Curated Reading List
Best Investing Books of All Time
Recommended by billionaire investors and a guy from Indiana who bet everything on Fannie Mae preferred stock.
55 investing books • Links are affiliate (details below)
The Intelligent Investor
by Benjamin Graham
“By far the best book on investing ever written.”Buy on Amazon
Poor Charlie's Almanack
by Charles T. Munger
“Charlie has the best 30-second mind in the world. This book captures his wisdom.”Buy on Amazon
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
by Edwin Lefevre
“One of the best books ever written about the financial markets. I've read it multiple times.”Buy on Amazon
The Alchemy of Finance
by George Soros
“The theory of reflexivity is the cornerstone of my approach to markets.”Buy on Amazon
The Most Important Thing
by Howard Marks
“Second-level thinking is what separates the great investors from the average ones.”Buy on Amazon
Fooled by Randomness
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“Taleb brilliantly explains how much of what we attribute to skill is actually luck. Essential reading for investors.”Buy on Amazon
The Big Short
by Michael Lewis
“Lewis captured the insanity of the subprime mortgage crisis. I lived it — and he got the details right.”Buy on Amazon
Security Analysis
by Benjamin Graham & David Dodd
“The bible of value investing. If you want to understand intrinsic value, this is where you start.”Buy on Amazon
The Man Who Solved the Market
by Gregory Zuckerman
“Zuckerman tells our story at Renaissance. I may not agree with every detail, but he captured the essence of what we built.”Buy on Amazon
Market Wizards
by Jack D. Schwager
“Schwager interviews the greatest traders of our time. I read this before starting Citadel and it shaped my approach to risk.”Buy on Amazon
Against the Gods
by Peter L. Bernstein
“The history of risk. Bernstein shows how humanity learned to understand and manage uncertainty. Essential for any investor.”Buy on Amazon
Liar's Poker
by Michael Lewis
“Lewis captures the madness of Wall Street in the '80s. I lived through that era and he nailed the culture.”Buy on Amazon
When Genius Failed
by Roger Lowenstein
“The LTCM collapse is the ultimate lesson in hubris and leverage. Every hedge fund manager should read this annually.”Buy on Amazon
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
by Edwin Lefevre
“Jesse Livermore's story is timeless. The market hasn't changed in a century — only the speed.”Buy on Amazon
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
by Edwin Lefevre
“Livermore traded with ticker tape. I built computers to trade with. But the psychology hasn't changed in a century.”Buy on Amazon
The Intelligent Investor
by Benjamin Graham
“Graham's margin of safety is as relevant to market making as it is to value investing. Every trade needs an edge and a cushion.”Buy on Amazon
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
by Edwin Lefevre
“Jesse Livermore is the greatest trader who ever lived. I've read this book 20 times. If you want to understand markets, start here.”Buy on Amazon
One Up on Wall Street
by Peter Lynch
“Lynch taught a generation that ordinary people can beat Wall Street by paying attention to what they buy and use every day. Booyah.”Buy on Amazon
The Weekend That Changed Wall Street
by Maria Bartiromo
“I was there for the 2008 crash. Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, the Fed scrambling. I documented the weekend that changed everything.”Buy on Amazon
Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits
by Philip A. Fisher
“Fisher taught me that qualitative research — talking to management, customers, competitors — is just as important as the numbers.”Buy on Amazon
Security Analysis
by Benjamin Graham & David Dodd
“The Bible of value investing. Graham and Dodd wrote the framework that every serious investor builds on. If you manage other people's money, you must read this.”Buy on Amazon
100 to 1 in the Stock Market
by Thomas William Phelps
“I studied every stock that returned 100x from 1932 to 1971. The lesson: buy right and hold on. The hardest part is the holding on.”Buy on Amazon
Poor Charlie's Almanack
by Charles T. Munger
“Munger's mental models are the most practical thinking framework I've found. At ByteDance, we use multi-disciplinary thinking to solve problems others can't.”Buy on Amazon
The Essays of Warren Buffett
by Warren Buffett & Lawrence Cunningham
“Buffett's shareholder letters are a masterclass in capital allocation. At Fidelity, we manage trillions — his long-term thinking is the gold standard.”Buy on Amazon
The Bitcoin Standard
by Saifedean Ammous
“Ammous makes the strongest economic case for Bitcoin as sound money. I read this before going all-in on crypto. It convinced me the future is decentralized.”Buy on Amazon
100 to 1 in the Stock Market
by Thomas William Phelps
“This is the book that made me understand compounding. Buy right and hold on. Phelps studied every stock that returned 100x from 1932 to 1971. If you read one investing book, make it this one.”Buy on Amazon
The Either/Or Investor
by Clark Winter
“This confirms several cognitive biases. You can teach these to yourself, but it's a lot easier to learn from examples. Clark does a good job of helping you understand opportunity cost.”Buy on Amazon
The Winning Investment Habits of Warren Buffett and George Soros
by Mark Tier
“There's no better way to see things than from the perspective of the most successful investors of our time. Soros: find a water spigot and put your bucket under it. Buffett: skate to where the puck is going.”Buy on Amazon
Margin of Safety
by Seth Klarman
“Read this after you read Buffettology. It's also good alongside Security Analysis by Graham and Dodd. This goes into investment concepts that most people skip.”Buy on Amazon
The Little Book that Beats the Market
by Joel Greenblatt
“The one book you should read to see if you are even remotely interested in stocks. If this doesn't excite you, nothing will.”Buy on Amazon
Buffettology
by Mary Buffett
