Like clockwork, strategy+business has selected the nine best business books of 2004. The winners, along with 26 other works on strategy, management, innovation, and other timely topics, are explored, debated, and recommended in nine essays by some of the world's most prominent business thinkers.

The top books in each category are:

Strategy: "Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right," by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5910898?gko=ccd54-1876-5910898

Management: "The Real Thing: Truth and Power at the Coca-Cola Company," by Constance L. Hays
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5910959?gko=f1c3c-1876-5910959

IT & Innovation: "The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability," by Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5911123?gko=1ef56-1876-5911123

Leadership: "Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value," by Bill George
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5911186?gko=f5995-1876-5911186

Governance: "Back to the Drawing Board: Designing Corporate Boards for a Complex World," by Colin B. Carter and Jay W. Lorsch
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5955702?gko=8b1ab-1876-5955702

Change Management: "Change Without Pain: How Managers Can Overcome Initiative Overload, Organizational Chaos, and Employee Burnout," by Eric Abrahamson
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5955765?gko=580de-1876-5955765

The Bubble: "Rational Exuberance: Silencing the Enemies of Growth and Why the Future Is Better Than You Think," by Michael J. Mandel
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5956580?gko=1a4c4-1876-5956580

Behavioral Economics: "The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life," by Paul Seabright
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5956751?gko=beb69-1876-5956751

The New Consumer: "The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness," by Virginia Postrel
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/5956839?gko=b99bb-1876-5956839

To read the complete essay in each category, use the links in the list above.