The Conference Publishers' Bookshelf
The people who work here tend to be passionate about many things, including books. Here are a few of the books we've enjoyed recently, and recommend to you:
Woody's Picks
Small Giants (Bo Burlingham, 2008) These are the stories of 14 "companies that choose to be great instead of big"—although some have clearly managed to do both. If you're interested in building a company with "mojo," this book is a must-read.
All Marketers Are Liars (Seth Godin, 2005) Godin doesn't really believe that all (or even many) marketers are liars. He means to say that effective marketers are great storytellers. "Tell a story," he advises, "that your audience cares about and that you can learn to care about."
The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea (Micklethwait & Wooldridge, 2003) The development of the joint-stock company has been a powerful influence on our world. Over 5,000-years, we moved from a hunter-gatherer economy to a world dominated by Exxon and Toyota and Microsoft. Here's how it happened.
Tommy Douglas: The Road to Jerusalem (Mcleod & McLeod, 1987) In 2004, Tommy edged out a field of authors, entertainers, inventors, scientists, educators, business-people, humanitarians, and politicians—including seven Prime Ministers—for the title of "The Greatest Canadian." This is the story of how a small-town preacher from Saskatchewan became known as the father of Canadian medicare. (Personal note: Tommy used to call my wife, Kathleen, his "little sunshine." Kathleen adored Tommy but says he danced like a Baptist minister.)