Recently Mentioned Books

1. Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class , by Robert Frank (the economist Robert Frank).  The best statement of the Frankian world view; every book of his is full of ideas and there are very few authors you can say that about.

That is from new and excellent The Pursuit of Glory, Europe 1648-1815 , by historian Tim Blanning.  The best parts of this book — which are very good indeed — are the early sections on the economic history of transportation.

So if you want the podcast, pre-order my Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist .  The Amazon link is here , Barnes&Noble is here .

5. Ruth Rendell, The Water’s Lovely .  I used to think she was past her peak, but the first third of this is superb and the rest stays pretty good.

4. Alfredo Jose Estrada, Havana: Autobiography of a City .  One of the best city biographies, almost as good as the books on Cairo .

4. Alfredo Jose Estrada, Havana: Autobiography of a City .  One of the best city biographies, almost as good as the books on Cairo .

3. Jennifer Michael Hecht, The Happiness Myth: Why What We Think is Right is Wrong .  The claim is that happiness follows from self-knowledge, self-control, self-realization, and awareness of death.  There is little consideration of what is the proper margin for each.

2. Martin Krause, La Economia Explicada a Mis Hijos , and Por el ojo de una aguja .  Economics, explained through the medium of literature and fables, from an Argentinian classical liberal.

2. Martin Krause, La Economia Explicada a Mis Hijos , and Por el ojo de una aguja .  Economics, explained through the medium of literature and fables, from an Argentinian classical liberal.

1. Douglas Wolk, Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean .  My consumer surplus from this book was huge.  The author calls it an "economic history" of the graphic novel; he hasn’t read Bob Fogel but it remains one of the best introductions to any topic.

OK people, we’re going to do an MR book forum on Greg Clark’s A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World .  Pre-order it, get it July 27.  (Guess whose book you can buy it with, for a two-fer discount ?)  We’ll start the first chapter or so about a week after that and I’ll discuss the book sequentially.

OK people, we’re going to do an MR book forum on Greg Clark’s A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World .  Pre-order it, get it July 27.  (Guess whose book you can buy it with, for a two-fer discount ?)  We’ll start the first chapter or so about a week after that and I’ll discuss the book sequentially.

Here , or try Charles Mann’s 1491 , one of my favorite books.  Try reading him on the selective breeding of corn, still one of mankind’s most impressive scientific feats. Or :

5. Cosmonaut Keep , by Ken MacLeod, 77 out of 352 pp., sorry guys.

4. Gold: The Once and Future Money , by Nathan Lewis, 13 out of 447 pp., some of you will love it.

3. Kiwis Might Fly , by Polly Evans, 1 out of 310 pp.

2. Kim MacQuarrie, The Last Days of the Incas , 169 out of 522 pp., it is actually quite good.

1. Taxi: A Social History of the New York Cabdriver , by Graham Hodges, 44 out of 240 pp.

That is from Alan Weisman’s truly excellent The World Without Us .  Here is my previous post on the book .

I do not treat this book as foundational because of personal experience.  I’ve spent much time in one rural Mexican village, San Agustin Oapan , and spent much time chatting with the people there.  They are extremely smart, have an excellent sense of humor, and are never boring.  And that’s in their second language, Spanish.

How many more times will someone suggest this book in the comments section of this blog?  I like this book and I think it offers a real contribution.  Nonetheless I feel no need to suggest it in the comments sections of other peoples’ blogs.

By David Markson , fun, fun, fun.  Excerpt:

That is from Gerd Gigerenzer’s Gut Feelings: the Intelligence of the Unconscious .  It is a good microeconomics question to ponder the conditions under which a) this is efficient, and b) you would rather be the poorer patient or the non-lawyer than the lawyer.

5. Blankets , by Craig Thompson.  This I loved and read in one sitting; it is a very good introduction to graphic novels, especially if you are not thrilled by Alan Moore.

4. The Right Talk: How Conservatives Transformed the Great Society into the Economic Society , by Mark A. Smith.  The main thesis is that right wingers have made America a more conservative society by framing issues in terms of economic reasoning.  Maybe I am too close to the topic, but I didn’t learn anything from the book.  At the very least it should interest progressives looking to mimic the successes (?) of the right wing.