BusinessWeek reviews A Splendid Exchange
June 10, 2008
I like how BusinessWeek kicks off a book review, with: The Good, The Bad, and The Bottom Line. Sometimes I wait until after I've read the review to look at this section, just because I like to see if it succinctly sums up the praises and criticisms raised in the review. Here's how this week's review of A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World by William J.
I like how BusinessWeek kicks off a book review, with: The Good, The Bad, and The Bottom Line. Sometimes I wait until after I've read the review to look at this section, just because I like to see if it succinctly sums up the praises and criticisms raised in the review. Here's how this week's review of A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World by William J. Bernstein begins:
Pietra Rivoli, author of The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy (one of Jack's favorite books), says, "Bernstein illuminates modern debates in a sweeping history of international trade, weaving skillfully between rollicking adventures and scholarship. His history of trade from the ancients to the present is a story of our irrepressible urge to exchange goods, which in turn fostered exchanges of art, science, and ideas. The story of trade is the story of humankind; all in all, a happy story indeed."
Check out the book here: http://800ceoread.com/products/?ISBN=9780871139795
5,000 Years of Raucous TradeA Splendid Exchange is a hefty book, weighing in at 494 pages, but from all accounts it is an enjoyable and lively read.
Vivid characters and bizarre tales enliven this chronicle of how commerce defined cultures and shaped history
By Steve LeVine The Good: Fascinating stories about trade through the millennia The Bad: The treatment of today's trade issues feels a bit tacked on The Bottom Line: A fun read about an important topic
