The New Business Formula to Help You Stay Ahead of the Competition

Sur/petition

Stay ahead of the competition and create a new winning business formula with Edward de Bono, the father of lateral thinking.

Edward de Bono studied at Christ Church, Oxford (as a Rhodes Scholar). He also holds a PhD from Cambridge and an MD from the University of Malta. He has held appointments at the universities of Oxford, London, Cambridge and Harvard. 
 
In 1967 de Bono invented the now commonly used term 'lateral thinking' and, for many thousands, indeed millions, of people worldwide, his name has since become a symbol of creativity and new thinking. He has written numerous books, which have been translated into 34 languages, and his advice is sought by Nobel laureates and world leaders alike. 
 
www.debono.com

Don’t chase the market leader, be the market leader. 
 
Edward de Bono, the bestselling author of Serious Creativity and inventor of lateral thinking teaches you how to move beyond the baseline of competition and find success with sur/petition. 
 
It's simple. If you want to survive in the global marketplace a competitive streak is essential. But what if you want to do more than just survive? In Sur/petition de Bono explains how choosing to run in your own race instead of alongside others will give you the edge over other businesses and creating value monopolies will allow your business to not only survive but become successful. 
 
Broken down into 3 sections Sur/petition will explain: 
 
1. Why most fundamental habits of management thinking maybe inadequate and even dangerous for your business 
2. The difference between traditional competition and sur/petition 
3. The meaning of ‘valufacture’ and how to create value for your business 
 
Drawing from his immense experience consulting the top corporations in the world, de Bono shows you how to go 'beyond competition' and create a new winning game.

Shortcuts to Becoming Wiser Than Your Years

Textbook of Wisdom

Thinking tools to learn, adapt and create greater wisdom, from Edward de Bono, the father of lateral thinking.

Wisdom comes with living a long life, full of rich experiences and can’t be learnt, right? Wrong. 
 
In the Textbook of Wisdom bestselling author Edward De Bono (Lateral Thinking, Serious Creativity) explains how you do not have to have lived forever to benefit from the experience of those who have. Full of thinking tools guidelines and principles this ‘textbook’ encourages the use of values and emotions to guide you through life without allowing them to enslave you. 
 
Split into short, digestible sections perfect for grazing rather than devouring, Textbook of Wisdom is perfectly designed so you can return again and again, mining for wise words to carry through life that will open your mind to creativity and new possibilities.

A Better Way to Resolve Them

Conflicts

How to use lateral thinking to find lasting and satisfying solutions to conflicts with Edward de Bono, the master of creative thinking.

Think, don't fight. 
 
In today’s world we use an out of date thinking system to navigate our way through modern society, especially when it comes to conflicts and disagreements. 
 
Conflicts argues that instead of our age old system of debate we should adopt what de Bono calls a ‘design idiom’ and use lateral thinking to navigate a feud. If two parties think their argument is best, we should be introducing a third party role. De Bono explains how this concept of triangular thinking and map making is the way forward. 
 
By highlighting how the current system holds us back and offering practical alternatives De Bono paves the way for a fundamental shift in conflict resolution.

The Five Success Principles for Personal and Global Change

Handbook for a Positive Revolution

The five principles of positive thinking for positive change from Edward de Bono, the father of lateral thinking

Anyone can join the positive revolution. All you need is creativity. 
 
Historically, revolutions have been negative – defining, overthrowing or destroying an enemy, fuelled by a sense of mission and direction. After victory, however, this energy often races on, causing factionalism and strife among the victors. The positive revolution also has energy and direction, but its opponents are entrenched patterns in thought. 
 
Progress, maintains Edward de Bono – whether on a personal or global scale – depends on thinking and behaviour that are positive and constructive. The world today is undergoing dramatic, often violent changes, and human behaviour is frequently shaped by guilt and negativity. To lift this dark cloud and create positive revolution, we need to rely more on humour, a key element in changing perception. 
 
In this inspiring book, Edward de Bono demonstrates clearly and simply how we can learn to think and interact constructively, efficiently and with respect for core human values.

Four Ways to be Right, Five Ways to be Wrong

Practical Thinking

How is it that in an argument both sides are always right? How is it that no one ever makes a mistake on purpose but that mistakes get made?

In Practical Thinking de Bono’s theme is everyday thinking, how the mind actually works – not how philosophers think it should. Based on the results of his famous Black Cylinder Experiment (a critical thinking task that asks participants why they think a black cylinder falls over), de Bono explores the four practical ways of being right. From there he picks out and names the five levels of understanding – and the five major mistakes in thinking. 
 
From memes and Instagram to twitter and bestselling books like Mistakes I Made At Work, mistakes – and what we can learn from them – are a hot topic. With Edward you’ll learn exactly why we all make them.

Future Positive

Nobel Prize nominee and bestselling author Edward de Bono challenges you to change your mindset for a positive future.

‘Of one thing in life we can be sure. The quality of our life in the future will depend on the quality of our thinking.’ 
 
Why are we so prone to be negative? And how can we become more positive, both as individuals and as a society? The answer lies in the way we think. 
 
The key to positive thinking is developing new concepts, whether this means coming up with a brand new idea or just looking at an existing one in a new light. If we make a deliberate and positive effort to change our thinking we can secure a positive future, and we can harness the focused power of human thinking by releasing it from its pettiness. 
 
Edward the Bono is the Nobel Prize nominated father of creative thinking and the master of training the mind to think the right way. He wrote the multi-million copy bestseller Six Thinking Hats and many other revolutionary works on how to think. This classic work was first published in 1979, and since then our belief in the power of positive thinking has only become stronger.

Atlas of Management Thinking

Learn to trust your instinct and have confidence in your decision making.

First published in 1981, this was the first book ever to be written explicitly for the right side of the reader’s brain. 
 
Much has been made of the research conducted into the left side of the brain – home to language and logic. The right side works in images, whole patterns and undefined feelings – none of which can be verbalized. This more elusive thinking often functions as what is loosely called ‘intuition’. 
 
In Atlas, de Bono shows us how to use the right side. It is an atlas because it is a visual reference of images and illustrations that point the reader in the right direction (literally). For anyone who has ever been told to trust their instinct, or who is concerned with management and decision-making, this book is a de Bono classic.

The Happiness Purpose

Just as burning is the proper function of fire, so happiness is the proper function of our existence

First published in 1977, in this extraordinarily prescient book Edward de Bono sets out his method for achieving the ultimate 21st century goal: work-life balance. 
 
Defined in terms of life-space and self-space, de Bono invites the reader to look at their life and measure the gap between these spaces – the smaller the gap, the greater our chances at happiness; but if the life-space is vastly bigger than the self-space, our coping ability is compromised and anxiety is likely. 
 
For anyone concerned with happiness and life-fulfilment this book is essential reading, and is perhaps more resonant with readers now than ever before.

I Am Right, You Are Wrong

I Am Right, You Are Wrong is THE classic work about choice in business and in life from world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono. 
 
Most of our everyday decision-making tends to be confrontational. Whether in large meetings, one-to-one or even in our own heads, opposite view points are pitted against each other. Ultimately, there must be a winner and a loser. 
 
In I Am Right,You Are Wrong, lateral-thinking guru Edward de Bono challenges this 'rock logic' of rigid categories and point-scoring arguments which is both destructive and exhausting. 
 
Instead he reveals how we can all be winners. Clearer perception is the key to constructive thinking and more open-minded creativity. 
 
In overturning conventional wisdom, Edward de Bono will help you to become a better thinker and decision maker. 
 
'An inspiring man with brilliant ideas. De Bono never ceases to amaze with his clarity of thought' Sir Richard Branson

An inspiring man with brilliant ideas. De Bono never ceases to amaze with his clarity of thought.

Edward de Bono invented the concept of lateral thinking. A world-renowned writer and philosopher, he is the leading authority in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. 
 
Dr de Bono has written more than 60 books, in 40 languages, with people now teaching his methods worldwide. He has chaired a special summit of Nobel Prize laureates, and been hailed as one of the 250 people who have contributed most to mankind. 
 
