UPDATE: Personal MBA 2007 Reading List Finalized
Great news, everyone: after six solid months of reading and research, I’ve finalized my selections for the 2007 edition of the Personal MBA reading list! All that remains to be done now is write out the book descriptions and publish the list, which won’t take long.
I’m really excited about the new reading list - there are some new books that will absolutely blow you away. The update has been a long time coming, but I think you’ll agree that it’s worth the wait.
Here are a few interesting statistics about the new list:
The total list includes 69 books in 10 Categories (6-9 books per category)
There are 48 new books (70% of the list is new)
Approximately 50% of the new books came out since the first PMBA reading list was published in July 2005.
For every selection on the list, at least 2-3 alternative selections were reviewed and considered.
Most of the changes on the list are due to two factors: (1) your feedback about the selections from the 2005 list; (2) a new selection criterion: action-oriented content. (A good example of a book that didn’t meet this criteria is Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt - theoretically fascinating, but short on immediate actionability.)
The categories the new list will cover are:
- Personal Effectiveness
- Applied Psychology
- Commercialization (creating and selling products)
- Entrepreneurship
- Management
- Strategy
- Analysis
- Business History
- Business Reference
Here’s the plan: the list will be officially published the first week of August, after I get back from a well-deserved vacation. In the meantime, those of you who were kind enough to give feedback about the list several months ago will receive a “sneak preview” for proofreading purposes.
For those of you who have asked about the PMBA forums: they’re down temporarily for an upgrade. I anticipate having the forums up and running again when the 2007 update is officially published.
I expect to kick off my first PMBA coaching sessions shortly after the list is published. If you’re interested in participating, make sure to fill out an information form ASAP - slots are filling up fast!
It’s going to be an exciting few weeks! 
Related Posts on the PMBA Blog
LAUNCH: Personal MBA Recommended Reading List, 2008 edition
LAUNCH: The Personal MBA Manifesto and Recommended Reading List, 2007 edition
PREVIEW: Personal MBA Recommended Reading List, 2008 edition
6 Comments, Comment or Ping
Jose
69 books is waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy too long of a list. You really should have aimed for the 25 or 30 essential texts. For the time it would take to read 69 books, I might as well take an actual MBA.
Jul 15th, 2007
Josh Kaufman
Jose,
Thanks for the comment. To clarify: I’m not recommending that every person read every single book on the list. The list is now modular by topic, so it will be very easy to pick out your own 25-30 essential texts that best fit your job, interests, and goals.
One of the things I learned when the original list was published in 2005 is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” list of books every single person should read. I simply can not create a list that is absolutely perfect for every single person in every single situation. This modular approach will make it easy for everyone to find books that fit their needs while keeping the list relatively comprehensive.
Note also that 15 of the books are either in business history and business reference, which you may or may not need to read. If you skipped these categories completely, the list drops to 54.
Hope this eases your concerns a bit,
Josh
Jul 15th, 2007
Aaron Forgue
Josh,
Congrats on completing the new list. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!
Jul 16th, 2007
Gannon Beck
That’s great Josh. I can’t wait to see the new list.
Gannon
Jul 16th, 2007
Tyler Martin
Glad to hear the list is longer. I understand the initial jaw-dropping reaction by said readers, but hopefully others will keep in mind that the price tage for 69 books is significantly lower than the MBA.
Furthermore, the PMBA purpose is not to self-educate quicker than an MBA; it is a more cost-effective way of education. I argue that the time you WOULD spend in a graduate program should simply be re-purposed for this reading regimen. The primary item that sets MBAs apart from other job candidates is the fact that a hiring manager knows that an MBA had the wherewithal to dedicate an intense period of time to self-development. Imagine explaining to a hiring manager that “Iweighed my options and decided against the MBA because the opportunity costs were too great and instead read 69 books over a period of two years to continue developing yourself. Oh, and by the way, here’s the list of the books with a short summary. ” Impressive. That would definitely set you apart.
Well done Josh.
Jul 16th, 2007
Ron
Josh,
I’d love to support the PMBA by purchasing books on this site however I live in Los Angeles where we spend most of our day in our cars stuck in traffic so I am interested in the Audio version of as many books as possible. Have you looked into offering books on DVD and are they available for these titles and if not how can we make that happen?
Jul 18th, 2007