Entrepreneurship learning recommendations

This page provides subject-specific learning recommendations for the subject entrepreneurship. See all our learning recommendations pages |

Online reading

Source for notes/articles	About the authors	About the notes	Book form
Paul Graham's articles	Paul Graham is co-founder of Y Combinator, one of Silicon Valley's top startup accelerators. He earlier co-founded a startup that was sold to Yahoo! and became its online store. Here's his Wikipedia page.	The essays are widely cited as a good starting point for budding entrepreneurs, and people in Y Combinator's programs are strongly advised to read them.	The book Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham includes and elaborates on some of his earlier essays.
Peter Thiel's CS183 notes (compiled by Blake Masters)	Peter Thiel was co-founder of PayPal. He also co-founded and works at Founders Fund and Clarium Capital. Thiel and Founders Fund are known for investing in innovative startups with a higher success rate than outsiders might anticipate.	The notes are based off of the CS183 class Thiel taught at Stanford University.	A book titled Zero to One, based on the notes, is scheduled for release in Summer 2014.

Books with general ideas for product design and marketing

Book	Author	ISBN and purchase links	What it's about
The Lean Startup	Eric Ries	ISBN 978-0307887894, book website, Amazon Kindle	Ries discusses the art of management under uncertainty that he considers essential for entrepreneurs, and argues that rejecting mainstream management processes (that are unsuited for highly uncertain circumstances as found in entrepreneurship) does not imply embracing chaos and disorderliness.

Historical books

Books about the history of specific companies that grew big

It's important to remember that the books listed here describe very rare and unusual companies that had a combination of a great product, capable founders, and good timing. It's highly unlikely that a given entrepreneur would experience success at that level. Nonetheless, the books may inspire, inform, and entertain.

Book	Author	ISBN and purchase links	What it's about
The PayPal Wars	Eric M. Jackson	ISBN 978-0977898435, Amazon Kindle	Describes the early history of PayPal, including the early vision of co-founder Peter Thiel as well as the technical and legal challenges faced by them.
Amazon.com	Robert Spector	ISBN 978-0066620428, Amazon Kindle	Describes the early history of Amazon, from its creation in the early 1990s. Does not include events beyond 2002.
The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World	David Kirkpatrick	ISBN 978-1439102121, Amazon Kindle	Covers the history of Facebook from its inception till late 2009
Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal	Nick Bilton	ISBN 978-1444767049, Amazon Kindle
In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives	Steven Levy	ISBN 978-1416596585, Amazon Kindle

Books with individual chapters on various companies and products that grew big or seemed poised to grow big

Include books by Jessica Livingston and Sarah Lacy.

Book	Author	ISBN and purchase links	What it's about
Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days	Jessica Livingston (YCombinator cofounder)	ISBN 978-1430210788, Amazon Kindle	Each chapter features an interview with one startup founder.
Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0	Sarah Lacy	ISBN 978-1592404278, Amazon Kindle	The book discusses a number of startup founders in a loosely narrative style (as opposed to Livingston's interview style). It includes a discussion of PayPal and is a source for the PayPal Mafia jargon.