Books Recommended by Matt Calkins
6 books recommended by Matt Calkins
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller Sr.
by Ron Chernow
This is how a creative and intense person wrestled with the emergence of an industry. By owning the oil refining stage, he figured he could protect oil from the otherwise inevitable boom-and-bust cycle that would tear up investments made in the industry. It was a… Read the full quote
This is how a creative and intense person wrestled with the emergence of an industry. By owning the oil refining stage, he figured he could protect oil from the otherwise inevitable boom-and-bust cycle that would tear up investments made in the industry. It was a business feat to put together Standard Oil, and this history makes it clear what kind of person it took to achieve that feat.
The Guns of August
The best way to understand how the world resolves its conflicts and its tensions is by looking at how a conflict that has been studied thoroughly, like World War I, unfolded and resolved. Business is like this too. If anyone were to ever get to… Read the full quote
The best way to understand how the world resolves its conflicts and its tensions is by looking at how a conflict that has been studied thoroughly, like World War I, unfolded and resolved. Business is like this too. If anyone were to ever get to the heart of Coke vs. Pepsi, they would see a parade of mistakes in the same way World War I looks in retrospect—so many ways you could have done better.
Hard Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits that Plunged the Airlines into Chaos
I grabbed a bunch of books because I was writing a board game on building an airline in the 1930s. The dependence on experienced labor, and thus the vulnerability to strikes; the dependence on the cost of fuel, an enormous input that fluctuates; and nationalism, the fact that nations subsidize their airlines—these factors make the airline industry so vulnerable.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
It gives you an insider’s look at how innovation happens, the struggles in it and the rivalry in the race to get to the heart of molecular structures. It felt like a business story but it’s really about science and innovation.
The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy
by Bryan Magee
Philosophy makes you think about what it is you are really seeing. One of the keys to running a winning business is to relentlessly pursue the truth. Don’t kid yourself about how good the business is. Understand your competitors, the fundamental trends that exist in… Read the full quote
Philosophy makes you think about what it is you are really seeing. One of the keys to running a winning business is to relentlessly pursue the truth. Don’t kid yourself about how good the business is. Understand your competitors, the fundamental trends that exist in your space and what the next opportunity is, which may not be what you are selling.
War in European History
The best way to understand how the world resolves its conflicts and its tensions is by looking at how a conflict that has been studied thoroughly, like World War I, unfolded and resolved. Business is like this too. If anyone were to ever get to… Read the full quote
The best way to understand how the world resolves its conflicts and its tensions is by looking at how a conflict that has been studied thoroughly, like World War I, unfolded and resolved. Business is like this too. If anyone were to ever get to the heart of Coke vs. Pepsi, they would see a parade of mistakes in the same way World War I looks in retrospect—so many ways you could have done better.