Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$16.69

Audio CD
$27.29

$16.69 with 40 percent savings

List Price: $28.00

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Wednesday, January 8 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or Prime members get FREE delivery Sunday, January 5. Order within 2 hrs 30 mins.

In Stock

$$16.69 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$13.99

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

EX-LIBRARY copy. Book is in good condition. Includes library markings and stickers. Cover has shelfwear. No writing or highlighting. Ships directly from Amazon. EX-LIBRARY copy. Book is in good condition. Includes library markings and stickers. Cover has shelfwear. No writing or highlighting. Ships directly from Amazon. See less

FREE delivery Thursday, January 9 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 2 hrs 30 mins

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$16.69 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by BuckeyeBookLoft and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Add to List

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

$16.69 with 40 percent savings

List Price: $28.00

FREE pickup Wednesday, January 8 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or Prime members get FREE pickup Sunday, January 5. Order within 2 hrs 30 mins.

Amazon Locker - Magma

0.78 mi | San Francisco 94103

How pickup works

In Stock

$$16.69 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (71) from $2.85 + $4.49 shipping

Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

VIDEO

Follow the authors

Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson Hardcover – November 17, 2020

by Walter Isaacson (Introduction), Jeff Bezos (Contributor)

4.4 3,278 ratings

See all formats and editions

Great on Kindle

Great Experience. Great Value.

Enjoy a great reading experience when you borrow the Kindle edition of this book with your Kindle Unlimited membership. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.

View Kindle Edition

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.69","priceAmount":16.69,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"69","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"VBLf06bLN3OGs93e5EB7U29%2FdHxmmcG7ZvXEMFcMtgHkSHI9WGVJrF%2BhCTX0IEq5uOLj7fliCdD%2Fk0vv%2BGKLP2WQLevrF6uahvPGAlwCH6CLntID6nW7heXQy5F9eoS86GScwS0btRYqwkB%2FVQ00EQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$13.99","priceAmount":13.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"VBLf06bLN3OGs93e5EB7U29%2FdHxmmcG7UHx%2F%2BSqH17qsL9Jx1WM2TJ7MCUJn%2BOnfRXMUnBjXHHSauQoTsOqpa3hlIt2cIJEXcNunmdVEJH7AKCtr6N1lFJHMaYbuHvJgqB4c%2Fx2230oQoTDmPgJAzyExq3S%2FBX5CN0f5qWViBZdyC%2FIMqhdw%2FII30ZHnqbdk","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}],"desktop_buybox_group_2":[{"displayPrice":"$16.69","priceAmount":16.69,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"69","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"VBLf06bLN3OGs93e5EB7U29%2FdHxmmcG7ZvXEMFcMtgHkSHI9WGVJrF%2BhCTX0IEq5uOLj7fliCdD%2Fk0vv%2BGKLP2WQLevrF6uahvPGAlwCH6CLntID6nW7heXQy5F9eoS86GScwS0btRYqwkB%2FVQ00EQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"PICKUP","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":2}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

In Jeff Bezos's own words, the core principles and philosophy that have guided him in creating, building, and leading Amazon and Blue Origin.

In this collection of Jeff Bezos's writings—his unique and strikingly original annual shareholder letters, plus numerous speeches and interviews that provide insight into his background, his work, and the evolution of his ideas—you'll gain an insider's view of the why and how of his success. Spanning a range of topics across business and public policy, from innovation and customer obsession to climate change and outer space, this book provides a rare glimpse into how Bezos thinks about the world and where the future might take us.

Written in a direct, down-to-earth style, Invent and Wander offers readers a master class in business values, strategy, and execution:

The importance of a Day 1 mindset
Why "it's all about the long term"
What it really means to be customer obsessed
How to start new businesses and create significant organic growth in an already successful company
Why culture is an imperative
How a willingness to fail is closely connected to innovation
What the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us
Each insight offers new ways of thinking through today's challenges—and more importantly, tomorrow's—and the never-ending urgency of striving ahead, never resting on one's laurels. Everyone from CEOs of the Fortune 100 to entrepreneurs just setting up shop to the millions who use Amazon's products and services in their homes or businesses will come to understand the principles that have driven the success of one of the most important innovators of our time.
Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos is co-published by PublicAffairs, an imprint of Perseus Books, and Harvard Business Review Press.

