The best business books of 2023

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Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

Simon & Schuster £28; The Week Bookshop £21.99

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Both the subject, and the eminent biographer, make this book a "must read", said Gillian Tett in the FT, albeit a long and dense one. Musk's tortured childhood, tangled love life and X/Twitter battles grab attention. But his attitude to AI and his dealings with Ukraine's government are also fascinating. It makes you wonder: "are innovators always half-mad"? 

Walter Isaacson's 'Elon Musk' can 'scarcely contain its subject'

What Went Wrong With Brexit: And What Can We Do About It by Peter Foster

Canongate £14.99; The Week Bookshop £11.99

A book that lays bare some of the more absurd claims by Brexiters and outlines how we might make the best of it. "Foster's politics might not be mine, but he's a fine writer," said Tim Stanley in The Daily Telegraph. 

You May Never See Us Again: The Barclay Dynasty – A Story of Survival, Secrecy and Succession by Jane Martinson

Penguin Business £25; The Week Bookshop £19.99

A timely account of the Barclay brothers' business empire, which includes the Telegraph, said Andrew Hill in the FT. "The best effort yet at getting under the skin" of the "reclusive media twins". 

Beijing Rules: China's Quest for Global Influence by Bethany Allen

John Murray/Harper £25; The Week Bookshop £19.99

"An eye-opening chronicle" of how China's Communist Party wields its power abroad, said Martin Wolf in the FT. The last word on "authoritarian economic statecraft".

Vines in a Cold Climate: The People behind the English Wine Revolution by Henry Jeffreys

Atlantic Books £10.99

A brilliant chronicle of the English wine industry's "exciting and, at times, eccentric emergence", said Alice Lascelles in the FT. The book brims with colourful characters. 

Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway

WH Allen £22; The Week Bookshop £17.99

The Times economist takes six key materials – sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium – to explore the underpinnings of the modern world, said The CEO Magazine. Conway escorts us from "the dark depths of the deepest mine in Europe" to Taiwan's "silicon chip factories". 

Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis

Bodley Head £22; The Week Bookshop £17.99

The former Greek finance minister is "a remarkable combination of analyst and dreamer", said Martin Wolf in the FT. Here, he examines the impact of the great tech monopolies, and proposes reforms. "As always, Varoufakis makes his readers think." 

Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive by Amy Edmondson

Cornerstone Press £22; The Week Bookshop £17.99

A guidebook on how to take "intelligent risks" and bounce back from setbacks, said The CEO Magazine. Edmondson draws on multifarious examples to show that "the shame and blame culture is due for an overhaul".