The Reading List of the Corporate Elite

WSJ invited members of the 2011 CEO Council to share their favorite books from the past year. Here are their picks:

• 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, by Charles C. Mann

Recommended by Kevin Burke, Chairman, President and CEO, Consolidated Edison Inc.

• An Unconventional Guide to Investing in Troubled Times, by Charles Hugh Smith

Recommended by Barry E. Silbert, Founder and CEO, SecondMarket, Inc.

• A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891 – 1924, by Orlando Figes

Recommended by Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, CEO, Hugo Boss AG

• The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, by Niall Ferguson

Recommended by Idar Kreutzer, CEO, Storebrand ASA

• The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World, by David Deutsch

Recommended by Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.

• Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth, by Frederick Kempe

Recommended by Daniel Mudd, CEO, Fortress Investment Group LLC

• The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, by Charles Fishman

Recommended by Francisco D'Souza, President and CEO, Cognizant Technology Solutions

• The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Recommended by Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board and CEO, DuPont

• The Burma Campaign: Disaster Into Triumph, 1942 – 45, by Frank McLynn

Recommended by Jeffrey Bewkes, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Inc.

• The Centenarian Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson

Recommended by Vittorio Colao, CEO, Vodafone Group Plc

• The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Guwande

Recommended by George C. Halvorson, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente

• City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas, by Roger Crowley

Recommended by Tom Albanese, CEO, Rio Tinto Group

• Civilization: The West and the Rest, by Niall Ferguson

Recommended by Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited

• Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Create Unity, and Reap Big Results, by Morten T. Hansen

Recommended by Michael Connelly, President and CEO, Catholic Health Partners

• Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh

Recommended by Barry Silbert, Founder and CEO, SecondMarket Inc.

• Different, by Youngme Moon

Recommended by Vittorio Colao, CEO, Vodafone Group Plc

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink

Recommended by Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.

• Eisenhower: The White House Years, by Jim Newton

Recommended by Jeffrey Bewkes, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Inc.

• The Fifth Disciple: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization, by Peter M. Senge

Recommended by Thomas J. Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO, The Allstate Corporation

• The Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking

Recommended by Idar Kreutzer, CEO, Storebrand ASA

• Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck – Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, by Jim Collins & Morten T. Hansen

Recommended by Denise Morrison, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Co.; Francisco D'Souza, President and CEO, Cognizant Technology Solutions; Fred Tomczyk, President and CEO, TD Ameritrade

• The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, The Making of a Navy SEAL, by Eric Greitens

Recommended by Robert L. Reynolds, President and CEO, Putnam Investments

• Ill Fares the Land, by Tony Judt

Recommended by Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.

• Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans, by Mitch Daniels

Recommended by Douglas R. Oberhelman, Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, Inc.

• Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008, by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Recommended by Glenn Hutchins, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Silver Lake

• Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, by Liaquat Ahamed

Recommended by Thomas J. Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO, The Allstate Corporation

• Moneyball, by Michael Lewis

Recommended by Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP Group Plc

• On China, by Henry Kissinger

Recommended by Rodney O'Neal, CEO and President, Delphi Automotive LLP; Gregory Goff, President and CEO, Tesoro Corp.; Klaus Kleinfeld, CEO, Alcoa Inc.; Ronald A. Williams, Advisor, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC

Read the rest here.