The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith, Edwin Cannan, Alan Krueger (Introduction)
Bantam Books
If you recall your Econ 101, Smith originally offered his ideas on
capitalism and economics in a five-volume set in the late 1700s.
His idea that nations become rich based on the work of its people,
not the gold that they held, was more than a bit revolutionary. And
the idea that some invisible hand guides and balances markets still
is one of the bedrock principals on which our economic system
operates. Not to go all free market on you, but the American
economy seems to do best when we embrace the concepts Smith laid
out more than 240 years ago. According to the publisher: "The
Wealth of Nations is far from being an apologia for unregulated
business enterprise: Smith was at pains to point out that economic
advances can have undesirable social consequences, and that labor
that is economically unproductive can be beneficial to society at
large."
The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Vladimir Pozner (Introduction)
Bantam Books
Just to keep this whole thing balanced, maybe it is worth your time
to revisit this classic as well. Not that we would support most of
the concepts ol' Marx came up with, but it is good to remember that
tens of millions of people did buy into and live under a system
that tried to follow his ideas. But, as one online reviewer wrote:
"The economic theory the book presents is flawed yet unfortunately
tempting for many who wish to live in a world free of the
responsibility and liberty of private ownership. A world free of
economic liberty is also a world free of personal choice." The
publisher notes that this edition, prepared for its 150th
anniversary, includes the full text "in a distinctive and pleasing
hand-set typeface."
The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes
Everything
Stephen M.R. Covey
The Free Press
Will this book rise to the level of Marx and Smith? Doubtful, but
then Marx and Smith didn't grow up in the digital age. The eldest
son of Stephen R. Covey shows some of his father's genius, however,
in this fine book. One doubts that Adam Smith could have
anticipated the value - real value, not goodwill - of trust. Covey
suggests that trust is the foundation of the new global economy.
The establishment of this trust, he notes, creates the shortcuts
and cuts through the red tape that can slow down the lightning
speed of business. Covey - following his father's notion of turning
ideas into lists - offers up 13 behaviors that exist in
trust-inspiring leaders. He should, however, seek out an editor or
co-author to help him with his lack of focus now and then.
Happier
Tal Ben-Shahar
McGraw-Hill
While we here at LXB often eschew, or even mock, self-help books,
we have to be impressed that more than 20 percent of Harvard
graduates have lined up to take classes from this guy. We suppose
that the "positive psychology" concept that he teaches, and is
spreading like avian flu around the world, is not a bad set of
beliefs. Let's face it, it's kind of fun to be the first one in
your group to have, read, and chat about the hot book of the
moment. The author has been in the spotlight a lot in the past
year, including glowing articles in The New York Times and USA
Today. But not everyone is buying into it. Says one online
reviewer: "This is a pretty simplistic (about) happiness.
Surprisingly, for a Harvard instructor, many of his references are
dated. It also looks like he's searched a book of quotations on
happiness, and shoehorned the quotes in where they seem to fit."
Some people just don't want to be happy.