The 15 best business books of all time

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There are some books that never stop selling, and which the world's most influential people recommend across generations.

We've gone through our existing "best-of" lists and others to determine which business histories and management and investing guides have been most critically acclaimed.

We stayed away from academic books and biographies, and by limiting ourselves to just 15 titles, the final list is not exhaustive.

But if you familiarize yourself with these 15 books, you will be left with a thorough understanding of some of the most important business milestones and theories of the last 100 years.

'Barbarians at the Gate' by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar

"Barbarians at the Gate" is a genre-defining book, proving that in the right hands, a business story that may seem too complex or arcane to anyone outside of Wall Street can become a gripping and relevant tale.

Burrough and Helyar take extensive reporting on the contentious $25 billion leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco in 1988 and make it read like an epic drama about limitless greed at the expense of employees.

"Barbarians at the Gate" is considered the best business book ever written by former GE CEO Jeff Immelt, New York Times and CNBC report Andrew Ross Sorkin, and MarketWatch columnist Jon Friedman.

Find it here »

'Den of Thieves' by James B. Stewart

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart defined a style that's been often imitated: the business investigation as thriller.

"Den of Thieves" follows how some of the biggest power players on Wall Street in the '80s let avarice lead them to insider trading, and how federal authorities finally nailed them.

Find it here »

'The Innovator's Dilemma' by Clayton M. Christensen

"The Innovator's Dilemma" is required reading for Silicon Valley, and received praise from late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor, explains that the more successful a company becomes, the more difficult it is for it to innovate.

Since it was first published in 1997, it has inspired countless entrepreneurs to disrupt industries, as well as avoid being disrupted once they achieve success.