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Everything Is Bullshit: The greatest scams on Earth revealed Paperback – June 24, 2014

by Priceonomics (Author), Alex Mayyasi (Author), Rohin Dhar (Author),
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 378 ratings
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Many of our society’s most cherished traditions are actually based on historical accident, the profit motives of a few companies, or the agenda of someone who died long ago. A lot of what we believe and do is bullshit, yet we walk around thinking our way of doing things is inherently correct. Why do we exchange diamond engagement rings? Why is wine so expensive? How does art become “art”? Why do so many non-profits want us to donate cars to them? Why does college cost so much? Why do so many pets die in animal shelters? Why is the world the way it is? Everything is Bullshit, by Priceonomics, is an investigation to find the answers.
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  1. Print length
    266 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 24, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.67 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0692224963
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0692224960
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Priceonomics (June 24, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0692224963
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0692224960
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.67 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 378 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Zachary Crockett

    Zachary Crockett

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    Zachary Crockett is a San Francisco-based author.

    As an in-house writer for Priceonomics, he's published articles on everything from the economics of college textbooks to the history of the red M&M. His written work has been recognized by The Atlantic's Longreads, Huffington Post, Forbes, and Gizmodo; he has also been a guest on NPR, Marketplace (PRI), and WGN Radio.

    An avid traveller, Crockett has backpacked through the Amazon, climbed peaks in Patagonia, and hiked the 211-mile John Muir Trail, which winds through California's Sierras. He also plays an array of stringed instruments in several bands.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Priceonomics

    Priceonomics

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Priceonomics is a San Francisco-based company that writes about data, business, and economics, and also provides data services for businesses. Its writers include Alex Mayyasi, Rohin Dhar, and Zachary Crockett.

    See more on the author's page
  3. Alex Mayyasi

    Alex Mayyasi

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
378 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book readable and interesting. They appreciate the insights and facts behind the concepts. The book covers many interesting subjects and is entertaining. Many readers consider it worth the price.

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ReadabilityInsightEntertainment valueValue for money
49 customers mention "Readability"42 positive7 negative

Customers find the book readable and interesting. They find it fun and quick to read, with some parts well-done. Some readers feel the sourcing could have been clearer. Overall, they describe it as a thought-provoking read in small amounts.

"...that you can weave your own path through the book and in as small amounts of reading as is convenient for you...." Read more

"...A fun read overall, but doesn't quite support the price of the book...." Read more

"...but buying the book would support the team that writes this very interesting blog, and encourage them to continue their good work...." Read more

"...The parts I liked were interesting enough to keep me reading and even discuss what I read with co workers...." Read more

25 customers mention "Insight"23 positive2 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-written. They appreciate the clear explanations of concepts and facts behind them. The book covers interesting subjects and uses clear data to inform and elucidate. Readers mention that the book exposes how the world really works through analysis and case studies.

"Very thought provoking analysis of a host of different topics such as value of art, prices, education biases etc...." Read more

"...To the authors, you had a great premise, and it looks like you had fun telling the stories, but left out analysis and conclusions as the book went on..." Read more

"...A lot of it was common sense for me but its great to have the facts behind the concepts." Read more

"...Telling stories with data is an interesting art - if one talks too much about the data (with graphs, charts etc) then it becomes dry...." Read more

14 customers mention "Entertainment value"12 positive2 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and informative. They say it's an easy read and would be interesting at parties.

"...feel adequately prepared to kick some trivia butt, and be much more interesting at parties...." Read more

"...the authors, you had a great premise, and it looks like you had fun telling the stories, but left out analysis and conclusions as the book went on...." Read more

"...Extremely engaging and an easy read this collection of short essay's was impossible to put down...." Read more

"...Seal chapter overkill if you pardon the pun. Interesting but touch too emotional for what it promises. Some sourcing vague...." Read more

7 customers mention "Value for money"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They find it informative about the engagement ring market, real-world products, and the science behind their pricing mechanisms. The book also covers topics like the value of art, homelessness, bicycles, and more.

"...provoking analysis of a host of different topics such as value of art, prices, education biases etc...." Read more

"...case study of six or seven real world products and the science behind their pricing mechanism. Why does an engagement ring cost as much as it does?..." Read more

"Great set of essays, especially the ones on the value of art, homelessness, bicycles and the most expensive app in the world...." Read more

"Worth the money. Micro Analysis of how each specific industry functions." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • M. Keith Martin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    But they sent me two. Hopefully I didn’t pay for 2
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  • James Veihdeffer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Bad title, Poor documentation
    Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    An intriguing book concept but there are several major problems:
    1. The title is simply wrong. This is not about 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 being BS…it’s about 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 things, or even 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 things. Now, I realize the authors couldn’t name it “Some Things are Bs” or “How ‘Bout All That Bs” but there’s no point in simply bs’ing us about the title.

