MarginaliaIf it doesn’t fit anywhere else, it’s here.
It occurs to me that despite various hints and publicity elsewhere, I have not actually announced the fact on ths blog that my new book, “Dear Undercover Economist”, is now out in English and Spanish. Other languages to follow! Details about the book on the Dear Undercover Economist page…
For readers in London:
Find reason in a crazy world: join Tim Harford a.k.a ‘The Undercover Economist’ discusses his newest book…
Tim Harford
The Logic of Life
WATERSTONE’S GOWER STREET
Thursday, 19 March 2009, 6:00PM
Tickets £3/£2 – redeemable against the promoted book on the night. Avalaible from the store.In his bestselling new book, Undercover Economist,Tim Harford – author/prolific columnist and presenter of Radio 4′s ‘More or Less’ explains how there can be logic behind even the most irrational of behaviour. He will answer some of life’s mysteries including, Why is your boss overpaid? Why do people smoke? For more info or tickets call the store or events@gowerst.watertsones.co.uk.
Further details: 020 7636 1577
In other words, it’s a free talk if you buy the book. Do come and say hello. I am also giving a talk in Bath on Friday, and so is Samuel Brittan. (Here for more details.)
A little bird tells me that the paperback of The Logic of Life is now on the front table in Borders in the UK. Official publication date is Thursday 5th March, but don’t feel you have to wait! Do please consider buying a copy.
People who are interested in The Logic of Life but want to try before they buy could surf on over to the Milken Institute website and read a very generous extract from the book – most of chapter two, in fact, which is all about poker, addiction, war and the limits of rational choice. (Free, but registration required.)
Price-sensitive lovers of economics books may want to know that the paperback of “The Logic of Life” is now out in the US. (In the UK, one more month to wait.) You can buy it here; you can read discerning reviews from the New York Times, the Economist, and many others here – people of taste, all.
The book has been interpreted as the antithesis of Nudge or Predictably Irrational, an anti-behavioural-economics book, but it isn’t really that. It’s really a product of my love affair with economics, showing how it can usefully be applied to crime, marriage, poker and much else. Thumbing through the pages of the paperback reminds me how much I loved writing the book, so I’m glad that the collected book reviewers of America enjoyed reading it.
“”But that’s rational!” spluttered one venerable journalist, when I told him about this. Well, yes–it seems so, doesn’t it?”
An extract from my debate with Dan “Predictably Irrational” Ariely. It’s the first debate to be hosted by Amazon’s “Omnivoracious” Blog – check it out.
Here’s a sample:
The book surveys shelf after shelf of the economics literature but in such skilful hands it does not feel like a dutiful trip to the library. Economists are often too beguiled by elegant theories, but Mr Harford wisely confines himself to ideas that have been carefully tested against real life. Only thorough research could discern that residents of high-rise buildings are more likely to be victims of crime, because stacked tenants make for poor monitors of the surrounding streets. Even the excellent chapter on game theory has a practical hero: the card player, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who applied its lessons to win the poker world championship in 2000.
Mr Harford, who works at the Financial Times, is an amiable guide for the non-specialist reader, neither too lofty nor dumbed-down. The book’s tone is breezy, but his command of the subject is such that even a well-schooled economist will discover much that is new.
The whole thing is here; I’m collecting reviews here.
I have a new video section on the site; notable links include a serious talk at Google and a not-so-serious appearance on The Colbert Report. More reviews are coming in, too.
I was due to appear at The Gladstone Hotel Gallery, 1214 Queen St West, Toronto Thurs Jan 31; 7:30 pm (doors 7pm), but sadly not. The event is cancelled and I’m very sorry about this. I’ve been routed back to New York to do TV there instead & will arrive in Toronto too late for the planned event. I apologise.
While I have been on tour, my UK publishers decided to publish “The Logic of Life” early and not tell me. Do please consider buying a copy.
