Reading list · 8 books
Bill Ackman's reading list
Founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management and one of the best-known activist investors. He credits Benjamin Graham with launching his career and is documented requiring a 12-book reading list of a new analyst before he could start.
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01
Benjamin Graham
Ackman told Lex Fridman this was the first investing book he read and the inspiration for his entire career.
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02
Benjamin Graham
On his analyst reading list as the classic, more comprehensive text on analyzing companies.
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03
Thornton O'Glove
A lesser-known pick on his analyst list; Ackman prizes it for teaching how to read what companies disclose financially.
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04
Peter Lynch
Included on the 12-book list Ackman required his new analyst to read.
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06
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
William N. Thorndike
An Ackman favorite; he built his Valeant pitch around it ("The Outsider"), nominating the CEO as a ninth Outsider-style capital allocator.
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07
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Peter Attia
Ackman publicly stated on X it was the one book he had recommended there, calling it well-written and important.
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08
Sahil Bloom
The second book Ackman recommended on X, calling it "a guide to how to live your life."
More on Bill Ackman's picks
Ackman's recommendations surface in interviews (he told Lex Fridman "The Intelligent Investor" was the first investing book he read and the inspiration for his career), in the famous list of ~12 books he required fishing guide-turned-analyst Oliver White to read, in his Valeant "The Outsider" pitch, and on his X account, where he has explicitly flagged just a couple of non-investing books as personal recommendations.