    2. The citations in the book are bs. Problem is, the authors have a lot of potentially excellent info, and there’s an excellent bibliography…but there’s no tie-in between the “facts” presented in the text and the so-called “citations” at the end. We realize that in a self-published book it may be more difficult or expensive to have footnotes or references linked to the Citations section, but that’s how it has to be done. Simply having a list of references, tied to nothing on the page, is an exercise in futility for the reader. You might as well just say “Trust us, it’s true!”

    3. Missing citations. In addition to not linking to actual citations, there are numerous assertions without any citation at all—calling to mind the way community college students like to do their research papers, like, “Oh, did I need a citation for that?” For example, they say that academic journals are out of the reach for “all but the most minted universities” (117). But where’s the evidence for that? Having attended several universities of various calibers myself, I can say that I rarely had trouble finding key journals in my field, whether it was a midwestern Catholic university or an Ivy League school. Later on, they cite an IRS policy for car donations without any hint of a source (155). Unfortunately, the book is rife with these sorts of unverified assertions just tossed out like, well, like bs.

    It just so happens that I was already familiar with the wonderful book about the “Jefferson wines” (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳) in the otherwise fine section on wine bs, so I was able to recognize the reference in the Citations section, but without a footnote or other kind of link, it’s almost useless to have the citation in the back.

    So, Priceonomics people, what you need to do for your next edition is don’t bs us with the title and please provide some sort of basic academic rigor to your citations—footnote them or at least indicate in the Citation section what page numbers to go look for in the text.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Niket
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and light read.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I feel adequately prepared to kick some trivia butt, and be much more interesting at parties. I can't help but feel depressed after reading this book because despite the knowledge gained I don't think the world will be changing its ways soon.
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  • Rajan Gopalakrishnan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking book covering a broad span of topics
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Very thought provoking analysis of a host of different topics such as value of art, prices, education biases etc. The small chapter sizes means that you can weave your own path through the book and in as small amounts of reading as is convenient for you. That makes it perfect for a post dinner or pre-bedtime reading.
    On some topics, the authors dont necessarily take a strong opinion one way or the other but just present data, biases etc, letting you draw your conclusions. I particularly found this approach on topics such as "Do Elite Colleges Discriminate against Asians" or the one discussing evictions in San Francisco. It reminded me of the 20/20 style of discussions except the topics were more intellectually stimulating.
    The authors' hopes that we can take these lies and replace them with something that is not, is a little bit naive given how complex individual and societal human behaviors are when faced with changes. But that does not take away the praise for the authors in their attempts to bring us face to face with so many different contradictons, rituals and other things that are not the way they look.
    One person found this helpful
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  • G
    3.0 out of 5 stars A fun, if light, read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The book starts off with an ambitious purpose of trying to show the reader of some examples of how our current social order is completely and utterly messed up, and in some ways how to fix it. after the first few chapters, the book rapidly leaves that purpose and leaves us with some interesting anecdotes on some current issues (see the chapter on housing in SF, great anecdotes but no real discussion of the underlying causes of the housing shortage). A fun read overall, but doesn't quite support the price of the book.

    To the authors, you had a great premise, and it looks like you had fun telling the stories, but left out analysis and conclusions as the book went on. Put in the effort, add a few more pages per chapter and the book becomes that much more compelling.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • CJ
    4.0 out of 5 stars Makes you think - Recommend
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    The introduction really had me pulled into it.

    The only chapters which dragged on and over explained was when the author goes on and on about seals. It's just not interesting to me - but I guess thats just a bias.

    Overall though, I recommend this book. A lot of it was common sense for me but its great to have the facts behind the concepts.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Vijay R
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, insightful read - will make you think and question everything
    Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I'm a long time fan of the Priceonomics blog. This book is a collection of the best articles from the blog. Telling stories with data is an interesting art - if one talks too much about the data (with graphs, charts etc) then it becomes dry. If one just tells the story, minus the data/analysis, it becomes too light. This is a blog that strikes a good balance between the two.

