Top 20 Books Recommended by Charlie Munger

January 5, 2023

Who is Charlie Munger?

Charlie Munger is a renowned American investor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is the Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and is known for his successful investments in companies such as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and GEICO.

One of Charlie Munger’s books that has become popular among investors and business professionals alike is Poor Charlie’s Almanack. This book contains several of Munger’s lectures and speeches, as well as his thoughts on investing strategies and business principles. Additionally, the book features books recommended by Charlie Munger that have helped shape his investing style and philosophy. These books include titles such as The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham and Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

Charlie Munger is also the author of other books such as The Psychology of Human Misjudgment, a collection of essays on the topics of human psychology and investment principles, and You Can Be A Stock Market Genius, which provides practical advice for investors looking to take advantage of market opportunities.

In addition to books, Charlie Munger has written multiple articles and given numerous lectures about investing. His insights on investing are often sought after by investors looking to gain a deeper understanding of the markets and develop sound investment strategies.

Overall, books recommended by Charlie Munger can provide valuable insight into the world of financial investments and business principles. By reading books recommended by Charlie Munger, investors can gain a deeper understanding of the markets and develop sound investment strategies. The books also serve as sources of inspiration for those looking to emulate the success of Charlie Munger.

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

Based on newly released personal letters of Einstein, this book explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk—a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn’t get a teaching job or a doctorate—became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom, and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits, and free individuals.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his Memoirs. Although it had a tortuous publication history after Franklin’s death, this work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written. Franklin’s account of his life is divided into four parts, reflecting the different periods at which he wrote them. There are actual breaks in the narrative between the first three parts, but Part Three’s narrative continues into Part Four without an authorial break.

The Martians of Science by Istvan Hargittai

If science has the equivalent of a Bloomsbury group, it is the five men born at the turn of the twentieth century in Budapest: Theodore von Kármán, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, John von Neumann, and Edward Teller. From Hungary to Germany to the United States, they remained friends and continued to work together and influence each other throughout their lives. As a result, their work was integral to some of the most important scientific and political developments of the twentieth century.

The Outsiders by William N. Thorndike

What makes a successful CEO? Most people call to mind a familiar definition: “a seasoned manager with deep industry expertise.” Others might point to the qualities of today’s so-called celebrity CEOs—charisma, virtuoso communication skills, and a confident management style. But what really matters when you run an organization? What is the hallmark of exceptional CEO performance? Quite simply, it is the returns for the shareholders of that company over the long term. In this refreshing, counterintuitive book, author Will Thorndike brings to bear the analytical wisdom of a successful career in investing, closely evaluating the performance of companies and their leaders.

Fortune’s Formula by William Poundstone

In 1956 two Bell Labs scientists discovered the scientific formula for getting rich. One was mathematician Claude Shannon, neurotic father of our digital age, whose genius is ranked with Einstein’s. The other was John L. Kelly Jr., a Texas-born, gun-toting physicist. Together they applied the science of information theory―the basis of computers and the Internet―to the problem of making as much money as possible, as fast as possible.

Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco by Bryan Burrough

The fight to control RJR Nabisco during October and November of 1988 was more than just the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Marked by brazen displays of ego not seen in American business for decades, it became the high point of a new gilded age, and its repercussions are still being felt. The ultimate story of greed and glory, Barbarians at the Gate is the gripping account of these two frenzied months, of deal makers and publicity flaks, of an old-line industrial powerhouse that became the victim of the ruthless and rapacious style of finance in the 1980s.

Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field by Nancy Forbes and Basil Mahon

The story of two brilliant nineteenth-century scientists who discovered the electromagnetic field, laying the groundwork for the amazing technological and theoretical breakthroughs of the twentieth century two of the boldest and most creative scientists of all time were Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). This is the story of how these two men – separated in age by forty years – discovered the existence of the electromagnetic field and devised a radically new theory that overturned the strictly mechanical view of the world that had prevailed since Newton’s time.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman

Who formed the first literate society? Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism? The Scots. As historian and author Arthur Herman reveals, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland made crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.

Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire by James Wallace

In this fascinating exposé, two investigative reporters trace the hugely successful career of Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Part entrepreneur, part enfant terrible, Gates has become the most powerful — and feared — player in the computer industry, and arguably the richest man in America. In Hard Drive, investigative reporters Wallace and Erickson follow Gates from his days as an unkempt thirteen-year-old computer hacker to his present-day status as a ruthless billionaire CEO.

In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy

Written with full cooperation from top management, including cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, this is the inside story behind Google, the most successful and most admired technology company of our time, told by one of our best technology writers.

Few companies in history have ever been as successful and as admired as Google, the company that has transformed the Internet and become an indispensable part of our lives. How has Google done it? Veteran technology reporter Steven Levy was granted unprecedented access to the company, and in this revelatory book he takes readers inside Google headquarters—the Googleplex—to show how Google works.

Judgment in Managerial Decision Making by Max H. Bazerman

Behavioral decision research provides many important insights into managerial behavior. From negotiation to investment decisions, the authors weave behavioral decision research into the organizational realm by examining judgment in a variety of managerial contexts. Embedded with the latest research and theories, Managerial Decision-Making 8th Edition gives students the opportunity to understand their own decision-making tendencies, learn strategies for overcoming cognitive biases, and become better decision-makers.

Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice.

No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality by Judith Rich Harris

The author of the controversial book The Nurture Assumption tackles the biggest mystery in all of psychology: What makes people differ so much in personality and behavior? It can’t just be “nature and nurture,” because even identical twins who grow up together—same genes, same parents—have different personalities. And if psychologists can’t explain why identical twins are different, they also can’t explain why each of us differs from everyone else. Why no two people are alike.

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher

Getting to Yes has helped millions of people learn a better way to negotiate. One of the primary business texts of the modern era, it is based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deals with all levels of negotiation and conflict resolution. Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict.

Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley

The genome’s been mapped. But what does it mean? Arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life. Genome offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough.

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations by David S. Landes

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is David S. Landes’s acclaimed, best-selling exploration of one of the most contentious and hotly debated questions of our time: Why do some nations achieve economic success while others remain mired in poverty?

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow

From the acclaimed, award-winning author of Alexander Hamilton: here is the essential, endlessly engrossing biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry.Drawing on unprecedented access to Rockefeller’s private papers, Chernow reconstructs his subjects’ troubled origins and his single-minded pursuit of wealth.

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

As influential today as when it was first published, The Selfish Gene has become a classic exposition of evolutionary thought. Professor Dawkins articulates a gene’s eye view of evolution – a view giving center stage to these persistent units of information, and in which organisms can be seen as vehicles for their replication. This 40th-anniversary edition includes a new epilogue from the author discussing the continuing relevance of these ideas in evolutionary biology today, as well as the original prefaces and foreword, and extracts from early reviews.

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared M. Diamond

We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet — having founded civilizations and religions and developed intricate and diverse forms of communication. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins? In this fascinating, provocative work, renowned Pulitzer Prize–winning author and scientist Jared Diamond explores how the extraordinary human animal, in a remarkably short time, developed the capacity to rule the world.

Living within Limits: Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos by Garrett Hardin

In Living Within Limits, Hardin focuses on the neglected problem of overpopulation, making a forceful case for dramatically changing the way we live in and manage our world. Our world itself, he writes, is in the dilemma of the lifeboat: it can only hold a certain number of people before it sinks–not everyone can be saved.