The media world has been abuzz about Wired and New Yorker contributing writer Jonah Lehrer's new book Imagine: How Creativity Works.

No wonder, as it's a mind-rejiggering read that sheds light on the many factors that go into nurturing creativity, the importance of which, of course, has been obvious to the ad industry, but whose value increasingly has been recognized in the larger world of business and marketing.

The book is rife with examples illustrating the alchemy of science, chance, intention, risk-taking and persistence that contributes to innovation. Some of his most telling stories include how Bob Dylan, drained of creative juices, was on the verge of ending his musical career before he had the breakthrough moment that led to "Like a Rolling Stone," and how Dan Wieden came up with Nike's famous "Just Do It" tagline--after thinking about a murderer named Gary Gilmore. He also talks about how the interior of Pixar's headquarters has been set up to fertilize the best ideas and--when it wasn't, it almost led to the company's biggest flop. And of course, there are the famous creation stories behind P&G's Swiffer and 3M's Post-It Note. He also goes into the biology behind some of the more familiar creative conundrums--why it figures that artistic genius is often linked to madness, why sometimes, the most talented individuals may be the more depressed ones and why children happen to be "effortlessly creative."

It also so happens that Ad Age and Creativity's publisher, Allison Arden, has just released her own book on creativity. The Book of Doing takes a different approach from Lehrer's. While Imagine gives insightful analysis about the many factors that go into nurturing creativity, The Book of Doing encourages you to jump in head first, get your hands dirty and just make stuff. (See Wieden's famous tag above). It features a set of laws and nearly 100 fun exercises to help you shed your inhibitions to create and give your brain's right hemisphere a boost. In a way, it's like a coloring book for adults--one that inspires you to embrace the act of creating as eagerly as you did when you were a child.

Both books present a ripe opportunity for us to compile a collection of the industry's favorite reads on creativity--whether or not they're specifically related to the job of advertising or marketing. Here's a list of a few. Share your thoughts in the comments section below, email or give us a shout on Twitter (@creativitymag), and we'll keep a running, go-to library of inspiration here.

UPDATE: Lehrer's book turns out to be full of even more surprises--but not the good kind. Since its release, Lehrer has generated much controversy, first for "plagiarizing himself," and, most recently with his admission that he contrived quotes having to do with the Bob Dylan passages of Imagine, leading to his resignation from his job as a writer for The New Yorker. The other books on the list, however, still prove to be worthy of a read.

Patrick O'Neill, ECD, TBWA/Chiat/Day, L.A.

Hands down my favorite book on creativity. It's a simple, small book, the most powerful and helpful one I've read and even re-read. Sometimes you just need a new way to look at things to open your mind and be reminded of the possibilities out there. And honestly, one quote from Mr. Arden can do the trick. When it was published I bought everyone a copy and taped it under their chairs.

Nik Studzinski, ECD, Droga5, New York

Paul was the ECD at Saatchi's when I first joined. I found him incredibly intimidating at first, but over time I came to see him for what he was: a creative one-off and incredibly inspiring. This was the first book he wrote and it neatly sums up his approach to creativity and, I suppose, his approach to life.

Nick Law, Chief Creative Officer, R/GA

Part of my job is to guide and evaluate creative thinking, so I'm interested in understanding how creative brains work and work together. A classic in creative cognition is Mihay Csikszentmihalyi's book Flow. In it he explores the Psychology of Optimal Experience and makes the observation that we are happiest and most effective when we are totally involved in something, lost in deep creative thinking.

One more from Law

Another favorite is a book by Roger L. Martin called The Opposable Mind: Winning Through Integrative Thinking. It's about big picture thinking and how to combine seemingly opposed ways of thinking.

I like these books as a pair because one is about deep creative thinking, and the other is about broad creative thinking. Csikszentmihalyi's book is about achieving mastery in practice whilst Martin's is about how to connect different practices to innovate. This tension is at the heart of our industry's challenges; making meaningful work in a complex environment. We will always need deep expertise to make beautiful and resonant work, but to really lead innovation we'll need to curate and recombine a diversity of expertise.

Chloe Gottleib, SVP, ECD, Interaction Design, R/GA

The book by Bill Buxton talks about the importance of sampling and sketching to iterate on ideas. Buxton encourages the notion that creatives have to get the initial ideas out there quickly through sketching and then not be afraid to kill their darlings in order to find the gems that will resonate best with their audience.

Taras Wayner, VP, ECD, Copy Writing, R/GA

The book features some of the best advertising writers as they discuss their process. It's inspiring because it shows how there are many different ways to solving briefs. Each of the book's sections is written by the copywriters themselves so it is extremely well written.

Glenn Cole, CCO, 72andSunny

Every great story--a feature length film, a sprawling Tolkien saga, a homemade video on YouTube, or a 30-second commercial--adheres to certain timeless principles and archetypes of story-telling. Robert McKee's book does a good job balancing inspiration with practical application.

Another from Glenn Cole

The takeaway is always the same: Experiment!

John Boiler, President/CEO, 72andSunny

Gotta go with Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. About finding the path to victory with ruthless efficiency, it's [about] the Darwin-like role of creativity.

Jason Norcross, Partner/Creative Director, 72andSunny

Books that come to mind for me are less about analyzing the 'creative process' and more about getting behind the scenes with different creative people--writers, artists, filmmakers, comedians. A few examples: "Conversations with Wilder" by Cameron Crowe. Idea that has stuck with me: the fact that if Billy Wilder was having trouble writing the third act of a screenplay the trouble was almost always with the first act. I think that is a great analogue to our creative process--creative briefs are the first act.

(Another from Norcross)

By Tom Shales & James Miller. I loved reading about the improv ethic of SNL, the tempo of the show, the pressure to perform, the camaraderie among cast and crew, the contrarian instincts, the nourishing of ridiculous ideas into iconic ideas, the importance of having a voice--all of it was very entertaining and surprisingly relatable.

(Yet another from Norcross)

[This one by Stephen King is] probably the closest thing to a creative "process" or "how-to" book that comes to mind. The notion that writing can be a way to not just communicate an idea but discover an idea resonated with me.

Ivan Peres-Armendariz, VP/Director of Interactive Production, Crispin Porter + Bogusky

David Brooks' book has a great section on the distinction between clocks and clouds. Clocks are linear, neat and reduced to their parts. Clouds are dynamic and change every second. They can only be described through narrative, not numbers. It's a reminder to take a step back and think about what kind of problem you have in front of you before attacking.

Another from Peres-Armendariz

A similar insight to clocks and clouds, except author Atul Gawande takes it further by describing the distinction between simple, complex and complicated problems. Complexity may be reduced into many simple problems and the rules for those problems are perfect for mindless checklists. The result is powerful. It creates more space for developing the tools of the clouds: collaboration, team, dialog and trust.

Ted Royer, ECD, Droga5, N.Y.

Compiled by The Onion A.V. Club, this is a collection of essays authored by amazingly creative people. These in-depth interviews with creative people from a huge variety of disciplines allow you to delve into their inspirations, processes, trials and frustrations--some over a long period of time (David Cross and Bob Odenkirk of Mr. Show were interviewed every season). I read it on vacation and when I got back I couldn't wait to work.

Ian Reichenthal, ECD, Wieden + Kennedy, N.Y.

The two best things written on the subject are [left, from Dr. Seuss] and a one-sentence quote, sometimes attributed to Oliver Stone and sometimes attributed to romance novelist Nora Roberts: "Writing = ass in chair."