My assumption is that In Search of Excellence put the business book genre on the map. 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 from this seemingly 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.
- I am confident you can’t find a good search result for “best business books” during these twenty 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 corporate types.
- I’ve only read 4 of the books above, so I have my work cut out.
How about you? Which of the books have you read during this period? Why weren’t more business books written during this era?
A small desk lamp makes it easy to create an old-fashioned atmosphere at home. It can be placed on a desk or bedside table as a small night light.
Title Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
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