Read by Charlie Munger, Jamie Dimon, Daniel Ek and 6 others
What books does Charlie Munger recommend?
Charlie Munger, the late Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffett's partner for nearly 50 years, built his investing around a "latticework of mental models," and his 35 book recommendations show where those models came from. They are drawn from decades of remarks at the Berkshire Hathaway, Wesco Financial, and Daily Journal annual meetings, along with the reading lists in his own book, Poor Charlie's Almanack. The subjects reach far beyond finance into science and technology, history, biography, and psychology. The title he praised most unreservedly is Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, which he read twice and called "the best work of its kind I have ever read." Nearby stand Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene, which Munger admits he "had to read twice before I fully understood it," and Ron Chernow's Titan, "one of the best business biographies I have ever read."
Last updated January 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Fates of Human Societies
byJared Diamond
1997480 Pages“I have recently read a new book twice, which I very seldom do... It's a marvelous book... I would say it's the best work of its kind I have ever read.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1999
Read by Charlie Munger, Eric Weinstein, Siddhartha Mukherjee and 3 others
The Selfish Gene
40th Anniversary Edition
byRichard Dawkins
2016544 Pages“If you take Dawkins, The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker, I mean, these are marvelous books... I had to read The Selfish Gene twice before I fully understood it.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1998
Read by Charlie Munger, Ryan Holiday, Chip Wilson and 2 others
byRon Chernow
1998832 Pages“That's one of the best business biographies I have ever read. And it's a very interesting family story, too. That is was just a wonderful, wonderful book.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2001
The Outsiders
Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
byWilliam N. Thorndike
2012272 Pages“A book that details the extraordinary success of CEOs who took a radically different approach to corporate management.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Daily Journal Annual Meeting
Read by Charlie Munger
byJohn Gribbin, Mary Gribbin
2001112 Pages“I think it's the best book of scientific explanation I have ever read... I recommend that book to you.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2004
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
byDavid S. Landes
1998650 Pages“It was a wonderful book... I would heartily recommend [this] book.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1999
Living within Limits
Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos
byGarrett Hardin
1995352 Pages“Recommended in Poor Charlie's Almanack.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Poor Charlie's Almanack
Read by Charlie Munger, Jeff Bezos, David Sinclair and 2 others
The Blind Watchmaker
Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
byRichard Dawkins
2015496 Pages(41,795)
“These are powerful books. And they're a lot of fun... marvelous books.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1998
Read by Charlie Munger
The Third Chimpanzee
The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal
byJared Diamond
1992407 Pages“Recommended in Poor Charlie's Almanack.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Poor Charlie's Almanack
byMatt Ridley
2006344 Pages“It is a fabulous book... I'm recommending a bestseller.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2001
Read by Charlie Munger
byHerbert A. Simon
1991462 Pages“An autobiography of Nobel laureate Herbert A. Simon, a remarkable polymath who more people should know about... it's a very interesting book.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2001
Read by Charlie Munger
How the Scots Invented the Modern World
The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It
byArthur Herman
2001480 Pages“It was a marvelous book... I recommend [it] to all of you.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2002
Read by Charlie Munger
The Warren Buffett Portfolio
Mastering the Power of the Focus Investment Strategy
byRobert G. Hagstrom
1999256 Pages“I was flabbergasted to find it not only very well written, but a considerable contribution to the synthesis of human thought on the investment process.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1999
Read by Charlie Munger
A Matter of Degrees: What Temperature Reveals about the Past and Future of Our Species, Planet, and Universe
What Temperature Reveals about the Past and Future of Our Species, Planet, and Universe
byGino Segrè
2003320 Pages“A wide-ranging exploration of how the fundamental scientific concept of temperature is bound up with the very essence of both life and matter.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Poor Charlie's Almanack
Read by Charlie Munger
Master of the Game
Steve Ross and the Creation of Time Warner
byConnie Bruck
1994400 Pages“I very much enjoyed Connie Bruck's biography Master of the Game... she's a very insightful writer and it's a very interesting story.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1995
Yes!
