A great introduction to ecological dynamics,which underpins much of economic modelling.There is no better way to develop an appreciation of feedback loops in complex systems than to read this masterpiece.Dont let the modest amount of mathematics scare you away-the effort is worth it.Communities will never look quite the same after reading this book.

This book reminded me that while Darwin's father was an MD,his mother was from an wealthy family of the Industrial Revolution era.Ormerod does a good job applying ecological dynamics to business evolution and extinction and in explaining the statistical nature of extiction events in our inter-linked economy,which is modeled as an ecology.Some thought is required ,but is rewarded.

A readable story of the rise and fall of LTCM which gives a glimpse of how a group of Nobel-lead whiz kids lost billions by sloppy work and hubris.I was fascinated to read that the "fat tail" problem was appreciated by the finance community back in the 70's.This is an interesting companion piece to Mandelbrot's book,above.

A fine,readable survey,from game theory, to Schelling's Go set model of segregation, to perception and predjudice in hiring-a chapter that will disturb you but surely make you think.Harford's speculations on why the Industrial Revolution began in England were especially intriguing-pity he did not tell us how China missed out.

The long stay of this book atop the best seller list speaks for itself.A great read,and thought provoking,too.Now I see mavens,connectors and salesmen everywhere.I'll bet that Obama and his staff read this book carefully.

This book is more thought provoking than it is informative,but still very worthwhile.I found its discussions of judicial reform,how to view the problem of paying for entitlements,and how to reform congress and government to be very stimulating.Landburg's views are often an interesting contrast to Frank's,discussed above.