Business Adventures

The twelve essays John Brooks wrote for The New Yorker examine corporate and financial life in the United States one episode at a time. Ford loses $350 million on the Edsel, Xerox grows at astonishing speed, insiders at Texas Gulf Sulphur land in scandal, and one chapter studies non-communication at General Electric. Other chapters cover the little stock market crash of 1962, the history and oddities of the federal income tax, a last great corner involving Piggly Wiggly and the effort by bankers to defend the British pound. Warren Buffett recommended the collection to Bill Gates, who later called it the best business book he had read.

Bill Gates said it shows that the rules for building a strong business have not changed, and Warren Buffett was reported to have sent Gates his own copy when asked for his favorite book. Michael Dell also included it among his picks of business books.