In the News, September 2024
Posted 06.20.24: A New York Times Bestseller! The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation by Victor Davis Hanson, now many weeks on the list. A "profound book.”—Robert D.Kaplan, The Wall Street Journal “Informative and lively.... Strong on history.”—Richard Overy, The Times Literary Supplement (London)
Posted 10.04.23: "David Friedman's The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism, the anarcho-capitalist classic, turns 50 this year, and it's worth revisiting for both its spirit and substance. The book has a chaotic energy.... The most striking thing about The Machinery of Freedom is its cheerful, eclectic optimism. It weaves back and forth between history, politics, and speculative fiction in ways that are enlivening and energizing. Friedman was not the first to make market anarchist arguments, but in the decades that followed the book's publication, they grew in appeal as an alternative to the angry polarization gripping those who preferred to fight over state power."—Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reason Magazine, November 2023 "Deserves serious attention...informed by solid and sophisticated economic theory."—James M. Buchanan, Journal of Economic Literature; winner Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences 1986
Posted 12.18.22: "Through an absorbing chronological, song-by-song analysis of the most memorable hits, Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul provides a sweeping look at the evolution of pop music between 1964 and today. This book will change how you listen to music and evaluate the artists who create it."—bookreporter "....This is just a small sample of the wealth of stories contained in Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul by Marc Myers.... The chapters are fairly short, making it an easy read.... Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul is a fantastic addition to any music lovers library."—Joey Williams, Glide Magazine
Posted 12.10.22: "Matthew Continetti's The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism is a superb work of scholarship and a delight to read. Conservatives will relish the anecdotes, the explanations of half-remembered books; liberals will learn something about their adversaries." — "Best Books of 2022," The Wall Street Journal
Posted 10.28.22: Publishers Weekly on Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul by Marc Myers: "Myers details how 55 famous songs were conceived, written, and recorded in this perceptive follow-up to 2016's Anatomy of a Song. Myers provides a brief introduction to each of his picks, and their composers, musicians, and producers share stories behind each song, as well. There are surprising details about musical arrangements...and insight from artists about their lyrics.... Myers has a knack for capturing the artistry of songwriting and easily shows why these tracks are 'iconic but not tired.' This melodic collection will strike a chord with music fans."
Posted 10.24.22: Geniuses at War: Bletchley Park, Colossus, and the Dawn of the Digital Age by David A. Price has won the 2022 IEEE William and Joyce Middleton Electrical Engineering History Award, awarded to the author of a book in the history of technology "that both exemplifies exceptional scholarship and reaches beyond academic communities toward a broad public audience." IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, with roots in electrical engineering, electronics, and computing. Geniuses at War also was chosen a “Best Nonfiction Book of the Year” by Kirkus Reviews.
Posted 10.20.22: "Wall Street Journal arts reporter Marc Myers continues his explorations of the kind of popular music that turns from melody to earworm.... As he did in his previous volume, Anatomy of a Song, Myers does a fine job of getting behind the hits.... Altogether, Myers turns in a who-knew kind of book.... The narrative contains plenty of joy, discontentment, and even newfound respect.... With snippets of business, creativity, techno-wizardry, and raw emotion, a pleasure for music fans."—Kirkus Reviews on Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul by Marc Myers forthcoming from Grove Atlantic