The Economist - Books of the Year 2008 (52 books)

Listopia > The Economist - Books of the Year 2008

Called the "Pick of the Pile." As published in the Dec 4th 2008 print edition of The Economist. Do not add books not on that list.

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1	Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein 4.26 avg rating — 11,050 ratings score: 296, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World by William J. Bernstein 4.16 avg rating — 3,408 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Empires of the Sea: The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521 - 1580 by Roger Crowley 4.30 avg rating — 7,010 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict by Linda J. Bilmes 3.76 avg rating — 431 ratings score: 187, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World by Tim Harford (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 5,845 ratings score: 180, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes 3.97 avg rating — 10,106 ratings score: 175, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Three of Us: A Family Story by Julia Blackburn 3.54 avg rating — 432 ratings score: 148, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses Who Led the West to Victory in World War II by Andrew Roberts 4.19 avg rating — 657 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China by Philip P. Pan 4.10 avg rating — 1,592 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	India: The Emerging Giant by Arvind Panagariya 4.07 avg rating — 110 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915 - 1919 by Mark Thompson 3.99 avg rating — 1,149 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics: Entrepreneurship and the State by Yasheng Huang 3.93 avg rating — 228 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English by Henry Hitchings 3.70 avg rating — 549 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs by Charles D. Ellis 3.82 avg rating — 1,168 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State by Noah Feldman 3.90 avg rating — 372 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East by Lawrence Freedman 3.92 avg rating — 95 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Britain Since 1918: A Political History by David Marquand 3.49 avg rating — 41 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer 4.18 avg rating — 4,666 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Law and the Long War: The Future of Justice in the Age of Terror by Benjamin Wittes (Goodreads Author) 3.79 avg rating — 52 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Dinner With Mugabe: The Untold Story Of A Freedom Fighter Who Became A Tyrant by Heidi Holland 3.64 avg rating — 724 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crash by Charles R. Morris 3.72 avg rating — 1,225 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change by EL-ERIAN 3.52 avg rating — 791 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Venturesome Economy: How Innovation Sustains Prosperity in a More Connected World by Amar Bhide 3.64 avg rating — 28 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World by Don Tapscott 3.80 avg rating — 1,173 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Globality: Competing with Everyone from Everywhere for Everything by Harold L. Sirkin 3.18 avg rating — 79 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Return of History and the End of Dreams by Robert Kagan 3.68 avg rating — 845 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment by Anthony Lewis 3.86 avg rating — 716 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Penguin History of Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850-2008 by Jonathan Fenby 3.93 avg rating — 779 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Blackest Streets: The Life and Death of a Victorian Slum by Sarah Wise (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 393 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	American Rifle: A Biography by Alexander Rose (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 274 ratings score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V. S. Naipaul by Patrick French 4.17 avg rating — 526 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Soul of the Age: A Biography of the Mind of William Shakespeare by Jonathan Bate 4.11 avg rating — 551 ratings score: 70, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson by Brenda Wineapple 3.98 avg rating — 555 ratings score: 69, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Chagall: A Biography by Jackie Wullschläger 4.05 avg rating — 191 ratings score: 68, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters by Rose George (Goodreads Author) 4.02 avg rating — 2,638 ratings score: 67, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Bad Science by Ben Goldacre 4.06 avg rating — 45,107 ratings score: 66, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York by Matthew Goodman 3.62 avg rating — 548 ratings score: 65, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler 3.84 avg rating — 95,738 ratings score: 64, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population by Matthew Connelly 3.65 avg rating — 120 ratings score: 63, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh 4.07 avg rating — 25,764 ratings score: 62, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Artists in Exile: How Refugees from Twentieth-Century War and Revolution Transformed the American Performing Arts by Joseph Horowitz 3.44 avg rating — 54 ratings score: 61, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Salon to Biennial: Exhibitions That Made Art History, Volume 1: 1863-1959 by Bruce Altshuler 4.19 avg rating — 27 ratings score: 60, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	How Fiction Works by James Wood 3.99 avg rating — 8,317 ratings score: 59, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music by Ted Gioia 4.29 avg rating — 799 ratings score: 58, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Cold Cream: My Early Life and Other Mistakes by Mount 3.65 avg rating — 74 ratings score: 57, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy, #1) by Amitav Ghosh 3.98 avg rating — 30,378 ratings score: 56, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Breath by Tim Winton 3.91 avg rating — 26,321 ratings score: 55, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Lush Life by Richard Price 3.73 avg rating — 15,144 ratings score: 54, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry 3.84 avg rating — 23,269 ratings score: 53, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Fishing in Utopia by Andrew Brown 3.45 avg rating — 356 ratings score: 52, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran by Hooman Majd 3.76 avg rating — 2,207 ratings score: 51, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape by Raja Shehadeh 4.27 avg rating — 2,450 ratings score: 50, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars