精選書評：改變現代生活的50種關鍵力量

作者：Tim Harford
出版社: Riverhead Books
中文版：《轉角遇見經濟學：改變現代生活的50種關鍵力量》，木馬文化

• 亞馬遜年度商業書籍、金融時報年度選書、彭博商業評論年度選書
• 作者被喻為最幽默的生活經濟學家
• 書中沒有複雜的經濟詞彙與圖表，卻揭示生活中各種經濟觀念

"From the plough to artificial intelligence,
from Gillette’s disposable razor to Ikea’s Billy bookcase,
I recount each invention’s own memorable story and introduce you
to the characters who developed them, profited from them,
and were ruined by them."

--Tim Harford

從犁到人工智慧，
從吉列的拋棄式刮鬍刀到IKEA的比利書櫃，
我會講述每個發明令人難忘的故事，
介紹發明者，從中獲利者，
以及被發明毀掉者。

If you find economics difficult or boring, you probably have not read Tim Harford’s work. The economist and journalist humorously interpret our daily life experiences. His The Undercover Economist has been published in sixteen languages; Dear Undercover Economist answers readers’ numerous questions in life, such as “My boyfriend moved in with me but wouldn’t give up his apartment yet.” “My unmarried daughter might be more likely to provide assistance to me in my old age. Please give me an economic justification for being more generous to her.”

如果你覺得經濟學很難，很無趣，你大概沒讀過Tim Harford的作品。這位經濟學家、記者，幽默解讀我們的日常生活經驗。他在金融時報的兩個專欄都集結成書：《The Undercover Economist》已推出16國語言版本*；《Dear Undercover Economist》回答讀者的各種生活難題，包括「男友搬來與我同居，卻又不肯放棄自己的公寓，怎麼辦？」「我老了，還沒結婚的女兒比較可能照顧我，有什麼理由可以多分一些財產給她？」

Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy is drew from Tim Harford’s popular BBC radio program and podcast of the same name. He tells the stories of fifty inventions that have significant impact. They can be visible such as infant formula, the elevator, the barcode, or abstract concept like the limited liability company, intellectual property rights. He doesn’t just talk about where the ideas came from, but also the unintended consequences. For example, “how the fridge shaped the politics of developing countries across the globe,” or “how the barcode undermined family corner stores,” and “why the gramophone widened inequality.”

新書《Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy》，出自Tim Harford於BBC主持的熱門同名廣播節目。書中講述五十個影響重大的發明，有形如嬰兒奶粉、電梯、條碼，抽象概念如責任有限公司、智慧財產權。他不只談論這些想法從何而來，也談論這些發明所帶來意想不到的影響，例如，「冰箱如何影響了全世界開發中國家的政治」，或者「條碼如何破壞家庭式小商家」，「為什麼留聲機擴大了不平等」。

The perspective on economic growth Tim Harford presents is fun and easy to grasp. As Wall Street Journal says, “Mr. Harford succeeds in teaching about productivity, economic growth, monopoly, regulation and other essential topics without resorting to technical terminology and intimidating charts and tables. Such a feat requires a kind of inventiveness in itself.”

Tim Harford 提出的經濟成長觀點，讀來有趣又容易掌握，正如華爾街日報所說：「Harford先生不需專業術語和令人生畏的圖表，就成功傳授了生產力，經濟增長，壟斷，監管和其他重要主題。這樣的本領本身就是一種發明力。」

*中文書名：《誰賺走了你的咖啡錢》

文/ Nikki Lu

本文收錄於英語島English Island 2018年12月號
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