I just finished reading The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley. It certainly seems like Matt Ridley is the intellectual heir to Julian Simon. Ridley makes a strong case that not only aren’t things that bad, there’s historically quite good, and the prospects…
Tag Archive for Books
Quick Book Review: Living Economics by Peter Boettke
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There has been a great deal of buzz about this new book in the last few months. And as Dr. Boettke is both part of and has contributed to the respected GMU economics diaspora I picked it up. [ Living Economics: Yesterday, Today,…
Book Review: Hypocrites & Half-Wits by Donald J. Boudreaux
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I’ve been waiting for this title for a few months since first reading the announcement. It’s not a tome, nor is it a long boring economic textbook filled with charts. The premise is simple. Just a selection of the Dr.…
Book Review: Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe
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I’ve been enjoying a lot of history lately. Like Conquistador. [UPDATE 08.04.12: The Slave Who Circumnavigated The World] This is set right around the same time. The descriptions of the sailors’ day-to-day lives are amazing, and just as interesting are…
Harvey Pekar and Steve McQueen
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What do Harvey Pekar and Steve McQueen have in common? Absolutely nothing, except that I enjoyed books about both last week. Plus a DVD. A few recommendations you might enjoy. Amazon.com: McQueen’s Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood…
Book Review: iWoz by Steve Wozniak
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In the last 6+ months the great Steve Jobs has gotten a lot of play in the media. Books, interviews, articles, retrospectives, even Steve Jobs dolls! With all of that attention it’s easy to forget the brains behind the Apple…
Is The Hunger Games This Generation’s Atlas Shrugged?
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Is The Hunger Games this generation’s Atlas Shrugged? Or 1984? I hope so. Our entire family saw it over the weekend. Until two weeks ago my knowledge of it was limited to the fact that my daughters had read all…
Quick Book Review: Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Just finished the classic Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It’s one of those classics like Heart of Darkness that must be read. (pic via Wiki) While it’s a personal account of some of his travels and exploits,…
Book Review: Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil
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I’ve long loved olive oil, and loved olives even longer than that. I dip bread in it, put it on the occasional salad, and drizzle it over vegetables. But until a friend (Mary Beth) recently turned me onto the good…
Book Review: Chrysler’s Turbine Car: The Rise and Fall of Detroit’s Coolest Creation
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[UPDATE: Where are the remaining turbine cars currently?] [ If you’re a regular reader here you might wonder why it seems I love every book I review. The reason is that I’m very selective about the books I start, and…