From the Publisher

Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson

jeff bezos, amazon, creating, building, principles, philosophy, business, success, leadership, lead

WARNING: California’s Proposition 65

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

About the Author

About Contributors Jeff Bezos and Walter Isaacson:
This book is a collection of writings and public statements by Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. Bezos is also the founder of aerospace company Blue Origin, which is working to lower the cost and increase the safety of spaceflight, and he is owner of the Washington Post. In 2018, he founded the Bezos Day One Fund, which focuses on funding non-profits that help homeless families, and on creating a network of tier-one preschools in low-income communities. Bezos graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University in 1986, and was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year in 1999.

Walter Isaacson is the author of several books, including The Innovators and Leonardo da Vinci.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard Business Review Press; 1st edition (November 17, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1647820715
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1647820718
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 1 x 8.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #18,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #143 in Entrepreneurship (Books)
- #354 in Leadership & Motivation
- #609 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 3,278 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Upload your video

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Walter Isaacson
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Walter Isaacson is writing a biography of Elon Musk. He is the author of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race; Leonardo da Vinci; Steve Jobs; Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution; and Kissinger: A Biography. He is also the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. He is a Professor of History at Tulane, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chairman of CNN, and editor of Time magazine.
See more on the author's page
Jeff Bezos
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

3,278 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and inspiring. They describe it as an interesting, information-rich read that helps crystallize Jeff Bezos' ideals and thinking. The book is described as a well-constructed anthology containing all of Jeff's annual letters.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Insight Readability Ease of learning Material quality

59 customers mention "Insight"51 positive8 negative

Customers find the book insightful and inspiring. They appreciate the author's views on decision-making and his smart, focused approach. The book provides a captivating read about online e-commerce and its origins.

"...and reflections, offering a unique perspective on innovation, leadership, and the future of technology during the time when Jeff Bezos was the CEO..." Read more

"Worth reading. Interesting and quick read. Very inspiring and impressive on how much Amazon has done in such a short period." Read more

"This was a great read. Bezos is a wicked smart dude. He quotes Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham, Buffett’s teacher at Columbia...." Read more

"...Although this book does provide good insights into Mr. Bezo's childhood and family life, it is a shame the author didn't (or wasn't allowed to) mine..." Read more

54 customers mention "Readability"50 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it interesting and well-written. The book provides an informative look at Amazon's thought process and how Jeff Bezos came up with his idea.

"Worth reading. Interesting and quick read. Very inspiring and impressive on how much Amazon has done in such a short period." Read more

"...It includes an introduction by Walter Isaacson...." Read more

"This was a great read. Bezos is a wicked smart dude. He quotes Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham, Buffett’s teacher at Columbia...." Read more

"...This fact and the second reason combine to make this an interesting book, but not the exceptional narrative it could have been had it taken a more..." Read more

6 customers mention "Ease of learning"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They appreciate the simplicity and clarity of vision it outlines. Readers enjoy the clear introduction and compilation of articles.

"...interesting than the speech summaries in Part 2, but overall this is an easy, information-rich read that gets you close to the mind of one of the..." Read more

"The book was easy to understand and give a glimpse of how Jeff Bezos went through his years at Amazon." Read more

"...It's an amazing story of what a determined, smart and intuitive person can accomplish in a mere twenty five years...." Read more

"...But overall I enjoyed the day one concept as well as others that so clearly represent the Amazon we’re familiar with as consumers." Read more

4 customers mention "Material quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book contains a nice compilation of materials. They say it's a well-constructed anthology with a great intro from Walter.

"Nothing new, but a nice curated collection...." Read more

"This is a well constructed anthology containing all of Jeff B’s annual letters to amazon.com shareholders, along with selected speeches to the..." Read more

"Well structured Arrangement of publicly available materials..." Read more

"Great intro from Walter and nice compilation of materials..." Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Alex Covtun
Insightful and inspiring collection from Jeff Bezos
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos offers an incredible look into the mind of one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time. The book brings together Bezos’ writings, speeches, and reflections, offering a unique perspective on innovation, leadership, and the future of technology during the time when Jeff Bezos was the CEO of Amazon.

