In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the landmark book
Freakonomics comes this curated collection from the most readable
economics blog in the universe. It's the perfect solution for the
millions of readers who love all things Freakonomics. Surprising and
erudite, eloquent and witty, When to Rob a Bank demonstrates the
brilliance that has made the Freakonomics guys an international
sensation, with more than 7 million books sold in 40 languages, and 150
million downloads of their Freakonomics Radio podcast.
When Freakonomics was first published, the authors started a blog--and
they've kept it up. The writing is more casual, more personal, even more
outlandish than in their books. In When to Rob a Bank, they ask a host
of typically off-center questions: Why don't flight attendants get
tipped? If you were a terrorist, how would you attack? And why does KFC
always run out of fried chicken?
Over the past decade, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have
published more than 8,000 blog posts on the Freakonomics website. Many
of them, they freely admit, were rubbish. But now they've gone through
and picked the best of the best. You'll discover what people lie about,
and why; the best way to cut gun deaths; why it might be time for a sex
tax; and, yes, when to rob a bank. (Short answer: never; the ROI is
terrible.) You'll also learn a great deal about Levitt and Dubner's own
quirks and passions, from gambling and golf to backgammon and the
abolition of the penny.