Best Business books

The 63 highest-rated Business books, scored from 27.4K reader ratings.

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63 results
By year of first publication, 1900–2025. The busiest stretch is 2010–2019, with 24. Select a bar to narrow the list.
  1. Empire of Pain
    1
    8.88.8 / 10
    Empire of PainPatrick Radden Keefe360 ratings“Empire of Pain” turns the history of the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma into nonfiction that reads like a dynastic saga.Our view
  2. Shoe Dog
    2
    8.78.7 / 10
    Shoe DogPhil Knight672 ratings“Shoe Dog” works because Phil Knight tells Nike’s early years as a string of near-disasters, not as a victory lap.Our view
  3. Steve Jobs
    3
    8.48.4 / 10
    Steve JobsWalter Isaacson1.5K ratingsIsaacson’s authorised biography is thorough and even-handed: it admires what Jobs built without softening the personality behind it.Our view

Why Empire of Pain is #1

Empire of Pain (Patrick Radden Keefe) scores 8.8/10 from 360 ratings — 0.1 points ahead of Shoe Dog in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. To keep the list varied, the top 20 holds at most two books from one series and three by one author; the rest follow further down. Method →

  1. Chip War
    Chip WarChris Miller · 2022186 ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  2. Debt
    DebtDavid Graeber · 2011236 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  3. The Psychology of Money
    The Psychology of MoneyMorgan Housel · 20201.2K ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  4. The Simple Path to Wealth
    The Simple Path to WealthJL Collins · 2016185 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  5. Careless People
    Careless PeopleSarah Wynn-Williams · 2025NYT bestseller477 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  6. Atomic Habits
    Atomic HabitsJames Clear · 20183.9K ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  7. The Goal
    The GoalEliyahu M. Goldratt · 1986211 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  8. A Higher Loyalty
    A Higher LoyaltyJames Comey · 2018NYT bestseller126 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  9. The Intelligent Investor
    The Intelligent InvestorBenjamin Graham · 1949308 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  10. Bad Blood
    Bad BloodJohn Carreyrou · 2018NYT bestseller57 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  11. The Richest Man in Babylon
    The Richest Man in BabylonGeorge Samuel Clason · 1926479 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  12. Dare to Lead
    Dare to LeadBrené Brown · 2018190 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  13. Barbarians at the Gate
    Barbarians at the GateBryan Burrough · 198991 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  14. How to Win Friends and Influence People
    How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleDale Carnegie · 19361.8K ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  15. Outliers
    OutliersMalcolm Gladwell · 2008NYT bestseller1.2K ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  16. Too Big to Fail
    Too Big to FailAndrew Ross Sorkin · 200986 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  17. Misbehaving
    MisbehavingRichard Thaler · 201593 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  18. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
    Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are HighKerry Patterson · 2002209 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  19. The Making of a Manager
    The Making of a ManagerJulie Zhuo · 2019126 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  20. Fast Food Nation
    Fast Food NationEric Schlosser · 2001135 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  21. The Power of Habit
    The Power of HabitCharles Duhigg · 2012NYT bestseller148 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  22. The Lean Startup
    The Lean StartupEric Ries · 2011426 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  23. Start with Why
    Start with WhySimon Sinek · 200962 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  24. Made to Stick
    Made to StickDan Heath · 2007201 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  25. ReWork
    ReWorkJason Fried · 2010523 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  26. Tools of Titans
    Tools of TitansTim Ferriss · 2016173 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  27. Digital Minimalism
    Digital MinimalismCal Newport593 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  28. The Infinite Game
    The Infinite GameSimon Sinek · 201987 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  29. Ultralearning
    UltralearningScott Young · 2019158 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  30. Your Money or Your Life
    Your Money or Your LifeVicki Robin · 1992181 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  31. Antifragile
    AntifragileNassim Nicholas Taleb · 2012NYT bestseller258 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  32. The personal MBA
    The personal MBAJosh Kaufman · 2010119 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  33. Fooled by Randomness
    Fooled by RandomnessNassim Nicholas Taleb · 2001258 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  34. Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
    Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less TimeBrian Tracy · 200190 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  35. Getting Things Done
    Getting Things DoneDavid Allen · 200156 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  36. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
    The Age of Surveillance CapitalismShoshana Zuboff · 2018112 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  37. I Will Teach You to Be Rich
    I Will Teach You to Be RichRamit Sethi · 2009252 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  38. A World Without Email
    A World Without EmailCal Newport · 202178 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  39. The Tipping Point
    The Tipping PointMalcolm Gladwell · 200099 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  40. Deep Work
    Deep WorkCal Newport · 2016202 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  41. The Wolf of Wall Street
    The Wolf of Wall StreetJordan Belfort · 2007NYT bestseller70 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  42. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleStephen R. Covey · 1989890 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  43. Smarter Faster Better
    Smarter Faster BetterCharles Duhigg · 2016NYT bestseller125 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  44. Why Nations Fail
    Why Nations FailDaron Acemoglu · 2012NYT bestseller226 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  45. SuperFreakonomics
    SuperFreakonomicsSteven D. Levitt · 2009361 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  46. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
    The Power of Your Subconscious MindJoseph Murphy · 1963361 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  47. Freakonomics
    FreakonomicsSteven D. Levitt · 2005NYT bestseller1.6K ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  48. When
    WhenDaniel H. Pink · 2018NYT bestseller97 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  49. Slow Productivity
    Slow ProductivityCal Newport192 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  50. Think and Grow Rich
    Think and Grow RichNapoleon Hill · 1937907 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  51. Going Infinite
    Going InfiniteMichael Lewis · 2023NYT bestseller129 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  52. Purple Cow
    Purple CowSeth Godin · 200379 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  53. Nudge
    NudgeRichard Thaler · 2008294 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  54. Blink
    BlinkMalcolm Gladwell · 2005913 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  55. Linchpin
    LinchpinSeth Godin · 2010129 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  56. Liar's Poker
    Liar's PokerMichael Lewis · 1989437 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  57. The Art of War
    The Art of War孙武 (Sun Tzu) · 19001.3K ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  58. The Dip
    The DipSeth Godin · 2007173 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  59. The 4-Hour Workweek
    The 4-Hour WorkweekTim Ferriss · 2009676 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  60. Who Moved My Cheese?
    Who Moved My Cheese?Spencer Johnson · 1998545 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10

Frequently asked questions

Which title here has the most ratings?

Atomic Habits (James Clear) — 3.9K ratings and 8.2/10, which puts it at #9 on this list.

What is the best book of recent years in Business?

Of the books here published since 2022, Chip War (2022) ranks highest: #4, 8.4/10.