BUSINESS BASICS

Influence – The Power of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini
(Recommended by Charlie Munger; more than a hundred given away; a must for marketers, or for those who wish to understand people. If you read only one of the suggestions on this list, this is the one.)

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell

How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie

Blink—The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell

Made To Stick, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

A FULFILLING LIFE

The Paradox of Success, by John R. O’Neil
(Success often lacks fulfillment.)

What Happy People Know, by Dan Baker
(The only real thing you can control is your own behaviour.)

Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

Rules for Aging, by Roger Rosenblatt
(Ideal for folks over sixty.)

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, by Richard Carlson

Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity, by John Stossel

PHILANTHROPY

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., by Ron Chernow
(Rockefeller was worth $200 billion in today’s dollars; he donated 50 per cent of it.)

Carnegie, by Peter Krass
(Carnegie was worth $100 billion in today’s dollars, or twice what Bill Gates is worth. Between the ages of sixty-four and eighty-four, he gave 90 per cent of his fortune away.)

Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg, by Christopher Ogden