Here we offer books that we recommend beyond the traditional scope of Management books. These books are not for everybody, but, these books can help achive a more complete understanding of what is truely involved in going beyond the traditional management practices.
Given the time constraints we know most everyone feels we have listed the four books we recommend most highly first. Obviously, this requires subjective judgement on our part and depending on your personal interests other books may make more sense. We are just trying to provide some guidance that hopefully you find helpful.
Mind and the World-Order: Outline of a Theory of Knowledge by C. I. Lewis, 1991. Originally published 1929 this book was a tremendous influence on Deming but is not an easy read. His advice: start with chapter 6,7 or 8 not page one (from page 104 of The New Economics for Industry, Government, and Education).
Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig, 1984. Originally published in 1974. buy the hardcover version buy the audio tape version 
Small Is Beautiful Economics As If People Mattered by E. F. Schumacher, 1989. In memory of John's father, Bill Hunter. Statistics for Experimenters, by George Box, William Hunter and Stu Hunter begins with a quote from Small is Beautiful.
Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, 1999. One of the most important books of philosophy from the 20th century.
Thinking About Quality: Progress, Wisdom and the Deming Philosophy by Clare Crawford-Mason and Lloyd Dobyns, 1994.
The Man Who Discovered Quality : How W. Edwards Deming Brought the Quality Revolution to America - the Stories of Ford, Xerox and GM by Andrea Gabor, 1992. Discusses Deming's influence in Japan. Describes the principles and the vision and how this philosophy is galvanizing America's leading companies.
Christianity and Evolution by Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, 1974. A bit of a stretch for a management bookstore but for those who want some philosophy to shape their beliefs Teilhard De Chardin offers some important insights.
Divine Milieu by Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, 1989.
Plato : The Republic by Plato and Desmond Lee (Translator), . Included due to Ed Baker's presentation, at the October, 1996 W. Edwards Deming Institute conference, on Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, 1995. Winner of the Turner Tomorrow Award--a prize for fiction that offers solutions to global problems. Those who read it rave about the insights they gain into how they view the world. A man and a gorilla explore what it means to be human.
A Guide for the Perplexed by E. F. Schumacher, 1978.
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, 1997. Sets forth the proposition that emotional intelligence plays a more important role in success than IQ. The book provides insight into the theory of psychology portion of Deming's philosophy.
Lila: An Inquiry into Morals by Robert M. Pirsig, 1992. The author who captured the spirit of an entire generation with his classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance takes readers on a voyage of poignant and passionate philosophical exploration.
