20 Books Deal Pros Should Be Reading This Summer

As a strong summer for deals rolls on, you may be yearning for something other to read than the latest NDA. Here are our top 20 picks for private markets professionals whether you’re relaxing on the beach or flying coast to coast to close that next deal.

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance

The story of Elon Musk alone is enough to
engage readers interested in his bold
persona and unique journey, but Vance also
uses this biography to comment on invention
and innovation in the modern world.

Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, Peter Bernstein

The central argument of this book by
Berstein is that the idea of controlling
risk is what separates modern society
from that of the past. Although it’s
been around a while, Against the Gods
remains a bestseller in Risk Management.

Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman

Written by a Nobel Prize winner in Economics,
this book dives into the systems driving the
way we think. Discussing the impact of strategic
overconfidence, predicting happiness, and our
cognitive biases, it’s a read for both personal
and professional enlightenment.

Manias, Panics, and Crashes, Charles Kindleberger

The sixth edition of this history of financial crises
was expanded in 2011 to include the Financial Crisis
of 2007-2008. On the Financial Times’
list of the best investment books of all time,
this book collects the history of the at times
volatile financial world.

Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, Roger Lowenstein

This book is the classic biography of Warren
Buffett’s life. It has graced the bestseller
lists of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times,
and Business Week since it’s publication in
1995, but it remains a captivating portrait of one
of the most successful investors of our time.

The Secret Club That Runs the World, Kate Kelly

Commodities trading isn’t usually what comes to
mind when we think of the drama on Wall Street.
According to Kate Kelly, that’s exactly how the
elite commodities traders want you to think.

Dealing With China: an Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower, Henry Paulson, Jr.

Hank Paulson shares his extensive experiences in the
Chinese economy, both as head of Goldman Sachs
and later as Treasury secretary. He answers
questions about China’s rapid economic growth,
business practices, and the best ways for the
U.S and China to interact on the business level.

The Leadership Capital Index: Realizing the Market Value of Leadership, Dave Ulrich

How do we evaluate an investor’s capability to lead?
In this book, Ulrich creates an index to measure what
was previously often gauged by “feeling,” bringing some
science into what makes an effective leader.  Although it
won’t be released until October, this is definitely one to pre-order.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Harari

Harari takes a combination of the historical
and the biological in this book on humans.
Telling both the story of where we came
from and contemplating where we might go in
the future, Harari asks the tough question:
What do we want to become?

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, Niall Ferguson

Another look at the history of finance,
but this time from the perspective of money.
Starting in ancient Mesopotamia, Ferguson
traces the evolving financial system all the
way to the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008.

Making the Modern World, Vaclav Smil

Written by renowned historian Vaclav Smil,
this book focuses on the evolution of
material consumption as it relates to
modernizing the world. It asks big questions:
How much further should the affluent world
push its material consumption? Does dematerialization
lead to absolute decline in material demand?

The Great Degeneration: How Institutions and Economies Die, Niall Ferguson

Ferguson takes a look at what allows rich
countries to fall. In a dark but insightful
analysis of our economy in comparison to
those of societies past, we consider future
consequences of our institutional
degeneration and how we can avoid a downfall.

The Steady Climb: A Family Journey from Mountains to Markets, Jay Hack & Mark Springer

The Steady Climb is not your average investment guide.
In his journey from mountain guide to financial advisor,
Hack recounts the philosophy that lead the way:
taking the long-term approach.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Taleb defines a black swan as an event
that is improbable but causes massive
consequences. In the updated second
edition, Taleb examines the influence
of black swan events and includes a
section on robustness and fragility.

Collaborative Intelligence, Dawna Markova & Angie McArthur

Although this book won’t be released
until August 11th, it’s already receiving
praise for insights into how we deal with
our biggest challenge at work: other people.
This book is essential for people trying to
understand their mind patterns and how they
fit with the people they work with everyday.

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success, William Thorndike

Looking to understand how successful CEOs
operate from the investor’s perspective?
Thorndike analyzes CEOs of eight exceptional
companies to see how they did it.

The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself, Daniel Boorstin

Boorstin is famous for his historical epics on
different topics. In The Discoverers, he
focuses on man’s search to discover the world
around him. Answering questions about science
as well as concepts like time itself, this is
one of the great classics of historical writing.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell’s latest bestseller explores
the idea of the minority overcoming a
challenge. He reinterprets the meaning of
discrimination, loss, and other daily challenges
we face in a way that will make us think a
little differently about our experience.

Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles, Bernard Cornwell

For those interested in war history,
Waterloo is an illustrated history
of a 200 year old battle by bestselling
author Bernard Cornwell. It tells the
in-depth tale of one of Napoleon’s most
famous battles, and the reader watches
it unfold day by day.

The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames, Kai Bird

CIA operative Robert Ames was influential
in the Middle East. He was also killed in a
bombing outside the American Embassy in
Beruit in 1983. Pulitzer Prize-winner
Kai Bird crafts the life of Ames and
writes in detail about conflicts in
the Middle East.