Michael Moritz, Phil Knight, Shelly Lazarus – CEO Personal Libraries

I am a Bookaholic who refuses to enter any kind of addiction program for her book addition. I enjoy my addiction because it gives me pleasure. I am interested in shaping my mind, so I am always curious to see which books are in the personal libraries of  CEOs and other successful and accomplished people and which books they are reading. I have mentioned so many times on The Invisible Mentor blog how much I love the article, C.E.O. Libraries Reveal Keys to Success by Harriet Rubin, that I am sure some of you are now saying, “Enough already, Avil.”

But what I have decided to do is to list some of the books mentioned in the article, as well as those that I can recognize from the bookshelves. People mentioned in the article include:

• Michael Moritz, Venture Capitalist with Sequoia Capital
• Phil Knight, Founder of Nike
• Steven P. Jobs, Apple
• Michael R. Milken, American Financier
• Dee Hock, Founder of Visa Credit Card
• Sidney Harman, founder of Harman Industries
• Shelly Lazarus, Former Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy

List of Books in CEO Personal Libraries (New York Times article)

1. Swimming Across: A Memoir, Andy Grove
2. Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph: The Complete 1922 Text), T. E. Lawrence
3. The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
4. The Prince, Machiavelli
5. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Omar Khayyam
6. Death of a Salesman (Viking Critical Library), Arthur Miller
7. City of God: A Novel, E. L. Doctorow
8. How Doctors Think, Dr. Jerome Groopman
9. Seminary Boy: A Memoir, John Cornwall
10. The Wife: A Novel, Meg Wolitzer
11. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin
12. Carter Beats the Devil, Glen David Gold
13. Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel, Arthur Golden
14. Goethe's Faust
15. My Son's Story: A Novel, Nadine Gordimer
16. Dynasties: Fortunes and Misfortunes of the World's Great Family Businesses, David S. Landes
17. John Hedgecoe's New Book of Photography
18. Cecil Beaton's The Years Between: Diaries- 1939-44

I have been paying attention to the books that successful people read for a while now, so I have amassed several lists of books to read. Many of them I will never read simply because there are only so many hours in a day.

Books Recommended by Og Mandino

1. Self Help (Annotated), Samuel Smiles
2. Pushing to the Front, Orison Swett Marden
3. I Dare You! William H. Danforth
4. The Ability to Love, Allan Fromme
5. The Power of Faith, Louis Binstock
6. Your Greatest Power, J. Martin Kohe
7. The Magic Power of Emotional Appeal: The Fine Art of Swaying Opinion in Any Situation, Roy Garn
8. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, Frank Bettger
9. How to Make ESP Work for You, Harold Sherman
10. The Magic of Believing: The Science of Setting Your Goal and Then Reaching It, Claude M. Bristol

Books Recommended by Jim Rohn

1. The Kingship of Self-Control: Individual Problems and Possibilities (Classic Reprint), William George Jordan
2. The Ultimate Gift (The Ultimate Series #1), Jim Stovall
3. Consulting the Wise: Simulated Interviews wth Great Torah Scholars of Previous Generations, Rabbi Zelig Pelskin
4. The Magic of Thinking Big, Dr. David Schwartz
5. How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
6. You and Your Network: 8 Vital Links to an Exciting Life, Fred Smith
7. Skill With People, Les Giblin
8. My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition, Oswald Chambers

To read the books mentioned and get the most from the knowledge and wisdom they have, buddy up with friends, and decide who will read which books, then each person will present to the others on what they learned.

Liked this post? Share it on social media and leave a comment as well as subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more! If you’re new to the blog, visit the Start Here page for my pillar posts.

Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people. Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Book links are affiliate links.