Frequently, I am asked to recommend the best books on creativity and problem solving. Below are three that I consider “must read”:
- DeBono, Edward. Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step-by-Step. New York: Harper & Row, 1970.
Edward DeBono is a giant among creativity experts and this, his best book is filled with immediately useable insights, tools and techniques.
- Parnes, Sidney. The Magic of Your Mind. Buffalo: Creative Education Foundation, 1982.
Sid Parnes helped to codify the creative problem solving process that is used throughout the world and that many others have co-opted and re-branded as their own. This book revealed my own unrealized creative potential and illustrated how to begin to tap it.
- Torrence, E. Paul. The Search for Satori and Creativity. Buffalo: Creative Education Foundation, 1979.
Torrence’s seminal text displays his profound, seemingly encyclopedic grasp of the field of human creativity.
If you’re looking for more good reading, see Prism’s full list of books about creativity, problem solving, facilitation, decision-making, negotiation, psychology, science and Web 2.0.