In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn't read all the time -- none, zero. You'd be amazed at how much Warren reads -- and at how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I'm a book with a couple of legs sticking out.
Charlie Munger is a voracious reader. He has read a lot of books, both good and bad. And on rare occasions he can be caught recommending books to the rest of us.
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When there are new books recommended by Charlie Munger I sit up and take notice. He's probably the best book filter you can have.
I've tried to keep track of and read every recommendation he has made and I've yet to be disappointed. Based on that I figured I would put together a Charlie Munger Reading List for other people that are interested as well (similar to my list of Warren Buffett Books).
There are more books out there than anyone can read in a lifetime so it makes sense to optimize your reading time and focus only on the best books.
So if you want to be as smart as Charlie, there's no better place to start than the books below. Some of them are harder to come by but believe me when I say they are worth it.
A word of warning though: there are a lot of books listed below. If you suffer from reading overwhelm like I do then check out the new system I use to decide which books are worth my time in my Blinkist review.
Click any title to read more about that book on Amazon. Please note that these are affiliate links, meaning this site will get a small commission from any purchase (which then goes towards paying for the hosting costs for this site).
Not Sure Where To Begin? Start Here!
First and foremost, the two best books (in my opinion) are published by Intermountain Books. Together they contain pretty much every bit of knowledge Charlie has shared over the years:
- Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger by Peter Kaufman
- Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin
Remember to look for intermountain_books as the seller on Amazon and they will arrive new direct from the publisher!
Charlie Munger Reading List
And without further ado, here is the list of books recommended by Charlie Munger.
From Poor Charlie's Almanack (in their original order):
- Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity by John Gribbin
- F.I.A.S.C.O.: The Inside Story of a Wall Street Trader by Frank Partnoy
- Ice Age by John & Mary Gribbin
- How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It by Arthur Herman
- Models of My Life by Herbert A. Simon
- A Matter of Degrees: What Temperature Reveals About the Past and Future of Our Species, Planet, and Universe by Gino Segre
- Andrew Carnegie by Joseph Frazier Wall
- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared M. Diamond
- The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared M. Diamond
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
(Free summary available on Blinkist) - The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
- Living Within Limits: Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos by Garrett Hardin
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
- The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor by David S. Landes
- The Warren Buffett Portfolio: Mastering the Power of the Focus Investment Strategy by Robert G. Hagstrom
- Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton (Free summary available on Blinkist)
- Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information by Robert Wright
- Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove
From Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meetings:
- 2011:
- In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy
- 2008:
- Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Robert B. Cialdini
- 1995:
- Judgment in Managerial Decision Making by Max Bazerman
- 1994:
- Master of the Game: Steve Ross and the Creation of Time Warner by Connie Bruck
- Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren
- 1993:
- Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire by James Wallace and Jim Erickson
From Wesco Annual Meetings:
- 2010:
- The Greatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman
- 2009:
- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
- 2007:
- Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin
Other books recommended by Charlie Munger:
What do you think? Did I miss any? Please share your Charlie Munger book recommendations below!
Hi , is it possible to add me to the email list.
My email is. Heshrosenberg@gmail.com
Thanks
I agree with the comment above…the mental model list is difficult to understand fully. As well, can you provide suggested books where you learned about those mental models on your list? Thanks!
Hello, I have a suggestion..can you add a bit of explanation for each of the mental models in your checklist. Thank you.. and cool website by the way.