Overall, the collection is both insightful and inspiring. Bezos’ thoughts on long-term thinking, failure, and customer obsession are deeply thought-provoking, and they provide valuable lessons for anyone interested in business, entrepreneurship, or personal growth.

All in all, the book is a must-read for anyone looking to gain insights from one of the world’s most successful business leaders.

Read more

Alex Covtun

Insightful and inspiring collection from Jeff Bezos
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos offers an incredible look into the mind of one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time. The book brings together Bezos’ writings, speeches, and reflections, offering a unique perspective on innovation, leadership, and the future of technology during the time when Jeff Bezos was the CEO of Amazon.

Overall, the collection is both insightful and inspiring. Bezos’ thoughts on long-term thinking, failure, and customer obsession are deeply thought-provoking, and they provide valuable lessons for anyone interested in business, entrepreneurship, or personal growth.

All in all, the book is a must-read for anyone looking to gain insights from one of the world’s most successful business leaders.

Images in this review

Helpful

Report
Lindsay
Great read
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
Verified Purchase
Worth reading. Interesting and quick read. Very inspiring and impressive on how much Amazon has done in such a short period.

Read more

Helpful

Report
Steve Anderson
Hidden in Plain Sight Lessons on how Bezos Grows Amazon
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
Over the last few years, I've had the opportunity to do a deep dive research into Amazon to ask how did Jeff Bezos grow Amazon to the size it is today?

And I'm excited to share with you this new book, Invent & Wander, the collected writings of Jeff Bezos. It includes an introduction by Walter Isaacson. This book is a compilation of all of the Letters to Shareholder Jeff Bezos has written over the last 22 years. Part 2 includes additional information and transcripts from interviews Bezos has given over the years.

The Amazon.com website went live in July of 1994. Bezos began by selling books online, something that hadn't been contemplated before using this new thing at the time, called the internet. After great initial success, in May of 1997, Amazon filed for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise additional capital to support their already fast growth. The initial stock price was $18 per share, and they raised about $54 million Amazon would use to fund their continued growth. If you had invested $10,000 in 1997, it would be worth about $12 million – a phenomenal 120,000% growth.

Jeff Bezos wrote his first 1997 letter to shareholders published in April of 1998. Bezos wrote a new letter every year for the last 22. He renamed shareholders to shareowners in a subsequent letter.
Bezos shared his secret sauce for growing Amazon – hidden in plain sight – in each of these letters. The best way to highlight what you will get out of reading these letters is to highlight what Isaacson said in his introduction. "Here are the five that I think are most important:"

Focus on the long term. Bezos talked about this in the 1997 letter. It's what I call, Apply Long Term thinking. At Amazon, we will make decisions based on long term investment. Meaning we're not going to do short term Wall Street quarterly earnings thing we look to the future and are planning and investing for the future, number one number two.

Focus relentlessly and passionately on the customer. Bezos calls this Obsess over customers and invent on their behalf.

Avoid PowerPoint and slide presentations. It is interesting Isaacson included this as a key point. I believe this is one of the keys to Amazon's ability to continue to invent. This process has come to be called the 6-Page Narrative, which is described in the 2017 Letter. In 2004 Bezos send an email to his senior leadership team called the S-team, and said, No longer will PowerPoint presentations be allowed in our senior leadership team meetings. Instead, people will write a narrative and hand it out at the document at the beginning of the meeting. I believe it is one of those critical components to Amazon's invention toolkit they continue to use today.

Focus on big decisions. Or, what I call, generate high-velocity decisions. Bezos goes into detail in the 2005 Letter. As an organization grows, it tends to slow down decision making to the point that it negatively impacts growth. So to continue growing, you need to be making decisions quickly. He identifies two types of decisions, Type one and Type two. Type one decisions are big bet the farm decisions, and they should be made slowly deliberately with lots of data. Most decisions in large companies are not Type one decision. They are Type two. Type two decisions are easier to change. You can change your mind and decide to change directions. You can turn around and go back through that door, make another decision, change direction.