Dr de Bono's titles include classic bestsellers such as Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, I Am Right You Are Wrong, Teach Yourself How To Think, Teach Your Child How To Think, and Simplicity - all now re-issued by Penguin. 
 
www.edwdebono.com

Most of our everyday decision-making tends to be confrontational. Whether in large meetings, one-to-one or even in our own heads, opposite view points are pitted against each other. Ultimately, there must be a winner and a loser. 
 
In I Am Right,You Are Wrong, lateral-thinking guru Edward de Bono challenges this 'rock logic' of rigid categories and point-scoring arguments which is both destructive and exhausting. 
 
Instead he reveals how we can all be winners. Clearer perception is the key to constructive thinking and more open-minded creativity. 
 
In overturning conventional wisdom, Edward de Bono will help you to become a better thinker and decision maker.

A Textbook of Creativity

Lateral Thinking

THE classic work about improving creativity from world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono 
 
In schools we are taught to meet problems head-on: what Edward de Bono calls 'vertical thinking'. This works well in simple situations - but we are at a loss when this approach fails. What then? 
Lateral thinking is all about freeing up your imagination. Through a series of special techniques, in groups or working alone, Edward de Bono shows how to stimulate the mind in new and exciting ways. 
 
Soon you will be looking at problems from a variety of angles and offering up solutions that are as ingenious as they are effective. You will become much more productive and a formidable thinker in your own right.

Edward de Bono invented the concept of lateral thinking. A world-renowned writer and philosopher, he is the leading authority in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. 
 
Dr de Bono has written more than 60 books, in 40 languages, with people now teaching his methods worldwide. He has chaired a special summit of Nobel Prize laureates, and been hailed as one of the 250 people who have contributed most to mankind. 
 
Dr de Bono's titles include classic bestsellers such as Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, I Am Right You Are Wrong, Teach Yourself How To Think, Teach Your Child How To Think, and Simplicity - all now re-issued by Penguin. 
 
www.edwdebono.com

THE classic work about improving creativity from world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono 
 
In schools we are taught to meet problems head-on: what Edward de Bono calls 'vertical thinking'. This works well in simple situations - but we are at a loss when this approach fails. Lateral thinking is all about freeing up your imagination. 
 
Through a series of special techniques, in groups or working alone, Edward de Bono shows us how to look at problems from a variety of angles and in so doing offer up solutions that are as ingenious as they are effective. After reading this book you will become a much more productive and formidable thinker.

Five-Day Course in Thinking

First published in 1967, this remarkable title from one of history’s greatest minds remains a must-read in the world of creative thinking. 
 
Based on the tenet that an error can lead to the right decision, de Bono guides the reader through a series of non-mathematical problems and puzzles, all designed to help us analyse our personal style of thinking, work out its strengths and weaknesses, and to consider the potential methods that we never use. 
 
There are three courses, each five days long and each created to focus on a different style of thinking, featuring: 
 
The Bottles Problem 
The Blocks Problem 
The L-Game 
The End Game 
 
A true life-changer, this book will have you thinking in ways that you never thought were possible.

Parallel Thinking

From 'One of the world's greatest thinkers' (TLS) comes Parallel Thinking - an invaluable insight into the word of creativity.

Western thinking is failing because it was not designed to deal with change 
 
In this provocative masterpiece of creative thinking, Edward de Bono argues for a game-changing new way to think. For thousands of years we have followed the thinking system designed by the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, based on analysis and argument. But if we are to flourish in today’s rapidly changing world we need to free our minds of these ‘boxes’ and embrace a more flexible and nimble model. 
 
Parallel Thinking is an invaluable insight into the word of creativity; de Bono unveils unique methods of brainstorming and explains preconceived ideas of what creativity involves and is. This book is not about philosophy; it is about the practical (and parallel) thinking required to get things done in an ever-changing world.

Change how you see yourself and how the world sees you

How to be More Interesting

Simple exercises to become the most interesting version of yourself, from the internationally bestselling and world-renowned philosopher and author, Edward de Bono. 
 
Do you want to be like that friend who holds the attention of the whole room with their telling of a story? Do you want your conversations to buzz with intrigue? Do you want your friends, colleagues or the stranger you talk to on the bus to think of you as the most interesting person they've spoken to that week? 
 
