362 products in Books

A Progressive's Case for Bitcoin is for everyone who is starting to learn about Bitcoin and wants to understand the reality behind the buzz. Exploring the value proposition of Bitcoin through a progressive lens, Maier's book explores why Bitcoin is good for the environment, how it helps poor and marginalized communities, and why Bitcoin serves as a protest against too-big-to-fail banks: all the people-centric reasons Bitcoin was created in the first place. This inspirational read, which requires no background knowledge, is a great starting point for anyone who is curious about Bitcoin beyond the boundaries of western privilege, clickbait headlines, and social media chatter. “Jason’s book is outstanding, and fills a niche that has been seriously underserved until now —a treatise on Bitcoin for progressives. He thoughtfully walks the reader through the shortcomings of the current financial system and the benefits that Bitcoin can bring to people around the world.” —Lyn Alden, Macro Economist and Investor “In A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin, Jason offers an uncommon perspective of how Bitcoin can be used as a tool for progressive social change. Through a combination of introspection and real-world case studies, Jason explores how Bitcoin can help to empower marginalized communities including the unbanked, those affected by hyperinflation and more.” —Lamar Wilson, Founder, Black Bitcoin Billionaire “A Progressive's Case for Bitcoin offers a refreshing perspective on Bitcoin particularly suited for a more liberal voter. Maier writes with humility and clarity inviting even the most ardent Bitcoin critics to question their assumptions. It is one of the best books written on Bitcoin.” —Dr. Mark Stephany, Physician and Host of The Progressive Bitcoiner “—If you care about the environment, human rights, or equality, you need to read this book and share it with everyone you know who considers themselves to be a progressive. This is a must read book!” —Dennis Porter, Co-Founder and CEO of the Satoshi Action Fund “Jason Maier has written what may be the most consequential Bitcoin book to date. In our historical moment, everything is politicized, often before it is even understood. So it is with Bitcoin, a technology attacked by many on the political left and embraced by those on the right, but which is actually nothing more than a few hundred lines of code. The social, political, economic, and environmental consequences of Bitcoin have hardly been thought through. Maier shows how Bitcoin—yes, Bitcoin!--actually aligns with the deepest values of progressives and serves their highest goals, most surprisingly, aiding the fight against climate change." “Reading this book, you realize that humanity is on the verge of a devastating mistake. Progressives have always pointed out injustices and critiqued systems of privilege. Yet, in a brilliant PR campaign, those very systems have enlisted progressives to protect themselves from being reformed or disrupted by an upstart technology. Maier’s book is a desperately needed corrective. He explains Bitcoin like a veteran teacher, breezes through arguments in a conversational style, yet his careful reasoning reminds you he is a mathematician. Open-minded progressives, and maybe even close-minded ones, will have to rethink their opinions on the possibilities and promise of neutral, digital money.” —Troy Cross, Environmentalist and Professor of Philosophy, Reed College C. Jason Maier is a teacher of mathematics with a personal conviction about how Bitcoin will reshape the world. More of Jason's writing can be found at www.bitcoinmagazine.com

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling history of financial crises Throughout history, rich and poor countries alike have been lending, borrowing, crashing, and recovering their way through an extraordinary range of financial crises. Each time, the experts have chimed, “this time is different”—claiming that the old rules of valuation no longer apply and that the new situation bears little similarity to past disasters. With this breakthrough study, leading economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff definitively prove them wrong. Covering sixty-six countries across five continents and eight centuries, This Time Is Different presents a comprehensive look at the varieties of financial crises—including government defaults, banking panics, and inflationary spikes—from medieval currency debasements to the subprime mortgage catastrophe. Reinhart and Rogoff provocatively argue that financial combustions are universal rites of passage for emerging and established market nations. A remarkable history of financial folly, This Time Is Different will influence financial and economic thinking and policy for decades to come.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize   A metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of Lewis Carroll “Every few decades an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, charity, range, wit, beauty, and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary event. This is such a work.” —Scientific American   GEB is a unique insight into the nature of “I,” self, soul, and consciousness, centered on a notion that its youthful author dubbed “strange loop,” inspired by the twisty self-referential construction invented by logician Kurt Gödel, whereby a sentence asserts its own unprovability. The book’s chapters alternate with Bach-like contrapuntal dialogues between whimsical characters (especially Achilles and the Tortoise), and each dialogue’s intricate structure exemplifies the notion being discussed in it, thus creating indirect self-reference (a fact unsuspected by the characters). The book, filled with analogies, wordplay, humor, and mind-twisting prints by M. C. Escher, has inspired generations of bright students to study cognitive science and the philosophy of mind.

“The most original and probably the most important writer on Magick since Aleister Crowley."—Robert Anton Wilson, author of the Prometheus Rising and other works Peter Carroll’s classic work has been profound influence on the Western magical world and on the practice of chaos magick in particular. In Liber Null and Psychonaut, Carroll presents an approach to the practice of magic that draws on the foundations of shamanism and animism, as well as that found in the Greek magical papyri, the occult works of Eliphas Levi and Aleister Crowley, and the esoteric meditative practices of classical India and China. Also very much at work in the text are 20th century scientific ideas of quantum physics and chaos theory. The result is a profoundly original work of magical studies that also includes a selection of extremely powerful rituals and exercises for committed occultists with instructions that lead the reader through new concepts and practices to achieve Carroll’s definition of magic itself: the raising of the whole individual in perfect balance to the power of infinity. This Weiser Classics edition is a thoroughly revised republication of Liber Null and Psychonaut, first published by Weiser in 1987, and includes a new foreword by Ronald Hutton, a leading authority on modern witchcraft and paganism.

