Newmark's Door

On June 1 I linked to a favorable review of a new book about Joe Frazier. I mistakenly gave the author as "Mark Kram". The author actually is Mark Kram's son, Mark Kram, Jr. (I got a nice note from him that pointed out my sloppiness.)

The book, Smokin' Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier, gets 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon, is nicely blurbed by Joyce Carol Oates and Richard Ford, and costs just $12.99 and comes with a $9.74 credit for selected Kindle books. I got one.

Critical review of Robert Skidelsky's book Money and Government.

As Robert A. Mundell, the first articulator of supply-side economics, recalled from his policy battles in the 1960s, the Keynesian policy he encountered “might have had some merits in a closed economy, but it was completely indefensible in an open economy.”

Forthcoming soon. Details. YouTube channel.

Give it to an undergraduate you love.

I suppose the answer should not be surprising.

"Steinberg also documents the Left’s virulence, especially in California, where he has spent most of his career. He repeatedly illustrates the Democrats’, and their special-interest allies’, shameless aggression in what is essentially a one-party state. Steinberg fears the nation as a whole is trending in the same basic direction as California."

Review of Tyler Cowen's new book. This is a point that I don't think can be repeated often enough:

Cowen addresses some common criticisms of big companies—that too many are monopolistic, for example, and that more should be broken up. Monopolies do exist, but many, if you look closely, are in heavily regulated industries where misguided government policies raise the cost of entry and allow a few companies to dominate. Health-insurance firms have consolidated into giants to deal with all the regulation now demanded of them. Cable television offerings were restricted for years thanks to local governments handing out exclusive territorial licenses. Only recently, with the rise of online streaming, has technological innovation created a path around the cable monopoly, decreasing prices. And, of course, housing prices have skyrocketed in certain markets because of inadequate supply caused by government restrictions on building.

I don't know, but do think there are too many discouraging, depressing novels being assigned.

UPDATE: Link present now.

Review of a book that explains and describes the history of Bohr's view of quantum mechanics--famously glossed as "Shut up and calculate!" versus Einstein's--who stated that Bohr's view meant "Spooky action at a distance".

I can see some merit in both views. But in the end, I have to go with a long-standing inclination: give the points and bet on Big Al.

Easy and a whole lot quicker.

Review of Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock ’n’ Roll.