Being interesting isn't about having out-of-this-world adventures, it isn't about being beautiful, it isn't even about being intelligent or confident. Being interesting can be taught. Being interesting is a state of mind. 
 
Lateral-thinking guru, Edward de Bono's How to Be More Interesting guides you through over 70 thought exercises to encourage you to use your imagination, bring the most interesting parts of you to the fore and to captivate all who you meet. 
 
 'An inspiring man with brilliant ideas. De Bono never ceases to amaze with his clarity of thought.' Richard Branson 
 
Edward de Bono invented the concept of lateral thinking. A world-renowned writer and philosopher, he is the leading authority in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. 
 
Dr de Bono has written more than 60 books, in 40 languages, with people now teaching his methods worldwide. He has chaired a special summit of Nobel Prize laureates, and been hailed as one of the 250 people who have contributed most to mankind. 
 
Dr de Bono's titles include classic bestsellers such as Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, I Am Right You Are Wrong, Teach Yourself How To Think, Teach Your Child How To Think, and Simplicity - all now re-issued by Penguin.

Do you want to be like that friend who holds the attention of the whole room with their telling of a story? Do you want your conversations to buzz with intrigue? Do you want your friends, colleagues or the stranger you talk to on the bus to think of you as the most interesting person they've spoken to that week? 
 
Being interesting isn't about having out-of-this-world adventures, it isn't about being beautiful, it isn't even about being intelligent or confident. Being interesting can be taught. Being interesting is a state of mind. 
 
Lateral thinking guru, Edward de Bono's How to Be More Interesting guides you through over 70 thought exercises to encourage you to bring out your imagination, bring the most interesting parts of you to the fore and to captivate all who you meet.

Run better meetings, make faster decisions

Six Thinking Hats

THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING PHENOMENON 
 
Do you regularly find yourself in long, unstructured meetings which end without a decision? Are you a team leader looking for tips on increasing productivity? Or are you looking for ways to enhance collaboration? 
 
Six Thinking Hats, Edward de Bono's classic book on meetings, remains as relevant as ever. Used to huge success by big companies and organisations such as IBM, Siemens and NASA, the Six-Hats method is a proven way to: 
 
- Reduce meeting lengths to one quarter of what they were previously 
- Make decisions in just 15 minutes, rather than 3 hours 
- Increase productivity by nearly 500% 
 
This extremely simple tool not only increases efficiency in discussions and decision-making, but also encourages openness and trust among colleagues, resulting in happier team, a rise in productivity, and decisions which almost make themselves. 
 
'An inspiring man with brilliant ideas. De Bono never ceases to amaze' Sir Richard Branson

An inspiring man with brilliant ideas. De Bono never ceases to amaze with his clarity of thought.

Edward de Bono invented the concept of lateral thinking. A world-renowned writer and philosopher, he was the leading authority in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. 
 
Over the course of his life, Dr de Bono wrote more than 60 books, in 40 languages, and his methods are now taught worldwide. He chaired a special summit of Nobel Prize laureates, and was hailed as one of the 250 people who contributed most to mankind. Upon his death in June 2021 he was celebrated in numerous obituaries and tributes in the international press. 
 
Dr de Bono's titles include classic bestsellers such as Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, I Am Right You Are Wrong, Teach Yourself How To Think, Teach Your Child How To Think, and Simplicity - all now re-issued by Penguin. 
 
www.edwdebono.com

**The multi-million copy bestselling phenomenon** 
 
Do you regularly find yourself in long, unstructured meetings which end without a decision? Are you a team leader looking for tips on increasing productivity? Or are you looking for ways to enhance collaboration? 
 
Six Thinking Hats, Edward de Bono's classic book on meetings, remains as relevant today as ever. Used to huge success by big companies and organisations such as IBM, Siemens and NASA, the Six-Hats method is a proven way to: 
 
- Reduce meeting lengths to one quarter of what they were previously 
- Make decisions in just 15 minutes, rather than 3 hours 
- Increase productivity by nearly 500% 
 
This extremely simple tool not only increases efficiency in discussions and decision-making, but also encourages openness and trust among colleagues, resulting in happier teams, a rise in productivity, and decisions which almost make themselves. 
 