    There is a little something of everything in this book - Funny ("How to charge $1,000 for nothing"), depressing ("The food industrial complex"), touching ("what it's like to fail")...

    Can you read the articles for free on the blog? Sure, but buying the book would support the team that writes this very interesting blog, and encourage them to continue their good work.

    Not associated with the team/blog in any way, just a big fan.
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  • NOTaVINEreviewer
    2.0 out of 5 stars Lightweight collection of stories you'd be better off just googling about
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This would be a great kindle unlimited book, but as something you need to pay for, not so much.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • SquishyPaws
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on June 13, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting facts but incredibly dull other than the title and the quotes opening each chapter.
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  • Caya
    2.0 out of 5 stars Etwas ungewöhnliche Betrachtungsweise
    Reviewed in Germany on April 3, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Eines der Kapitel versucht beharrlich, Mitleid mit den armen Robbenjägern zu erwecken, die wegen des Tierschutzes ihre Arbeit verloren haben (und das, nachdem durchaus realistisch die Umstände der Pelzjagd beschrieben wurden). Aber im nächsten Kapitel, über Diamanten, dreht sich alles um die Preistreiberei der Kartelle, und die Arbeitsbedingungen in Diamantminen werden nicht der Betrachtung wert gefunden.

    Gewöhnungsbedürftig.

    Insgesamt bietet das Buch durchaus einige bemerkenswerte Perspektiven, aber ich hätte mir weniger Kapitel und dafür eine genauere Betrachtungsweise gewünscht. Leider bleibt diese meistens doch recht oberflächlich.
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  • Ross Barbour
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Great read.
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  • Ross Canning
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book will change your mind
    Reviewed in Australia on September 27, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Like its spiritual predecessor, Freakonomics, this book will change your mind about a lot of things.

    Some of the material in this book is old news -- wine tasters are not as discerning as they like to think, and diamonds are only expensive because of a monopoly -- but even in these cases, this book delves into the details. How did the diamond monopoly come to be? Why is art bulls***, and why did an art dealer refuse to sell a piece to Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe?

    The chapter on seal hunting was perhaps the most eye-opening. If, like me, you've always taken it for granted that seal hunting is abhorrent and should be banned, this chapter will at least challenge that belief.
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  • Charles
    4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the Real World
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book is written by the authors of the Priceonomics website, it is a mixture of new content and material from the site based around the subject of BS in American.

    The book is broken down in to 4 sections

    1) Status Symbols

    This section focuses on been a status symbol can cause products to get ridiculous prices even though they have little intrinsic value, the diamond industry is a good example of how a worthless product such as diamonds gets a manufactured demand via the buying of wedding rings and diamond companies keep the price for diamonds up by only slowly trickling new diamonds on to the market. Other subjects covered include the price and popularity of art, how success in protecting animals rights can depend on how cute the animal is, total useless computer software that costs a fortune but does virtually nothing, and the embarrassing secrets of the expensive wine industry (most people, including experts cannot tell the difference between cheap wine and expensive wine. Human taste is highly subjective and just knowing a wine is expensive improves its taste!)

    2) Existing Power Structures

    This section deals with how existing power structures use their power to pump out BS that benefits them.
    There is an excellent example of how the food industry pushes processed food over simple fruit and veg because even tho fruit and veg is healthier there is bigger profit margins in processed food. Other subjects include is college education worth the cost, scientific journals charging outrageous prices to read about science payed for by the taxpayer, the American taxi system, how the 'halo effect' cognitive bias effects everybody and how race effects college admission rates

    3) Business of Manipulation

    Interesting section of how the toothfish was renamed the Chilean Sea Bass to make it sound like a more appearing food for Americans. Other parts include what happens to cars donated to charities, the free credit reports websites scams, and deodorants.

    4) Suspension of Human Decency

    A depressing chapter about the dark underbelly of the America pet industry, the notorious 'puppy mills' where puppy sellers keep pregnant dogs caged like battery chickens selling their puppies at massive profit. The demand for cute puppies when there are tons of strays dogs in animals shelters that will be put down if a new owner cannot be found is very depressing. Other subjects include what it's like to be homeless, the famous McDonalds Monopoly Fraud, eviction in San Francisco, and how the stolen bicycle industry works.

    My criticisms of this book is that is needs to be more detailed, needs more content (only 217 pages) and some of the examples are actually quite well known already. But it is still a very interesting read and recommended to anybody interested in BS in America.
    One person found this helpful
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