“This is the book I read after working with my mentor to begin to visualize things more like Buffett. I've used his partnership agreements from this book in real life. If you want to understand companies like Buffett does, this is the way.”Buy on Amazon
How to Find a Home Run Stock
by John Lux
“I met John Lux in person after he sent me his book. I told my dad that if I ever felt the need to write a book, that need has vanished because someone already wrote it for me.”Buy on Amazon
Fanniegate
by Glen Bradford
“Book 1. The first sound they'll hear is their heads hitting the floor. I was 28 and furious.”Buy on Amazon
Net Worth Sweep
by Glen Bradford
“Book 2. Government theft of $100B+ of cash money. I documented everything while it was happening.”Buy on Amazon
Capital Buffer
by Glen Bradford
“Book 3. Any solution will be dependent upon the GSEs being capitalized. I was right.”Buy on Amazon
$3,542,600
by Glen Bradford
“Book 4. Par value. That's what my position was worth at par. I wrote a whole book about it because I'm that guy.”Buy on Amazon
Adequately Capitalized
by Glen Bradford
“Book 5. My first second million. Lost it all in Chinese frauds, made it back, then went all in on Fannie.”Buy on Amazon
Winners Circle
by Glen Bradford
“Book 6. Fanniegate last call. Spoiler: it wasn't actually the last call. There are two more books after this.”Buy on Amazon
Fanniegate Hero
by Glen Bradford
“Book 7. Heading to the Lamberth trial. I documented the courtroom proceedings in real time. Nobody else did.”Buy on Amazon
Victory Lap
by Glen Bradford
“Book 8. Fanniegate recap and release. The endgame may finally be here. 10 years of writing about the same trade. Talk about conviction.”Buy on Amazon
Nomad Investment Partnership Letters
by Nicholas Sleep
“The complete letters from one of the greatest concentrated investors of all time. Published for free after Sleep closed the fund. Scale economics shared, radical concentration, and knowing when enough is enough.”Buy on Amazon
The Dhandho Investor
by Mohnish Pabrai
“Heads, I win. Tails, I don't lose much. The Dhandho framework is the simplest and most powerful explanation of low-risk, high-return investing I've ever read.”Buy on Amazon
The Psychology of Money
by Morgan Housel
“Housel brilliantly explains that doing well with money has little to do with how smart you are and a lot to do with how you behave. The best finance book for understanding yourself.”Buy on Amazon
The Richest Man in Babylon
by George S. Clason
“The simplest and oldest financial wisdom still holds. Pay yourself first, live below your means, and make your gold work for you. Timeless parables that every investor should read early.”Buy on Amazon
Beating the Street
by Peter Lynch
“Lynch's follow-up to One Up on Wall Street is just as essential. His approach of investing in what you know and doing your homework is the foundation of successful stock picking.”Buy on Amazon
Rich Dad Poor Dad
by Robert Kiyosaki
“The book that started millions on their financial journey. The distinction between assets and liabilities is the most important lesson in personal finance. Make your money work for you.”Buy on Amazon
The Changing World Order
by Ray Dalio
“Understanding the rise and decline of empires, reserve currencies, and debt cycles is essential for any macro investor. History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes — and Dalio shows you the pattern.”Buy on Amazon
Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger
by Peter Bevelin
“Peter Bevelin has done a masterful job distilling the mental models that lead to better decisions. This is the operating manual for rational thinking.”Buy on Amazon
Where Are the Customers' Yachts?
by Fred Schwed Jr.
“The funniest book ever written about Wall Street. Schwed's wit cuts through the nonsense of the financial industry with timeless precision.”Buy on Amazon
You Can Be a Stock Market Genius
by Joel Greenblatt
“Don't let the title fool you — Greenblatt lays out special situation investing (spinoffs, mergers, bankruptcies) better than anyone. This is where the real edge lives.”Buy on Amazon
The Warren Buffett Way
by Robert G. Hagstrom
“Hagstrom breaks down Buffett's investment framework into actionable principles. One of the best introductions to value investing ever written.”
More Money Than God
by Sebastian Mallaby
“Mallaby's definitive history of hedge funds — from Alfred Winslow Jones to the quants. Every chapter reveals a different approach to beating the market.”Buy on Amazon
The Big Secret for the Small Investor
by Joel Greenblatt
“Greenblatt explains why most investors fail and offers a simple, value-weighted approach that gives the little guy a genuine edge over Wall Street.”Buy on Amazon
Capital Returns
by Edward Chancellor
“Marathon Asset Management's collected wisdom on capital cycle investing. Understanding how capital flows into and out of industries is one of the most powerful frameworks in all of investing.”Buy on Amazon
Richer, Wiser, Happier
by William Green
“Green spent decades interviewing the greatest investors alive and distilled their wisdom into principles for investing and life. Pabrai, Marks, Templeton, and Munger all shine in these pages.”Buy on Amazon
Why These Books?
This list is not a generic roundup scraped from the internet. Every book here was either recommended in a public interview, annual letter, or book club by a billionaire investor — or it comes from Glen Bradford's personal reading list, built over 15+ years of concentrated value investing. Whether you are just getting started or looking for the next book that changes how you see the world, this is the list.
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Disclosure: Links on this page go to Amazon and include an affiliate tag. If you buy something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Book recommendations are sourced from publicly available interviews, annual letters, and book clubs. Attributions may be paraphrased or reflect secondhand reporting — we do our best but can't guarantee perfect accuracy. These attributions do not imply endorsement of this site by any individual listed. This page was compiled with AI assistance.
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