Hire the right people. In the 1998 Letter, Bezos describes three questions to ask about anyone interviewing for a job. 1) Do you admire this person? 2) Will they raise the average level of effectiveness of the group they are entering? 3) What other dimension do they bring to the job besides skills and experience?

So this is just a small synopsis of the book. I recommend you read the shareowners Letters (Part 1), like a book. Then start reading through Part 2 and listen as Bezos adds depth and dimension to the principle he shares in the Letters.

Be sure to take notes along the way. There is a lot to learn.

Read more

83 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Just some dude
How do you spell profit? P-R-O-P-H-E-T.
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
This was a great read. Bezos is a wicked smart dude. He quotes Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham, Buffett’s teacher at Columbia. Lots of great leadership, business and life wisdom in this book.
Reading about the origin of Amazon Web Services (something near and dear to my heart after working in tech for a couple years) was fascinating.

AWS sales grew faster than marketplace sales. Amazon had no direct competitor in the cloud for 7 years, which is unheard of.

He also goes into reading balance sheets at one point which was really interesting. I didn't read this book expecting a mini masterclass in valuing companies so that was a bonus.

Read more

Helpful

Report
Henry B. Davis IV
Although inventive, I wish this book wandered more deeply into what makes Mr. Bezos and Amazon tick.
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is an interesting book for a couple of reasons. First, Jeff Bezos is an interesting person who, after finding (or more accurately making) his niche, has become a wildly successful businessman. Although this book does provide good insights into Mr. Bezo's childhood and family life, it is a shame the author didn't (or wasn't allowed to) mine this vein of literary ore more fully. This fact and the second reason combine to make this an interesting book, but not the exceptional narrative it could have been had it taken a more biographical approach. Second, the first half of this book is nothing but Amazon shareholder letters from 1997 through 2019 reproduced in their entirety. This makes for horribly repetitive, dull reading. Don't mistake me, there is great content in these letters from which a talented author could weave together a fascinating narrative of corporate growth and societal change for a highly innovative company. Too bad the author leaves this rich literary vein untapped as well. While I recommend this book to anyone interested in innovation, business strategy, or specifically in the Amazon corporation; I have to wish someone will use this work and other material to actually accomplish what this narrative unsuccessfully attempts - providing greater insight into what makes both Mr. Bezos and Amazon tick (what drives them).

Read more

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Eduardo G.
Una visión siempre largoplacista
Reviewed in Mexico on January 25, 2022
Verified Purchase
Aún teniendo en cuenta que los escritos que contiene este libro los puedes encontrar fácilmente en Google de forma gratuita (la mayoría son las cartas a inversionistas) el libro vale totalmente la pena.

La visión empresarial de Jeff Bezos es sobresaliente, tan es así que me atrevería a decir que sin ella Amazon no hubiera podido prosperar.

Es una lección práctica no solo de administración, de inversión también, siempre a largo plazo, muy enfocado en el cash flow más que en otras métricas, sacrificar un margen de utilidad mayor el día de hoy por la lealtad del consumidor y ganar sus compras futuras.

Excelente libro.

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Connor Tostevin
Great Book, But mine arrived very grubby.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
I like the books contents, but it arrived very dirty, marks all over it, can only give 3 stars.

Read more
Report
David Pullara
Read this to 10X your Business Thinking
Reviewed in Canada on January 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Jeff Bezos is, without question, one of the most successful entrepreneurs that has ever lived. This book is a collection of his thoughts and ideas over the past 20+ years, and provides a fascinating inside look into his mind.

Reading this book will help you understand how Amazon went from start-up to behemoth in just 26 years -- and how its founder became the world's richest person in the process process -- by being customer-obsessed and making decisions in the right way.

Read more
Report
Consumer
Awesome book
Reviewed in Germany on November 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
A deep analysis of Jeff's thoughts and newsletters. I'll recommend book to anyone who wants to learn about the history of Amazon and its visionary leader.

Read more
Report
Dr. SBT.
Simply Amazing Book.
Reviewed in India on June 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
A superb read. A must for any person to get to know the thought process of one of the best entrepreneurs of our times.

Read more
Report

See more reviews

Amazon Prime Free Trial

Return this item for free

Return this item for free

Image Unavailable

Follow the authors