John Cassidy - Böcker

How did we get to where we are? John Cassidy shows that the roots of our most recent financial failure lie not with individuals, but with an idea - the idea that markets are inherently rational. He gives us the big picture behind the financial headlines, tracing the rise and fall of free market ideology from Adam Smith to Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan. Full of wit, sense and, above all, a deeper understanding, How Markets Fail argues for the end of 'utopian' economics, and the beginning of a pragmatic, reality-based way of thinking.

** A Financial Times Best Summer Book of 2025**A sweeping history of capitalism as seen through the eyes of its fiercest criticsAt a time when we are faced with fundamental questions about the sustainability and morality of the economic system, Capitalism and Its Critics provides a kaleidoscopic history of global capitalism, from colonialism and the Industrial Revolution to the ecological crisis and artificial intelligence.John Cassidy adopts a bold new approach: he tells the story through the eyes of the system’s critics. From eighteenth-century weavers who rebelled against early factory automation to Eric Williams's paradigm-changing work on slavery and capitalism, to the Latin American dependistas, the international Wages for Housework campaign of the 1970s, and the modern degrowth movement, this absorbing narrative traverses the globe. It looks at familiar figures – Smith, Marx, Luxemburg, Keynes, Polanyi – from a fresh perspective, but also focuses on many less familiar, including William Thompson, the Irish proto-socialist whose work influenced Marx; Flora Tristan, the French proponent of a universal labour union; John Hobson, the original theorist of imperialism; and J. C. Kumarappa, the Indian exponent of Gandhian economics.Blending biography, panoramic history, and lively exploration of economic theories, Capitalism and Its Critics illuminates the deep roots of many of the most urgent issues of our time.

** A Financial Times Best Summer Book of 2025**A sweeping history of capitalism as seen through the eyes of its fiercest criticsAt a time when we are faced with fundamental questions about the sustainability and morality of the economic system, Capitalism and Its Critics provides a kaleidoscopic history of global capitalism, from colonialism and the Industrial Revolution to the ecological crisis and artificial intelligence.John Cassidy adopts a bold new approach: he tells the story through the eyes of the system’s critics. From eighteenth-century weavers who rebelled against early factory automation to Eric Williams's paradigm-changing work on slavery and capitalism, to the Latin American dependistas, the international Wages for Housework campaign of the 1970s, and the modern degrowth movement, this absorbing narrative traverses the globe. It looks at familiar figures – Smith, Marx, Luxemburg, Keynes, Polanyi – from a fresh perspective, but also focuses on many less familiar, including William Thompson, the Irish proto-socialist whose work influenced Marx; Flora Tristan, the French proponent of a universal labour union; John Hobson, the original theorist of imperialism; and J. C. Kumarappa, the Indian exponent of Gandhian economics.Blending biography, panoramic history, and lively exploration of economic theories, Capitalism and Its Critics illuminates the deep roots of many of the most urgent issues of our time.

The current state-of-the-art allows seismologists to give statistical estimates of the probability of a large earthquake striking a given region, identifying the areas in which the seismic hazard is the highest. However, the usefulness of these estimates is limited, without information about local subsoil conditions and the vulnerability of buildings. Identifying the sites where a local ampli?cation of seismic shaking will occur, and identifying the buildings that will be the weakest under the seismic shaking is the only strategy that allows effective defence against earthquake damage at an affordable cost, by applying selective reinforcement only to the structures that need it. Unfortunately, too often the Earth’s surface acted as a divide between seism- ogists and engineers. Now it is becoming clear that the building behaviour largely depends on the seismic input and the buildings on their turn act as seismic sources, in an intricate interplay that non-linear phenomena make even more complex. These phenomena are often the cause of observed damage enhancement during past ear- quakes. While research may pursue complex models to fully understand soil dyn- ics under seismic loading, we need, at the same time, simple models valid on average, whose results can be easily transferred to end users without prohibitive expenditure. Very complex models require a large amount of data that can only be obtained at a very high cost or may be impossible to get at all.

The current state-of-the-art allows seismologists to give statistical estimates of the probability of a large earthquake striking a given region, identifying the areas in which the seismic hazard is the highest. However, the usefulness of these estimates is limited, without information about local subsoil conditions and the vulnerability of buildings. Identifying the sites where a local ampli?cation of seismic shaking will occur, and identifying the buildings that will be the weakest under the seismic shaking is the only strategy that allows effective defence against earthquake damage at an affordable cost, by applying selective reinforcement only to the structures that need it. Unfortunately, too often the Earth’s surface acted as a divide between seism- ogists and engineers. Now it is becoming clear that the building behaviour largely depends on the seismic input and the buildings on their turn act as seismic sources, in an intricate interplay that non-linear phenomena make even more complex. These phenomena are often the cause of observed damage enhancement during past ear- quakes. While research may pursue complex models to fully understand soil dyn- ics under seismic loading, we need, at the same time, simple models valid on average, whose results can be easily transferred to end users without prohibitive expenditure. Very complex models require a large amount of data that can only be obtained at a very high cost or may be impossible to get at all.

Learn to draw with Quentin Blake!Quentin Blake is one of the most celebrated illustrators in theworld today, and the best person imaginable to collaborate on thissketchbook with training wheels.Full of inspirational artwork, instruction and plenty of whitespace reserved for the artist-to-be.Pages of scribble-starters and what-to-draw ideas created by belovedartist Sir Quentin Blake (himself a master scribbler), createa funny, ridiculously-encouraging kids’ drawing book thatproves that you can laugh and draw at the same time.Including: 106 page bookan artist-quality sketch pentwo watercolour pencils.  Make, experiment and play with KLUTZ .  What is Klutz?Klutz is a premium brand of book-based activity kits, designedto inspire creativity in every child.Our unique combination of crystal-clear instructions, custom toolsand materials, and hearty helpings of humor is 100% guaranteedto kick-start creativity. Super-clear instructionsOpen-ended CreativityRewarding ReadingSkills to Build OnEverything You Need

These are the world's most user-tested juggling directions, taking readers from the absolute beginning (Step One: The Drop) all the way to Five-Object Juggling. The instructions are friendly, humorous and so understandable they set a still-current industry standard for anyone-can-do-it clarity. This title includes re-styled juggling cubes and storage bags.

Can you find the pointy end of a pencil? Then you can draw! Start with a Scribble will banish your inner critic and kick-start your inner genius, as you learn to capture the spirit of things with a little how-to and a lot of just-do. An artist-quality pen and two watercolor pencils (red and black) are included. Inside, you’ll find:Prompts to inspire you (e.g., “emotional rabbits”)Doodles to finish (“Mrs. Thudkins takes her floppaterasis for a walk”)Techniques to try (only when the mood strikes you), from shading to perspectiveAnd plenty of wide-open space to play around in.Sir Quentin’s sage advice appears throughout, from “it’s best to name your animal after you draw it” to “don’t worry too much yet about ankles.” The most important lesson? YOU are the only person qualified to express your unique you-ness.Publisher’s note:Start with a Scribble is an updated North American edition of Drawing for the Artistically Undiscovered (Klutz, 1999).