The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read (Paperback)

by Editors Of Perseus Publishing (Author), Perseus Publishing (Author)
Key Phrases: natural capitalism, relationship marketing, heartland businesses, New York, Gary Hamel, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Simply the best general business reference ever."

Product Description
From The Art of War to Being Digital-the 100 books that have shaped management thinking and practice.

Given the urgency and immediacy of so many business problems and challenges, a solid grounding in the history and evolution of business thinking will help managers separate fad from fact and apply the cumulative wisdom of the writers whose ideas have demonstrated profound and lasting impact. From Sun Tzu's timeless Art of War to the inventors of modern management in the 1920s-'40s to the books that have the captured the New Economy Zeitgeist, The Best Business Books Ever illuminates the key ideas and contributions of the 100 books that should form the basis of any manager's, business student's, or entrepreneur's library. The Best Business Books Ever places both historical and contemporary works in context and draws fascinating parallels and points of connection between books from different places and times, all of which have contributed to our collective understanding and practice of the art of management.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (July 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738208493
• ISBN-13: 978-0738208497
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,579 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent review of the 100 most influential business books, November 2, 2003

By	Celia Redmore "Celia Redmore" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

BBBe provides a two-page summary of the hundred most influential business books. The mix is eclectic, including modern authors, such as Peter Senge and Peter Drucker, as well as historical writers, such as Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz and John Stuart Mill.

Probably someone will complain that this is just another `Cliff Notes' of business books, but it provides an interesting history of attitudes towards business and a starting point for anyone looking for a guide to business books worth reading.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Needs a better index, July 12, 2005

By	A Reader (St. Peters, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This book is similar to the Ultimate Business Library, the latest edition of which summarizes less books (75 in the latest edition rather than 100), but is longer. The Ultimate Business Library also has a better index. This book's index is only an author index, which is necessary because the summaries are arranged alphabetically by book title rather than by author. The Ultimate Business Library, on the other hand, arranges them alphabetically by author. Personally, I would prefer them to be arranged chronologically. This book also does not show the publication year of the books in the table of contents. So, it is difficult to read them in chronological order. The Ultimate Business Library wins out in this respect as well. I still like The Best Business Books Ever, but I wish I had bought the Ultimate Business Library instead.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delivers as Promised, January 3, 2007

By	Kevin Eikenberry "Remarkable Leader" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The subtitle of this book is: The 100 Most Influential Management Books You'll Never Have Time to Read. The first thing I did was go through the table of contents and do a mental note of how many of these books I had heard of (about 85-90), then I did a count of those I had read (17). Such is part of the fun of looking at any sort of list of what is considered "best."

I think the key criterion for "best" in this case is most influential, which helps me make more sense of what is included and some of what isn't.

The book is useful in that each chapter (one for each of the 100 books) follows the same template, sharing a brief summary, the key ideas the book highlighted and a bit of context - how the book fits into the world and the impact it has had.

If you are looking to become more conversant in some classic business literature and ideas, or if you are looking for a guide to help you fill the gaps in your own library, this book would be a good choice.

It might not be a book to sit down with at the fire, but it is worth considering and taking a look at.