T
here has long been a notable absence of comprehensive literature exploring the complexities of commercial real estate. While other sectors offer an abundance of resources, commercial real estate often lacks a broad range of reliable materials for professionals to draw upon. Despite this gap, the industry is home to numerous experts who have accumulated invaluable knowledge, and several key books stand out for their impact and influence.
To shed light on these essential reads, we reached out to prominent figures across the commercial real estate sector and asked them to submit their top picks for the greatest books related to the industry. The result is a rich collection of recommendations from those who know the industry best, reflecting timeless classics and modern insights that have shaped and informed the careers of commercial real estate professionals.
We are proud to present the 50 greatest commercial real estate books of all time, as chosen by industry leaders themselves.
#50. Edge City: Life on the New Frontier
By Joel Garreau
First Published: 1991
Publisher: Doubleday
Edge City explores the rise of suburban commercial hubs known as “edge cities” — clusters of office buildings, shopping centers, and residential developments that have become economic and cultural centers outside of traditional urban downtowns.
#49. House of Outrageous Fortune: Fifteen Central Park West, the World’s Most Powerful Address
By Michael Gross
First Published: 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
House of Outrageous Fortune tells the story of the development of 15 Central Park West, one of the most expensive and prestigious residential buildings in New York City.
#47. The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America’s Man-Made Landscape
By James Howard Kunstler
First Published: 1993
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
This highly regarded book critiques the development of suburban America, focusing on how commercial real estate and suburban sprawl have shaped the built environment.
#46. Skyscraper: The Politics and Power of Building New York City in the Twentieth Century
By Benjamin Flowers
First Published: 2009
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
This book explores the development of skyscrapers in New York City, highlighting their impact on urban landscapes and real estate markets.
#45. The Tower
By Richard Martin Stern
First Published: 1973
Publisher: David McKay Co
The Tower focuses on the construction of a massive skyscraper in New York City, following the architects, engineers, and real estate developers involved in the project.
#44. Empire Rising
By Thomas Kelly
First Published: 2005
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Empire Rising takes place during the construction of the Empire State Building in the 1930s, focusing on the business of real estate and construction.
#43. Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy
By Josh O’Kane
First Published: 2022
Publisher: Random House Canada
Sideways chronicles the downfall of Sidewalk Labs, Google’s ambitious but failed attempt to create a smart city on Toronto’s waterfront.
#42. Applied Quantitative Analysis for Real Estate
By Sotiris Tsolacos
First Published: 2020
Publisher: Routledge
Tsolacos provides a practical guide to using quantitative analysis in real estate decision-making.
#41. The Lease Manual
By Rodney J. Dillman
First Published: 2022
Publisher: American Bar Association
This practical guide is designed to help landlords, tenants, and professionals navigate the complexities of lease agreements.
#40. Creating the Hudson River Park: Environmental and Community Activism, Politics, and Greed
By Tom Fox
First Published: 2022
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Fox provides an insider’s account of the creation of Hudson River Park, detailing the grassroots activism, political negotiations, and real estate interests that transformed a neglected waterfront into a vibrant urban park.
#39. The New Kings of New York
By Adam Piore, Stuart Elliott, and Hiten Samtani
First Published: 2022
Publisher: The Real Deal
The New Kings of New York delves into the power players behind the most iconic developments in New York City real estate.
#38. Caesars Palace Coup: How a Billionaire Brawl Over the Famous Casino Exposed the Power and Greed of Wall Street
By Sujeet Indap and Max Frumes
First Published: 2022
Publisher: Public Affairs
Caesars Palace Coup unpacks the dramatic and high-stakes battle over Caesars Entertainment, revealing how private equity titans clashed in a billion-dollar struggle for control.
#37. Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression
By Christopher Knowlton
First Published: 2019
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Knowlton explores the speculative real estate boom in Florida during the 1920s, a bubble that helped trigger the Great Depression.
#36. Risk Game: Self Portrait of an Entrepreneur
By Francis Greenburger
First Published: 2016
Publisher: BenBella Books
In Risk Game, real estate mogul Francis Greenburger chronicles his rise from modest beginnings to building a vast real estate empire.
#35. The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It
By Scott Patterson
First Published: 2010
Publisher: Crown Business
This book explores the rise of quantitative finance and its effects on financial markets, including the impact on commercial real estate investments.
#34. Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City
By Anthony Flint
First Published: 2009
Publisher: Random House
The rivalry between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses was a pivotal struggle over New York City’s future, highlighting the power of individuals to challenge authority.
#33. Bonfire of the Vanities
By Tom Wolfe
First Published: 1987
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
In this satirical novel, Wolfe portrays the excesses of 1980s New York through the story of Sherman McCoy, a wealthy bond trader caught in a scandal.
#32. Form Follows Finance
By Carol Willis
First Published: 1995
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Willis argues that financial imperatives have driven the development of skyscrapers in major cities like New York and Chicago.
#30. Rethinking Real Estate: A Roadmap to Technology’s Impact on the World’s Largest Asset Class
By Dror Poleg
First Published: 2019
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Poleg discusses the massive transformation technology is bringing to the real estate sector, from property management to investment.
#29. Form, Space, and Order
By Francis D.K. Ching
First Published: 1979
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
A seminal text in architectural education, this book provides an in-depth exploration of the fundamental concepts of form, space, and order in design.
#28. The Plaza: The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel
By Julie Satow
First Published: 2019
Publisher: Twelve
Julie Satow offers a fascinating exploration of New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel, unraveling its complex history from its glamorous origins to its transformation under various owners.
