Read It and Reap: The Best Books for Investors; Our Columnist's Short List of Books That Shouldn't Be Missed
I'm often asked, especially as the holiday gift-giving season approaches, which books I recommend for investors.</br></br>I haven't kept exact count, of course, but over the past quarter-century I have surely read (or tried to read) a couple thousand books on investing. Nearly all of them were a tragic waste of good trees. Most of which weren't worth reading even a few pages.</br></br>So I feel strongly that the usual article on "best investing books" has way too many entries and ends up suggesting good books you might read, rather than recommending great books you must read.</br></br>Here's a list that I would still be comfortable with decades from now. Every book below has stood the test of time and, I'm confident, will remain useful for generations to come. You will quickly note that some aren't even about investing. But they all will help teach you how to think more clearly, which is the only way to become a wiser and better investor. I've listed them alphabetically by author.</br></br>Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them, by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich