There's nothing like a thriving conversation on LinkedIn to inspire you to research a topic further. Well, it also helps to break two toes over the holidays so your activities are curtailed to sitting much of your day in your home office.
Anyway, I'm a member of the Outside the Box Thinkers group on LinkedIn, and Francois Lavallee of Aliter Concept in Montreal, Canada, asked for suggestions to start a collection of books on creativity. With a couple of days, he had some excellent suggestions. It prompted to me to think about what books on creativity I like.
Of course, any list of "Best of ..." is contentious by its very nature. There are a lot of great books on creativity and innovation, both from an artistic/personal and a business perspective. However, of the 200+ books I've amassed in my career, I ultimately chose just a few books, based on just one criteria. Did I use the book again as a reference after the first reading?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on other books that you've considered, or even take a suggestion to re-read another book that you've particularly found helpful or insightful.
- 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving, by Arthur (Andy) B,. VanGundy © 2005 – Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (ISBN 0-7879-7402-1)
- 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business, by James M. Higgins © 2005 – Published by New Management Publishing Company (ISBN 1-883629-00-4)
- The Artist’s Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self, by Julia Cameron © 1994 by Souvenir Press (ISBN 0-330-34358-0)
- Creative Thinking in the Decision and Management Sciences, by James R. Evans © 2005 – Published by SouthWestern Publishing Company (ISBN 0-538-80922-1)
- Quick Guide to the Four Temperaments and Creativity: A Psychological Understanding of Creativity, by Marci Segal © 2003 – Published by Telos Publishing (ISBN 978-0971214439)
- Five Star Mind: Games & Puzzles To Stimulate Your Creativity & Imagination, by Tom Wujec © 1995 – Published by Doubleday (ISBN 0-384-41462-5)
- Flicking Your Creative Switch: Developing Brighter Ideas for Business, by Wayne Lotherington © 2003 – Published by John Wiley & Sons (ISBN 0470-82103-5)
- How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, by Michael Gelb © 2000 – Published by Dell (ISBN 978-0440508274)
- Ideaspotting: How To Find Your Next Great Idea, by Sam Harrison ©2006 – Published by HOW Books (ISBN 978-1-58180-800-1)
- The Ideal Problem Solver, by John D. Bransford and Barry S. Stein © 1984 – Published by W.H. Freeman and Company (ISBN 0-7167-2204-6)
- Jump Start Your Brain, by Doug Hall ©1995 – Published by Warner Books (ISBN 0-446-67103-7)
- Mindmapping: Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity and Problem-Solving, by Joyce Wycoff © 1991 – Published by Berkley Trade (ISBN 978-0425127803)
- Thinkertoys: A Handbook for Business Creativity for the 90s, by Michael Michalko © 1991 – Published by Ten Speed Press (ISBN 0-89815-408-1)
- Serious Creativity: A Step-by-Step Approach to Creativity on Demand, by Edward de Bono © 1992 – Published by HarperCollins (ISBN 0-88730-635-7)
- Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono © 1999 – Published by Backbay Books (ISBN-13: 978-0316178310)
- The Ten Faces of Innovation, by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman © 2005 – Published by Doubleday (ISBN 0-385-51207-4)
- Use Both Sides of Your Brain: New Mind-Mapping Techniques (Third Edition), Tony Buzan © 1991 – Published by Plume (ISBN: 978-0452266032)
