The 5 Books Warren Buffett Recommends for Your 2025 Reading List

Introduction:
Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors in history.He is known for his clear thinking and long-term strategy. He often says that reading is central to his work. He spends most of his day reading. Over the years, he has recommended many books. But a few titles come up again and again. These books form a core part of his suggested reading list. Here are five books Buffett recommends you read.

1. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
This is the book Buffett calls"the best book on investing ever written." Benjamin Graham was Buffett's professor at Columbia University. He later became Buffett's employer and mentor. The book was first published in 1949.

The main idea is "value investing." This means buying stocks when the market price is below the actual value of the company. Graham explains this with the concept of "Mr. Market." Mr. Market is a hypothetical business partner. He offers to buy your share of a business or sell you his every day. His prices change based on his mood. Sometimes he is optimistic and offers high prices. Other times he is pessimistic and offers low prices. A smart investor buys from Mr. Market when he is fearful and sells to him when he is greedy.

Buffett has said the book’s lessons on margin of safety and investor psychology are timeless. They teach discipline. They help you avoid following the crowd. This book provides the foundation for all of Buffett’s investment decisions.

2. Security Analysis by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd
This is a more technical companion toThe Intelligent Investor. Graham wrote it with David Dodd. It is often called the bible of value investing. The book is dense. It is aimed at professional analysts. But its principles are important for any serious investor.

The book provides the framework for analyzing a company’s financial statements. It teaches you how to determine the true "intrinsic value" of a business. Buffett has said that the chapters on fixed-income investments and stockholder management are particularly useful. He read the first edition when he was 19 years old. He has said it shaped his entire investment philosophy.

For the average reader, this book can be heavy. But its core message is simple. You must do the hard work of understanding a business before you buy its stock. You cannot rely on tips or trends. This book gives you the tools to do that work.

3. The Essays of Warren Buffett by Lawrence Cunningham
This book is not writtenby Buffett for the public. It is a collection of his annual letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. Lawyer and professor Lawrence Cunningham organized these letters by topic. This makes Buffett’s ideas easy to follow.

The book covers business, investing, corporate governance, and finance. You get Buffett’s thoughts in his own words. He explains his successes and his mistakes. He talks about why he buys certain companies. He discusses his views on management and ethics.

Buffett himself has endorsed this collection. He has said that Cunningham did a great job. He noted that the book sells more copies than his annual letters, and he is fine with that. Reading this is the closest you can get to taking a class from Buffett himself. It is a practical guide to his way of thinking.

4. Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charles T. Munger
Charles Munger was Buffett’s business partner at Berkshire Hathaway.He served as Vice Chairman until his death in 2023. Buffett has often said that Munger made him a better investor. Munger pushed Buffett to buy wonderful companies at a fair price. This was an evolution from Graham's idea of buying fair companies at a wonderful price.

This book is a collection of Munger’s speeches and wisdom. It is structured like the almanacs of old. It is filled with Munger’s ideas on mental models. Mental models are ways of thinking from different disciplines. They include psychology, physics, and biology. Munger believed using many models helps you make better decisions.

Buffett recommends this book to understand how broad thinking leads to better investing. The book is not just about finance. It is about learning how to think clearly and avoid common errors in judgment. It complements the more numbers-focused books on this list.

5. Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises by Timothy F. Geithner
This is a more recent recommendation from Buffett.Tim Geithner was the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York during the 2008 financial crisis. He later became the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. His book is a firsthand account of the crisis.

Buffett praised the book for its honest look at decision-making under extreme pressure. He said it is a vital lesson in how complex systems can break. It shows how policymakers had to make choices with incomplete information.

Buffett recommends it because investors need to understand how financial systems work. A crisis will happen again. Reading about the last one provides context. It helps you remain calm when markets panic. The book is a case study in real-world economics. It moves beyond theory.

How to Use This List:
You do not need to read these books in one month.Buffett’s approach is about steady, lifelong learning. Start with The Intelligent Investor. It is the most accessible of the core finance books. Then, try reading Buffett’s own essays in the Cunningham book. After that, you can explore Poor Charlie’s Almanack for a wider perspective.

Security Analysis is a reference book. You can read parts of it over time. Stress Test reads like a narrative. You can read it when you want a historical case study.

The goal is not to finish the books quickly. The goal is to absorb their principles. Buffett’s real recommendation is to build a habit of reading. He says knowledge builds up like compound interest.

Conclusion:
Warren Buffett’s recommended books are not get-rich-quick guides.They are textbooks for a disciplined mindset. They teach you how to value a business. They teach you how to think independently. They teach you about systems and human behavior.

These books have stood the test of time. They will be just as relevant in 2025 as they were when they were written. Putting them on your nightstand is a step toward thinking like an investor. More importantly, it is a step toward thinking clearly. That is the true gift Buffett wants to share.