57 Best Lateral Thinking Books of All Time
We've researched and ranked the best lateral thinking books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more
Winner of the National Academy of Sciences Best Book Award in 2012
Selected by the New York Times Book Review as one of the best books of 2011
A Globe and Mail Best Books of the Year 2011 Title
One of The Economist's 2011 Books of the Year
One of The Wall Street Journal's Best Nonfiction Books of the Year 2011
2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
In the international bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, the renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel... more
Barack ObamaA few months ago, Mr. Obama read “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman, about how people make decisions — quick, instinctive thinking versus slower, contemplative deliberation. For Mr. Obama, a deliberator in an instinctive business, this may be as instructive as any political science text. (Source)
Bill Gates[On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012.] (Source)
Marc AndreessenCaptivating dive into human decision making, marred by inclusion of several/many? psychology studies that fail to replicate. Will stand as a cautionary tale? (Source)
Faisal AminI believe reading is a habit that must be inculcated irrespective of the career paths. Below mentioned are a few of my favourites that can hopefully bring wisdom to aspiring entrepreneurs. Lateral thinking by Edward de Bono 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey The lean startup by Eric Ries Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven... (Source)
Andra ZahariaWhile I was thinking of the best books to add to this short list, I realized that not even half of them are directly related to digital marketing. This is because I believe that the best marketers are people who understand human nature deeply and aim to bring out the best in it. Call me naive, but that’s how I see it. If I were to want to pursue a career in marketing, I’d read [...] Lateral... (Source)
Tudor MihailescuBeyond communication, CFO needs to learn to influence effectively, get people to contribute so that they buy in. Again, this is a vast space, some of my personal favourites being Who Moved My Cheese (Johnson), Lateral Thinking (de Bono), The Art of Asking (Palmer). (Source)
In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton set out on an ambitious project: to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City. Armed with his camera, he began crisscrossing the city, covering thousands of miles on foot, all in an attempt to capture New Yorkers and their stories. The result of these efforts was a vibrant blog he called "Humans of New York," in which his photos were featured alongside quotes and anecdotes.
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The Herculean test of your grit is as follows: Find the word or phrase solution to each one of my encrypted logic puzzles, called Theorems. Doing so will earn you entry into the elite ranks of The Master Theorem. It may take you some time, but trust me—it’ll be worth it.
What's in it for you:
Read my cryptic ramblings alongside each encrypted logic puzzle, called a Theorem Decipher each puzzle to reveal the word or phrase answer Become an expert in codes, ciphers, and... more
How do some startups go from zero to billions in mere months? How did Alexander the Great, YouTube tycoon Michelle Phan, and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon climb to the top in less time than it takes most of us to get a promotion? What do high-growth businesses, world-class heart surgeons, and underdog marketers do in common to beat the norm? more
Marvin LiaoMy list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make... (Source)
Bogdan LucaciuA light & entertaining read, the anecdotes illustrating each concept are super inspiring. (Source)
This is a book that students of architecture will want to keep in the studio and in their backpacks. It is also a book they may want to keep out of view of their professors, for it expresses in clear and simple language things that tend to be murky and abstruse in the classroom. These 101 concise lessons in design, drawing, the creative process, and presentation--from the basics of "How to Draw a Line" to the complexities of... more
Don't have time to read the top Lateral Thinking books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
In The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills, highly acclaimed... more
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First published in 1967 as The Use of Lateral Thinking, this classic international bestseller remains as relevant to learning, problem solving and creative thinking today as when it was first published. De Bono argues that conventional vertical thinking often inhibits our ability to solve problems... more
The present volume contains a rich selection of 70 of the best of these brain teasers, in some cases... more
Don't have time to read the top Lateral Thinking books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Can you solve this?
A window cleaner is working on the 34th floor of a massive skyscraper. While cleaning the windows, he accidentally falls. In this instance, he is wearing absolutely no safety equipment. He does not have a harness and has nothing to slow or soften his fall. However, despite this, he sustains no injuries whatsoever. How did he manage not to get injured from this terrible fall?
And solve this?
A cowboy leaves town on Friday and takes up residence somewhere else for three days. He then returns to... more
Part of the reason for the book's success is its marvelously varied assortment of brainteasers ranging from simple "catch" riddles to difficult problems (none, however, requiring advanced mathematics). Many of the puzzles will be new to Western readers, while... more
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A window cleaner is working on the 34th floor of a massive skyscraper. While cleaning the windows, he accidentally falls. In this instance, he is wearing absolutely no safety equipment. He does not have a harness and has nothing to slow or soften his fall. However, despite this, he sustains no injuries whatsoever. How did he manage not to get injured from this terrible fall?
Packed full of over 60 different quality lateral thinking puzzles, this book gives you the chance to exercise your brainpower to think laterally and to seek to... more
"Gardner conjures problems that are both profound and silly; exquisite truths and outrageous absurdities; paradoxes, anagrams, palindromes and party tricks. . . . He knows, better than most, how... more
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Don't have time to read the top Lateral Thinking books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Do snakes sneeze?
Why didn't the three musketeers carry muskets?
What happens to the holes that are punched out of looseleaf paper?
Why don't people smile in old photos?
Pop culture guru David Feldman demystifies these questions and much more in How Does Aspirin Find a Headache? Part of the Imponderables® series -- the unchallenged source of answers to civilization's most perplexing conundrums -- and charmingly illustrated by Kassie Schwan, this book provides you with knowledge about everyday life that encyclopedias,... more
Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why.
When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all... more
In the Textbook of Wisdom bestselling author Edward De Bono (Lateral Thinking, Serious Creativity) explains how you do not have to have lived forever to benefit from the experience of those who have. Full of thinking tools guidelines and principles this ‘textbook’ encourages the use of values and emotions to guide you through life without allowing them to enslave you.
Split into short, digestible sections perfect for grazing rather than devouring,... more
Our happiness and success depend on clear thinking. But too many of us are compromised by confusion, trying to do too much at once, and not knowing what to do next.
In Teach Yourself to Think, Edward de Bono shows that good thinking depends on a simple five-stage process that anyone can learn. It will enable you to assess your goals, sort available information, identify the available choices, make a decision and, finally, turn thought into... more
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Don't have time to read the top Lateral Thinking books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
There's only one man to solve these and other riddles of our spoken tongue: David Feldman, who in his bestselling books Imponderables and Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? established himself as the unchallenged... more
Every day after working on the 11th floor all day, a man takes the elevator to the first floor. However, on the way to work each morning, he takes the elevator up to the 8th floor and then uses the stairs to arrive at the 11th floor, no matter what, unless his colleagues are on the elevator with him or it's raining outside.
Explain why he does this.
"This is the ULTIMATE riddle book that Karen has ever written!" - Joe J.
Michelle Fischer - "My... more
"Creative Thinking For Dummies" is a practical, hands-on guide packed with techniques and examples of different ways to think creatively. It covers a range of techniques, including... more
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Don't have time to read the top Lateral Thinking books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Mystery:
A man is looking at a clock that displays the correct time, but he doesn't know what time it is. Why not?
Clues:
The man can see and tell time... more
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Don't have time to read the top Lateral Thinking books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.