The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning:  How To Turn Training and Development Into Business Results.   Authored by Calhoun W. Wick, Roy V. H. Pollock and Andy Jefferson (Hardcover - John Wiley & Sons Publishers, 2010)   My friends at the Fort Hill Company hit it way out of the ballpark with their second edition of the 6Ds.  One of the best books I've ever read. Comprehensive, cogent, and complete, it clearly defines the steps to move your corporate training and development programs from an event to a process leading to business results. The key thought:  Begin with the end in mind. What's the end?  Improved performance!  The book outlines a systems approach to make learning transfer from the event back to the workplace.  Every senior leader in the world of training and development should read this book.
What Every Manager Should Know About Training by Bob Mager (CEP Press, 2nd Ed, 1999)  is one of my favorite books to give to managers.  It provides a clear, concise, and complete overview of what training is, and what training is not. The book is a quick read--139 pages takes around 50 minutes.  An incredible amount of insight is packed into this small book.
Why Training Fails is an article written by Dean Spitzer in the Peformance & Improvement Journal in 1984.  Whilst written many years ago now, it is timelessly contemporary in its message.  Every Training and Learning professional should read this article (available in .pdf reprint from ISPI). I reread this article at least once every six months.  I think every Learning and Development professional should.
My friend Renie McClay does it again with her newest book  The Essential Guide to Training Global Audiences: Your Planning Resource of Useful Tips and Techniques. This is a must-read for anyone who trains in a multi-cultural setting.  Practical and proven ideas are found in each chapter.  This book differs greatly from the many other books found in the "cultural do's and taboos" genre.  It is practical, performable, and proven information.  I am pleased to give Renie's work my wholehearted endorsement!
Written by my good friend Donald Kirkpatrick along with his son James, Transferring Learning to Behavior: Using the Four Levels to Improve Performance is an excellent read.   Building on the time-proven evaluation of training model Donald introduced a half-century ago, the book contains excellent case studies and practical ideas on how to get results from training by measurement.  A mentor of many years back once told me, "If you want to start improving someone's job performance after training, start by measuring it."  What gets measured usually gets done.