#27. Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco
By Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
First Published: 1990
Publisher: Harper Business
This classic account of the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco explores the high-stakes world of mergers, acquisitions, and corporate real estate.
#26. Main Street
By Sinclair Lewis
First Published: 1920
Publisher: Harcourt, Brace, and Howe
Lewis provides a deep examination of small-town life in America, where real estate is portrayed as a key symbol of progress and prosperity.
#25. Skyscraper Dreams: The Great Real Estate Dynasties of New York
By Tom Shachtman
First Published: 1991
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Shachtman’s book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the rise of New York’s most powerful real estate dynasties.
#24. The Intelligent REIT Investor: How to Build Wealth with Real Estate Investment Trusts
By Stephanie Krewson-Kelly and Ralph L. Block
First Published: 2016
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
This book is a critical resource for investors interested in commercial real estate through Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).
#23. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor
By Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan
First Published: 2005
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
Based on interviews with over 100 millionaire real estate investors, this book offers a step-by-step guide for anyone aiming to build wealth through real estate.
#22. Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork
By Reeves Wiedeman
First Published: 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
This riveting account of Adam Neumann’s meteoric rise and fall as the CEO of WeWork explores how a visionary idea for coworking spaces spiraled into one of the biggest financial collapses in recent history.
#21. The Liar’s Ball: The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World’s Toughest Tycoons
By Vicky Ward
First Published: 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Ward tells the dramatic story of the General Motors Building in New York, one of the most valuable office buildings in the world.
#20. Towers of Debt: The Rise and Fall of the Reichmanns
By Peter Foster
First Published: 2014
Publisher: Key Porter Books
Foster chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Reichmann family, whose real estate empire became one of the largest in the world before collapsing under massive debt.
#18. Billionaire’s Row: Tycoons, High Rollers, and the Epic Race to Build the World’s Most Exclusive Skyscrapers
By Katherine Clarke
First Published: 2014
Publisher: Crown Currency
Billionaire’s Row delves into the high-stakes world of luxury real estate along Manhattan’s famed 57th Street.
#17. The Real Estate Titans: 7 Key Lessons from the World’s Top Real Estate Investors
By Erez Cohen
First Published: 2014
Publisher: Wiley
Cohen interviews some of the world’s most successful real estate investors, distilling their wisdom into seven key lessons for commercial real estate professionals.
#16. Zeckendorf: The Autobiography of the Man Who Played Real-Life Monopoly
By William Zeckendorf
First Published: 1971
Publisher: Parker Publishing
In this autobiography, William Zeckendorf recounts his career as one of America’s most influential real estate developers.
#15. The Art of the Deal
By Donald Trump and Tony Schwartz
First Published: 1987
Publisher: Random House
Though a politically divisive figure today, former President Donald Trump’s memoir is considered a business classic.
#13. The Real Estate Game: The Intelligent Guide to Decisionmaking and Investment
By William J. Poorvu
First Published: 1999
Publisher: Free Press
In this essential guide, Poorvu demystifies the real estate investment process, offering readers practical advice on how to assess property deals and navigate financial risks.
#12. Building Seagram
By Phyllis Lambert
First Published: 1999
Publisher: Yale University Press
Lambert offers a deeply personal account of the construction of New York City’s Seagram Building, one of the most iconic examples of modern architecture.
#9. Am I Being Too Subtle?: Straight Talk from a Business Rebel
By Sam Zell
First Published: 2017
Publisher: Portfolio
In his candid memoir, Zell shares lessons from his decades-long career as one of the real estate industry’s most successful and unconventional entrepreneurs.
#8. What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence
By Stephen A. Schwarzman
First Published: 2017
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Schwarzman shares lessons from his career in private equity and real estate, reflecting on the deals, decisions, and principles that shaped his success.
#7. The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs
By Charles D. Ellis
First Published: 2008
Publisher: Penguin Press
This book offers an inside look at how Goldman Sachs became a major player in global finance, including commercial real estate investment.
#6. A Man in Full
By Tom Wolfe
First Published: 1998
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
This gripping novel centers around Charlie Croker, a commercial real estate mogul facing financial ruin due to his overextended investments.
#5. City of Dreams: Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles
By Jerald Podair
First Published: 2019
Publisher: Princeton University Press
When Walter O’Malley moved the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1957 to build a new ballpark, he ignited a five-year struggle over the city’s future.
#4. The Fountainhead
By Ayn Rand
First Published: 1943
Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill Company
This novel tells the story of Howard Roark, an uncompromising architect who struggles against societal pressure to conform to traditional design norms.
#3. The Death and Life of Great American Cities
By Jane Jacobs
First Published: 1961
Publisher: Random House
Jane Jacobs’ seminal work remains one of the most influential books on urban planning and real estate development.
#2. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
By Michael Lewis
First Published: 2010
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Lewis provides a gripping account of the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis, focusing on the few investors who foresaw the collapse of the housing market.
#1. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
By Robert A. Caro
First Published: 1974
Publisher: Knopf
This Pulitzer Prize-winning biography chronicles the life of Robert Moses, one of the most powerful figures in urban development during the 20th century.
Special thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions to our list, including Douglas Durst, Chairman of The Durst Organization; Phil Mobley, National Director of Office Analytics at CoStar; Hiten Samtani, Former Editor of The Real Deal; Josh Panknin, Director of Real Estate AI Research & Innovation at Columbia University; Patrick O’Shei, Director of Market Development at NYSERDA; Zach Aarons, Co-Founder and General Partner at MetaProp; and John Jones, Senior Vice President of Government Relations at Nareit, among others. If you have suggestions or think we’ve missed any key titles, please reach out to us.