50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
byNoah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, Robert B. Cialdini
2009272 Pages“He's just got a new book... called Yes! So here's two books that I suggest you add to your class.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2011
Read by Charlie Munger, Jensen Huang, Steve Jobs and 3 others
Only the Paranoid Survive
How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company
byAndrew S. Grove
1996224 Pages“Recommended in Poor Charlie's Almanack.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Poor Charlie's Almanack
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
byRoger Fisher, William Ury, Bruce Patton
2011240 Pages“Recommended in Poor Charlie's Almanack.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Poor Charlie's Almanack
Read by Charlie Munger
Fiasco: The Inside Story of a Wall Street Trader
The Inside Story of a Wall Street Trader
byFrank Partnoy
1999288 Pages“I remember reading this shocking book and thinking, holy crap. This book will make you sick.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Poor Charlie's Almanack
Read by Charlie Munger
Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information
Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information
byRobert Wright
1988324 Pages“Recommended in Poor Charlie's Almanack.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Poor Charlie's Almanack
Read by Charlie Munger
Judgment in Managerial Decision Making
8th Edition
byMax H. Bazerman, Don A. Moore
2012288 Pages“It's actually quite a good book... there's a lot of wisdom in it.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 1996
Read by Charlie Munger
Conspiracy of Fools
A True Story
byKurt Eichenwald
2005742 Pages“That Enron book is really worth reading because the evil is so extreme. You see people getting sucked in by the evil all around them. You just learn so much.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Wesco Financial Annual Meeting 2005
Read by Charlie Munger
In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives
How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives
bySteven Levy
2011432 Pages“I actually read that book In the Plex about Google, and I found it a very interesting book.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2011
Read by Charlie Munger, Elon Musk, Ray Dalio and 1 others
byWalter Isaacson
2007675 Pages“I've read all the Einstein biographies, and this is by far the best.”
— Charlie Munger
Source: Wesco Annual Meeting 2007
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Charlie Munger recommend?
From 35 recommendations, notable picks include Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, Titan by Ron Chernow, The Outsiders by William N. Thorndike, and Genome by Matt Ridley.
What is Charlie Munger's favorite book?
He gave his highest praise to Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, which he read twice and called "the best work of its kind I have ever read." He was similarly effusive about Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene.
Where do Charlie Munger's book recommendations come from?
Most come from his comments at the Berkshire Hathaway, Wesco Financial, and Daily Journal annual meetings across many years, supplemented by the recommended-reading lists in his book Poor Charlie's Almanack.
Did Charlie Munger write a book?
Yes. His writing and speeches are collected in Poor Charlie's Almanack, the volume that gathers his wit, philosophy, and the mental-models approach he is best known for.
What genres does Charlie Munger read most?
His recommendations span science and technology and history above all, with a strong appetite for biographies and memoirs, business and strategy, and psychology and human behavior.
All 35 Books Charlie Munger Has Recommended
- Guns, Germs, and Steel · Jared Diamond
- The Selfish Gene · Richard Dawkins
- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. · Ron Chernow
- The Outsiders · William N. Thorndike
- Ice Age · John Gribbin
- The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor · David S. Landes
- Living within Limits · Garrett Hardin
- The Blind Watchmaker · Richard Dawkins
- The Third Chimpanzee · Jared Diamond
- Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters · Matt Ridley
- Models of My Life · Herbert A. Simon
- How the Scots Invented the Modern World · Arthur Herman
- The Warren Buffett Portfolio · Robert G. Hagstrom
- A Matter of Degrees: What Temperature Reveals about the Past and Future of Our Species, Planet, and Universe · Gino Segrè
- Master of the Game · Connie Bruck
- Yes! · Noah J. Goldstein
- Only the Paranoid Survive · Andrew S. Grove
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In · Roger Fisher
- Fiasco: The Inside Story of a Wall Street Trader · Frank Partnoy
- Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information · Robert Wright
- Judgment in Managerial Decision Making · Max H. Bazerman
- Conspiracy of Fools · Kurt Eichenwald
- In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives · Steven Levy
- Einstein: His Life and Universe · Walter Isaacson
- Benjamin Franklin · Carl Van Doren
- Hard Drive · James Wallace
- Distant Force: A Memoir of the Teledyne Corporation and the Man Who Created It · George A. Roberts
- The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century · István Hargittai
- Fortune's Formula · William Poundstone
- A Universe from Nothing · Lawrence M. Krauss
- Barbarians at the Gate · Bryan Burrough
- No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality · Judith Rich Harris
- Darwin's Blind Spot · Frank Ryan
- Man's Search for Meaning · Viktor E. Frankl
- The Language Instinct · Steven Pinker