Brianne Kimmel recommended this book on Twitter.
Brianne Kimmel's recommendation of this book
Powerhouse
The Untold Story of Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency
"About the Talent industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Nothing Like It In the World
The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869
"About the Railroads industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Lords of Strategy
The Secret Intellectual History of the New Corporate World
"About the Management consulting industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Junkyard Planet
Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade
"About the Trash industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Dethroning the King
The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, an American Icon
"About the Beer industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Setting the Table
The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
"About the Restaurants industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Also recommended by
6 people
Noah Kagan recommended this bookNoah Kagan
"Create an experience that is like nothing else." - Noah Kagan
Noah Kagan's recommendation of this book
Chip Conley recommended this bookChip Conley
"One of the best books on hospitality ever written." - Chip Conley
Chip Conley's recommendation of this book
Julie Rice recommended this bookJulie Rice
"We did a lot of reading [this book] at SoulCycle." - Julie Rice
Julie Rice's recommendation of this book
Fred Wilson recommended this bookFred Wilson
"If you are an entrepreneur, you should read this book." - Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson's recommendation of this book
Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this bookPatrick O'Shaughnessy
"Every business could benefit from [this author's] framework for service and hospitality." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy's recommendation of this book
Bill Gurley recommended this bookBill Gurley
"I'm a huge fan of [this author]." - Bill Gurley
Bill Gurley's recommendation of this book
The Emperors of Chocolate
Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars
"About the Confectionary industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
The World in a Grain
The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization
"About the Sand industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
The Elements of Power
Gadgets, Guns, and the Struggle for a Sustainable Future in the Rare Metal Age
"About the Rare metals industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Bad Pharma
How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients
"About the Pharma industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
The Perfectionists
How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
"About the Machining industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Fire in the Valley
The Birth and Death of the Personal Computer
"About the Early PC industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
How Music Got Free
A Story of Obsession and Invention
"About the Digital Music industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Cable Cowboy
John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business
"About the Cable TV industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
The Big Payback
The History of the Business of Hip-Hop
"About the Hip-hop industry." - Trung Phan (Source)
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.








































Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts