Author Guide
Walter Isaacson Books in Order
Complete reading list for the former CNN chairman and definitive biographer of the innovators who shaped the modern world.
About
Walter Isaacson is a journalist, author, and professor who served as chairman of CNN and managing editor of Time. He is best known for biographies of consequential figures — Franklin, Einstein, Jobs, da Vinci, and Musk. His approach is access-based: he secures cooperation from subjects or estates, giving his books an intimacy that academic biographies often lack.
Best starting point: Steve Jobs for his most acclaimed biography. The Innovators for something more analytical. Leonardo da Vinci for his most beautiful subject.
All Walter Isaacson Books
Six major biographies. Each completely standalone.
1
Steve Jobs
2011
DefinitiveThe authorised biography based on over 40 interviews with Jobs. The definitive business biography of this century.
3
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
2003
Readable, rich, and comprehensive. The definitive popular biography of Franklin.
4
The Innovators
2014
Best for TechHow the digital revolution happened — from Ada Lovelace to the modern internet.
5
Leonardo da Vinci
2017
Drawing on 7,200 pages of da Vinci's notebooks. Isaacson's most immersive biography.
6
Elon Musk
2023
Most RecentThree years shadowing Musk at Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter. His most timely and controversial biography.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Walter Isaacson biography?
Steve Jobs (2011) is his masterpiece — authorised, researched over years, written with unusual candour. The Elon Musk biography (2023) is most recent and provoked debate about whether Isaacson was too sympathetic.
Are Walter Isaacson biographies accurate?
They are extremely well-researched popular biographies. Not academic biographies. The Steve Jobs book is widely regarded as accurate. The Musk biography was criticised for some factual errors.
Do you need to read them in order?
No. Each biography covers a different figure and is completely standalone.