The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

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The Deprecated List

This page contains a list of books that were recommended in past editions of the Personal MBA reading list. This page is provided as a reference.

First, a bit of history: the Personal MBA started as a personal side project. My goal was to learn more about business so I could do well in my new job. Instead of going on vacation, I spent my summer reading business books. You can read the whole story in my book.

The first edition of the Personal MBA reading list was published in August, 2005. At that point, I’d read approximately 200 books. Since then, I’ve read over a thousand business books (I lost count), and expanded my research into psychology, science, and systems theory. Over 11,000 business books are published every year, and my recommendations can only be as good as the books I’ve read. The more I read, better the list becomes.

The list also grew in size, from 44 initial recommendations to the current list of 99 titles. The list is locked at 99 recommendations, and won’t expand any further.

The books on the current Personal MBA reading list represent the very best business education resources I’m currently aware of. They are the first recommendations I give to businesspeople who are interested in learning how to make more money, get more done, and enjoy the process of building a successful venture. I track my research and recommendations closely, and update the list annually based on the results of my research.

Many Personal MBA readers are curious about books that are no longer on the list, resulting in this page.

Books are typically removed from the “official” reading list for the following reasons:

Past recommendations are still of good quality, and are worth reading. Removing a book from the current list is typically a difficult decision. Removing books is an absolute necessity to keep the list at a manageable size.

I still recommend reading books on the current list first, but feel free to pick up books on the deprecated list if one strikes your fancy – they’re still worth reading. Keep in mind that many of these recommendations are over seven years old, so you may not be able to find some of these books in print.

Here are past Personal MBA recommendations in alphabetical order:

Return to the current edition of the Personal MBA reading list →


The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

Buy the book:


About Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman is an acclaimed business, learning, and skill acquisition expert. He is the author of two international bestsellers: The Personal MBA and The First 20 Hours. Josh's research and writing have helped millions of people worldwide learn the fundamentals of modern business.

More about Josh Kaufman →