"An inspiring man with brilliant ideas. De Bono never ceases to amaze" Sir Richard Branson

Simplicity

THE classic work about making the complicated simple from the world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono 
 
From confusing manuals to uninterpretable jargon and bureaucratic red-tape, modern life can be highly complicated and frustrating. For many of us it is almost impossible to make sense of. 
 
 In Simplicity, lateral-thinking guru Edward de Bono shows us how to bring clarity into our increasingly complicated lives. Through his ten rules of simplicity, he encourages us to be creative and break down the complex into manageable and recognisable parts. By making the complicated simple, you will free up time, reduce stress and make better decisions.

From confusing manuals to uninterpretable jargon and bureaucratic red-tape, modern life can be highly complicated and frustrating. For many of us it is almost impossible to make sense of. 
 
In Simplicity, lateral-thinking guru Edward de Bono shows us how to bring clarity into our increasingly complicated lives. Through his ten rules of simplicity, he encourages us to be creative and break down the complex into manageable and recognisable parts. By making the complicated simple, you will free up time, reduce stress and make better decisions.

Teach Your Child How To Think

How do you raise children to think creatively for themselves and thrive? 
 
Edward de Bono, one of the world leading authorities on creative thinking, shows how parents can raise happy, confident and self-assured children through his simple tips, tricks and exercises that you can do with your child. 
 
This book will help your child: 
 
- Use positive reinforcement effectively 
- Unleash their creativity 
- Make the best life choices 
- Plan well for the future 
 
Confidence is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child and through this book you will learn how to give them the best start in life. 
 
 
2020 marked the 50th anniversary of Lateral Thinking (1970) and the 35th anniversary of Six Thinking Hats (1985).

Edward de Bono invented the concept of lateral thinking. A world-renowned writer and philosopher, he is the leading authority in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. 
 
Dr de Bono has written more than 60 books, in 40 languages, with people now teaching his methods worldwide. He has chaired a special summit of Nobel Prize laureates, and been hailed as one of the 250 people who have contributed most to mankind. 
 
Dr de Bono's titles include classic bestsellers such as Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, I Am Right You Are Wrong, Teach Yourself How To Think, Teach Your Child How To Think, and Simplicity - all now re-issued by Penguin. 
 
www.edwdebono.com

How do you raise children who think for themselves? 
 
Edward de Bono, one of the world leading authorities on creative thinking, shows how parents can raise happy, confident and self-assured children through his simple tips, tricks and exercises that you can do with your child. 
 
This book will help your child: 
 
- Use positive reinforcement effectively 
- Unleash their creativity 
- Make the best life choices 
- Plan well for the future 
 
Confidence is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child and through this book you will learn how to give them the best start in life.

Understand how your mind works to maximise memory and creative potential

The Mechanism of Mind

The classic bestseller presenting Edward de Bono’s model of the mind

The Mechanism of Mind presents Edward de Bono’s original theories on how the brain functions, processes information and organises it. It explains why the brain, the ’mechanism’, can only work in certain ways and introduces the four basic types of thinking that have gone on to inform his life’s work, namely ‘natural thinking’, ‘logical thinking’,’ mathematical thinking’ and ‘lateral thinking’. De Bono also outlines his argument for introducing the word ‘PO’ as an alternative to the word ‘NO’ when putting lateral thinking into practice. 
Drawing on colourful visual imagery to help explain his theories and thought-processes, from light bulbs and sugar cubes to photography and water erosion, The Mechanism of Mind remains as fascinating and as insightful as it was when it was first published in 1969. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to gain a greater understanding of how the mind works and organises information – and how Edward de Bono came to develop his creative thinking tools.

