Customer Reviews

The New York Times Century of Business

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Norris and Bockelmann turn up a winner in this insightful look at business. I have read Norris financial column for years and was always impressed with his "wordsmith" readability. The editors do not get bogged down in technical language but instead have presented a very readable work. A nice Christmas Gift idea.

Economic history or the history of business is often too abstract for the non-specialist reader to take any interest in the subject. This is quite different from the cases of military or art history, for example.

Which is why this book is helpful. No one can seriously consider the history of the twentieth century without looking at the vast transformation of businesses and the marketplace which have taken place in this period.

The 300-odd pages contain photographs and articles from the New York Times which sweep through major epsiodes of twentieth century business including trust busting, the Great Depression, the electronics revolution, and mega-mergers at the close of the century. The articles are accompanied by commentary from the married couple who are the authors, both of whom have been business writers for the New York Times.

Whether you are a student doing research for a high school paper, or a policy maker who wants a quick reminder of the events and forces which have shaped business in this century, you will find this book highly readable and informative. In the introductory words of former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, "Rereading history may never subtitute fully for personal experience in shaping our behavior. But there is something to the admonition of one of the 20th century's leading philosphers, George Santayana, about the importance of understanding the past. And this book surely brings our economic history alive."