Here’s what I’ve been reading for the past three months:
- The Lords of Creation – Adding this again because the notes are finally up. It covers the period from the late 1800s to the Great Depression — the rise of big business, monopolistic tendencies, financial shenanigans, shifting social and political views, impact of WWI, invention and innovation, wealth disparity, and bubbles and busts. Lots of similarities to today. If you’re into financial history, this is a good one. (Notes)
- Innumeracy – The book explains why math is important. A lack of understanding probabilities and randomness can bias our perspective and affect decisions. (Notes)
- The Laws of Simplicity – John Maeda writes about the intersection of technology, business, and design with ten principles on creating simpler systems. (Notes)
- The New York Stock Exchange in the Crisis of 1914 (Free Copy) – Henry Noble, then president of the NYSE, offers a first-hand account of the decision to shut down the exchange at the start of WWI, the problems that arose, how they dealt with it, and the decision to reopen four and half months later. It’s a short read and an interesting bit of market history.
- Medici Money – New book started this week. It looks at the rise and fall of the Medici bank.
Need more summer reading ideas? Try these book lists:
- 22 Novels You Need to Read This Summer – a summer list for novels.
- Summer Reading List Of “Best Books” For Financial Advisors – a good mix of suggestions for the advisor/finance crowd.
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die – for the ambitious sort.
Related Reading: