These ten books changed the business world forever.
Thousands of business books are published each year, most of which are destined for the remainders bin. However, there are a handful of business books that have literally changed the world. Here's my list:
10. The Art of War (3rd Century BCE)
While militaristic thinking sometimes leads to bizarre business behavior (like treating competitors as enemies rather than potential partners), Sun Tzu's magnum opus really isn't about war, per se. It's more about how to think strategically about complex issues, as well as how to adapt those strategies to the often limited reality of the human condition.
Fun fact: Sun Tzu's patron tested the strategist's theories on war by asking him to organize an army of prostitutes and have them parade around the courtyeard.
9. The Prince (1532)
While intended for monarchs rather than moguls, Machiavelli's realpolitik view that "the end justifies the means" is the basis for modern corporate ethics. Executives in publicly-owned companies are constrained by law to represent the interests of the shareholders and can only "do the right thing" when the right thing makes financial sense.
Fun fact: Machiavelli was a complete failure as a military and civil adviser, and lived to see his ideas widely ridiculed.
8. The Wealth of Nations (1776)
Written when the fastest mode of communication was a sailing ship and slavery was legal in most of the world, this book provides the basis for popular economic thought even in the Internet age. Interest factoid: Adam Smith's oft-cited "invisible hand" only appears in a single sentence in the book.
Fun fact: While Smith was a proponent of the "invisible hand" of economics, he frequently warned against the formation of monopolies.
