Tag Archives: EconTalk

Podcast of the Week: EconTalk discusses "Dreamland"

Posted on January 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

On Monday, Russ Roberts of EconTalk sat down to talk with Sam Quinones about his book, Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opium Epidemic.  That book has been on my radar for a couple of years (and was how I … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

This Just In

Posted on February 24, 2016 by smellincoffee

During the weekend I said in comments here that I would love to see a book about spontaneous or emergent order that crossed disciplines. Well, by golly, now there is one — and it’s by Matt Ridley, who penned The … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

An Economist Gets Lunch

Posted on February 17, 2016 by smellincoffee

An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies© 2012 Tyler Cowen293 pages Imagine going out to eat with someone who really likes to talk about food, and imagine that this person is also an economist. That’s An Economist Gets Lunch, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

This week: commerce, trade, and shipping

Posted on May 12, 2014 by smellincoffee

This past week at the library I’ve been mostly reading into commerce and trade, and reviews are posted or will be for all except for Point of Purchase, a “history of how shopping changed America”.  This was a history of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Price of Everything

Posted on July 15, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Price of Everything© 2009 Russell D. Roberts 224 pages The Price of Everything is an economics novel about the virtues of prices and markets, explaining how they work to maximize efficiency and spread goods out among those who need … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Conundrum

Posted on September 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation, Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our Energy and Climate Problems Worse© 2012 David Owen272 pages If only all big problems could be tackled with product substitution. We’re consumers at heart, and our response to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Green Metropolis

Posted on June 30, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability© 2009 David Owen357 pages Green is probably not the word that comes to mind at the mention of Manhattan, but to David Owen, few … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Great Stagnation

Posted on June 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Great Stagnation: How America Ate all the Low-Hanging Fruit of Modern History, Got Sick, and Will (Eventually) Feel Better © 2011 Tyler Cowen 110 pages In The Great Stagnation, Tyler Cowen takes a long view of human economic history,  … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why We Get Fat

Posted on June 9, 2012 by smellincoffee

Why We Get Fat: and What To Do About It© 2011, 2012 Gary Taubes267 pages The secret of weight, we are told, is as simple as physics, as the laws of thermodynamics. If we take in more energy in eating … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments