Comments on: Chapter Two of The Price of Everything

By: Russ Howard

Russ Howard — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:32:48 +0000

I agree with the post above that "I feel like I am reading the speech at the end of Atlas Shrugged," though I have to admit that after the first 10 pages I skipped the rest of that dialogue. Unfortunately, this was worse. The economics was fine as far as I got in the book, but there was not really anything new. I could have lived with that if the fiction was well written. WARNING: the main part of this book is VERY painful to read.

By: BoscoH

BoscoH — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:54:30 +0000

I got TPOE in the mail Saturday and started reading it last night. As a fan of the blog, there are many examples in the story that aren't "new", like the pencil. But the story doesn't suffer from familiarity, as the examples are relayed expertly with fresh twists and insights.

Russ's villains are far more nuanced than Ayn Rand's, as are his heros. And as are his conflicts. Another thing I like about TPOE is how small it makes the Bay Area. Having grown up there ("in the slums of Danville" as I often say), the Bay Area always seemed really big to me. Making the biannual trek to The Farm for the USC smack down of The Tree (or whatever their team name was) seemed like the longest drive ever. Moving back to SoCal for school changed my perspective .

By: Russ Roberts

Russ Roberts — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:40:37 +0000

Sheetwise,

There are only going to be two chapters put up on line.

Stan,

Glad you enjoyed them.

Sameer,

There is always a trade-off between the education and the entertainment. My hope is that people prefer their economics with a little entertainment rather than none at all.

By: Sameer Parekh

Sameer Parekh — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:31:55 +0000

I ordered the Price of Everything from Amazon and I started reading it over the weekend. I'm enjoying it, particularly because it describes economic concepts in very clear language, in very much the same way that Russell and Don often post to the blog here, so I like that very much.

I am a bit skeptical however of its appeal to the target audience, people who are not already fans of Hayek and Russ and Don. It has a nice story, but the economic lectures are so frequent and long, that I feel like I am reading the speech at the end of Atlas Shrugged. It's not that tedious, I am merely exaggerating for effect, but I think you might have done better if you were a bit less preachy. Perhaps if you had more actual action in the novel that exposed economic truths rather than speeches by Prof. Leiber, it would be better.

Those are my 2c, fwiw.

Best
-Sameer

By: Stan Heard

Stan Heard — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:07:29 +0000

Let me recommend your books "The Price of Everything" and "The Choice". These are both excellent reads. I found in both books a compelling case for Free Market. I also found great stories. My only wish is that "The Choice" could have been longer. I found myself with a notebook and pen trying to draw schematics to match the explanation for the effects of intervention in the market. Thank you for a great weekend.

By: SheetWise

SheetWise — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:18:14 +0000

I remember Steven King did a novel like this once … but wasn't he getting $1 per chapter?

This must be a new form of marketing — based upon the first couple chapters really setting the hook …

By: Crusader

Crusader — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:03:50 +0000

Just right-wing, neocon, capitalist claptrap...

/Koskid