My assumption is that In Search of Excellence put the business book genre on the map, correct? If that’s true, did good business titles exist in the era of hold-a-job for life?
Top Titles in the 1950s and 1960s
I’m particularly curious about the post-war era in the U.S., mainly the 1950s and 1960s.
I prefer reading older books that have stood the test of time. However, vintage business titles are hard to find. So I did some digging, and here’s what I uncovered:
- 1954 – The Practice of Management (Drucker)
- 1955 – The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (fiction)
- 1957 – Atlas Shrugged (if you consider this a business book)
- 1961 – New Patterns of Management
- 1962 – The Success System That Never Fails
- 1964 – The Managerial Grid
- 1964 – Managing for Results (Drucker)
- 1966 – The Effective Executive (Drucker)
- 1967 – The Psychology of Communication
- 1968 – The Greatest Salesman in the World
- 1968 – Management and Machiavelli
- 1969 – Business Adventures (the one that Gates loves)
Here are my crazy takeaways in such a meaningless project that poked at my curiosity:
- I bet you didn’t find many of these titles at a book stand in airports during this time period.
- I am confident you can’t find a good search result for best business books during these 20 years – I’ve already checked.
- I was expecting Drucker on this list. I’m certain Jim and Susan who owned the corner, neighborhood grocery store didn’t read Drucker–he was probably only read by the
corportate types. - I’ve only read 4 of the books above, so I have my work cut out for me.
How about you? Which of the books have you read during this time period? Why weren’t more business books written during this era?
Title Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
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