How to be creative under pressure and turn ideas into action

Serious Creativity

How to unlock your creativity and add value to your ideas with the power of lateral thinking

If you want to be the best, focus on your most valuable asset: the power of your creative mind 
 
As competition and the pace of change intensify, companies and individuals need to harness their creativity to stay ahead of the field. Under pressure, people often think they can't be creative; many more are convinced they are not creative at all because they have never been 'arty'. Creative genius Edward de Bono debunks these common notions in this remarkable book. He shows how creativity is a learnable skill - one that everyone can use to improve their performance. He then explains how you can unlock your own creativity to reap the personal and professional rewards it will bring. Learn how to: 
 
be creative on demand with de Bono's step-by-step approach 
 
add value to ideas and turn them into financial assets 
 
boost creativity with the power of lateral thinking 
 
break free from old ways of thinking with creative challenging

An Introduction

Edward de Bono’s bestselling introduction to the art of lateral thinking

In this extremely well-written book Dr de Bono attempts to describe the nature of a creative form of thinking and ways in which it can be developed

Why do some people always seem to have new ideas while others of equal intelligence never do? Lateral Thinking is Edward de Bono’s original portrayal of what lateral thinking is, how it works and how to use it to develop your own potential for thinking and problem solving. 
 
First published in 1967 as The Use of Lateral Thinking, this classic international bestseller remains as relevant to learning, problem solving and creative thinking today as when it was first published. De Bono argues that conventional vertical thinking often inhibits our ability to solve problems and come up with new ideas. He then shows that lateral thinking is a far easier and more natural way to generate simple, sound and effective ideas and offers guidance on how to develop your own ability to think laterally. Lateral thinking is a technique that anyone can learn and benefit from.

Teach Yourself To Think

THE classic work of intelligent self-empowerment from the world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono 
 
Our happiness and success depend on clear thinking. But too many of us are compromised by confusion, trying to do too much at once, and not knowing what to do next. 
 
In Teach Yourself to Think, Edward de Bono shows that good thinking depends on a simple five-stage process that anyone can learn. It will enable you to assess your goals, sort available information, identify the available choices, make a decision and, finally, turn thought into action. 
 
This book offers brilliant advice for anyone who needs to be able to respond to and deal with a vast range of situations at work and in life quickly, efficiently and intelligently.

Edward de Bono invented the concept of lateral thinking. A world-renowned writer and philosopher, he is the leading authority in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. 
 
Dr de Bono has written more than 60 books, in 40 languages, with people now teaching his methods worldwide. He has chaired a special summit of Nobel Prize laureates, and been hailed as one of the 250 people who have contributed most to mankind. 
 
Dr de Bono's titles include classic bestsellers such as Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, I Am Right You Are Wrong, Teach Yourself How To Think, Teach Your Child How To Think, and Simplicity - all now re-issued by Penguin. 
 
www.edwdebono.com

Our happiness and success depend on clear thinking. But too many of us are compromised by confusion, trying to do too much at once, and not knowing what to do next. 
 
In Teach Yourself to Think, Edward de Bono shows that good thinking depends on a simple five-stage process that anyone can learn. It will enable you to assess your goals, sort available information, identify the available choices, make a decision and, finally, turn thought into action. 
 
This book offers brilliant advice for anyone who needs to be able to respond to and deal with a vast range of situations at work and in life quickly, efficiently and intelligently.

Edward de Bono

(Vermilion Life Essentials)

People spend a fortune on their bodies, their faces, their hair, their clothes. Cosmetics, plastic surgery, diets, gym membership - everyone's trying to be more attractive. But there's an easier way to become a beautiful person. It doesn't have to be physical. No matter how you look, if you have a mind that's fascinating, creative, exciting - if you're a good thinker - you can be beautiful. 
 
Being attractive doesn't necessarily come from being intelligent or highly-educated. It isn't about having a great personality. It's about using your imagination and expanding your creativity. And it's when talking with people that we make the greatest impact. A person may be physically beautiful, but when speaking to others a dull or ugly or uncreative mind will definitely turn them off. 
 
In clear, practical language, de Bono shows how applying lateral and parallel thinking skills to your conversations can improve your mind. By learning how to listen, make a point, and manoeuvre a discussion, you can become creative and irresistible.

Edward de Bono

Books by Edward de Bono

Series by Edward de Bono

Vermilion Life Essentials

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter