15 Weird and Mysterious Books

Amongst the many reasons to prefer a book over a file on your e-reader: books have history. Sometimes, the history is obvious and evident. A book might have memories attached to it, or sentimental value. Sometimes, however, the history is weird, twisted, and hidden. There’s an air of mystery to certain books, a thrill of an enigma, a hint of something outside the realm of normality.

Here’s a list of such books, ones that have stumped scholars and titillated bibliophiles. And while there’s plenty to be excited about with ebooks, the mysterious origins of a book are never going to translate to the new format.
Read the rest of this entry »

Other recent stories

Don’t Miss Your Life: Book Review

You shouldn’t be reading this book review right now. Don’t you have some filing to catch up on? Have you made that phone call to that one place yet? What about those W-9s? One last question. Are you missing your life? That’s what Joe… Read more

Book Review: The Smart Swarm

For being at the top of the food chain, humans aren’t terribly evolved. Give us a complex situation like, say, a credit meltdown with a zero accountability, and we drape a TARP and hope it will just go away. Individual humans just aren’t… Read more

Book Review: Shopper Marketing

A lot of blood and sweat goes into maximizing a store’s consumer appeal. Designing a store that both attracts shoppers and makes them buy is practically an art form. It’s a crucial art, at that. Shoppers actually choose most brands not as a… Read more

Book Review: All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis

Wall Street seems to float in an ether above Main Street, ubiquitous but at the same time untouchable. So translating the fog behind the 2008 financial crisis into language everyone can understand is a daunting task. In their new book, All the… Read more

Amazon Yanks Pedophilia Book After Social Media Outrage

Who knows what author Philip R. Greaves II was thinking when he wrote “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover’s Code of Conduct.” Whatever it was, he probably didn’t consider that when the book went up on Amazon, social media… Read more

9 Business Books Listed Among Most Influential

SuperScholar recently listed their 50 Most Influential Books to have an impact on our culture over the last fifty years. Included among them were the following business related books noted for their effects on economic theories, government… Read more

Book Review: Mastering the VC Game

Do you have a startup that needs money? If the answer is yes, is it a software, biotech, energy, or medical devices company? Do you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, or New York? In addition, can you access a venture capitalist… Read more

Why Do Most Business Books Suck?

I recently read an interesting take on business books by Tribal Leadership’s David Logan. He explains why most business books are bad for you: First, most business books use stories to cover over their complete lack of insight. This week, I read… Read more

The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (Book Review)

Pick your favorite scenario for what you think 2100 will look like: A) Massive natural disasters will have annihilated most major cities. Pollution and toxic waste will have made much of the planet unlivable. Those humans who survived the… Read more

Book Review: Marketing in the Moment

The Web is evolving faster than fruit flies in a jam jar. During the past decade, the Internet has gone from a relatively uncomplicated network of sites to a media-rich, portable, incredibly diverse medium. If you feel chronically behind the… Read more

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: Book Giveaway!

I’ve received 5 giveaway copies of John C. Maxwell’s Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently. This engaging book teaches you how to connect with people in a way that increases your influence, improves… Read more

Princeton Review Releases 373 Best Colleges Survey

The Princeton Review has released its annual list of the best 373 colleges in America. This exhaustive list is based on student surveys, and covers real-life aspects of school, like how hard they party, rather than spitting out a ranking of… Read more

Book Review: Accelerating Out of the Great Depression

How are you reacting to today’s recession? That seems to be the question most media sources are addressing today. But an objective, comprehensive look at the Great Recession is harder to find. Boston Consulting Group senior partners David… Read more

Book Review: No Excuses! The Power of Self-Discipline

What’s the secret of success? Self-discipline, of course. At least that’s what self-help guru Brian Tracy claims in No Excuses! 21 Ways to Achieve Lasting Happiness and Success. Tracy’s latest book describes how you can use… Read more