Building real wealth and being truly happy are skills anyone can learn. Getting rich is about knowing what to do, who to do it with, and when to do it. True happiness isn't something that happens to you; it's a choice only you can make. No one knows this better than entrepreneur, philosopher, and investor Naval Ravikant. Naval's straightforward principles for building wealth and intentionally creating long-term happiness have captivated the world for years. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a curated collection of a full decade of Naval's wisdom and experience, featuring his most memorable and useful ideas. With over a million copies sold since its release in 2020, this powerful book has deeply affected readers' lives. Through Naval's own words, discover for yourself how to walk your own unique path toward a happier, healthier, wealthier life. This book has been created as a public service. It is available for free download in pdf and e-reader versions on navalmanack. Naval is not earning any money on this book. Naval has essays, podcasts, and more at naval and is on X, formerly Twitter, Naval.

“Instead of 1984, read this.” —Washington Post From New York Times bestselling author Lionel Shriver, a near-future speculative fiction novel that explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating U.S. sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American family In 2029, the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. In this gripping dystopian novel, the “almighty dollar” plummets in value overnight on the international currency exchange, to be replaced by a new global currency, the “bancor.” In retaliation, the president declares that America will default on its loans. “Deadbeat Nation” being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains to savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation. The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their ninety-seven-year-old patriarch dies. Once the inheritance turns to ash, each family member must contend with disappointment, but also—as the U.S. economy spirals into dysfunction—the challenge of sheer survival. Recently affluent, Avery is petulant that she can’t buy olive oil, while her sister, Florence, absorbs strays into her cramped household. An expat author, their aunt, Nollie, returns from abroad at seventy-three to a country that’s unrecognizable. Her brother, Carter, fumes at caring for their demented stepmother, now that an assisted living facility isn’t affordable. Only Florence’s oddball teenage son, Willing, an economics autodidact, will save this formerly august American family from the streets. A potent work of financial fiction, The Mandibles is about money. Thus it is necessarily about bitterness, rivalry, and selfishness—but also about surreal generosity, sacrifice, and transformative adaptation to changing circumstances.

The lion cannot guard himself from the toils, nor the fox from wolves. A Prince must therefore be a fox to discern toils, and a lion to drive off wolves. The modern-day term “Machiavellian” is used to describe deception, dishonesty, and cruelty to meet a goal. The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli was written as a guide for autocrats on how to govern using means that were meant to deceive and manipulate a government’s constituency—to the extent of advocating the use of evil for political expediency. In this classic work, the end justifies the means reigns paramount to Machiavelli’s system of government.

"A provocative and very funny page-turner..."--Wall Street Journal With dry wit and psychological acuity, this near-future novel explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating U.S. sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American family. Down-to-earth and perfectly realistic in scale, this is not an over-the-top Blade Runner tale. It is not science fiction. In 2029, the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. Overnight, on the international currency exchange, the “almighty dollar” plummets in value, to be replaced by a new global currency, the “bancor.” In retaliation, the president declares that America will default on its loans. “Deadbeat Nation” being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains to savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation. The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their ninety-seven-year-old patriarch dies. Once the inheritance turns to ash, each family member must contend with disappointment, but also—as the U.S. economy spirals into dysfunction—the challenge of sheer survival. Recently affluent, Avery is petulant that she can’t buy olive oil, while her sister, Florence, absorbs strays into her cramped household. An expat author, their aunt, Nollie, returns from abroad at seventy-three to a country that’s unrecognizable. Her brother, Carter, fumes at caring for their demented stepmother, now that an assisted living facility isn’t affordable. Only Florence’s oddball teenage son, Willing, an economics autodidact, will save this formerly august American family from the streets. The Mandibles is about money. Thus it is necessarily about bitterness, rivalry, and selfishness—but also about surreal generosity, sacrifice, and transformative adaptation to changing circumstances.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky with an introduction by Agnes Cardinal, Prince Myshkin returns to Russia from an asylum in Switzerland. As he becomes embroiled in the frantic amatory and financial intrigues which centre around a cast of brilliantly realised characters and which ultimately lead to tragedy, he emerges as a unique combination of the Christian ideal of perfection and Dostoevsky's own views, afflictions and manners. His serene selflessness is contrasted with the worldly qualities of every other character in the novel. Dostoevsky supplies a harsh indictment of the Russian ruling class of his day who have created a world which cannot accomodate the goodness of this idiot.

The Socionomic Theory of Finance is a 13-year-long effort by Robert Prechter. It includes supporting chapters from twelve other scholars, writers, researchers and analysts. In contrast to the dismal science of economics, Prechter's theory is original, exciting and intellectually fulfilling. Every chapter rebuts conventions and offers ground-breaking insights in presenting a cohesive model with real-world application. The book draws a crucial distinction between finance and economics and ties both fields to human social behavior. Top reviewers from multiple disciplines have offered acclaim. Professor Terry Burnham calls it "the best book ever written on financial markets." In time, STF will transform the thinking of every individual in the world of finance. Read it and be among the first. Are you a professor or student? Special pricing available. Contact the publisher for details at institute@socionomics.net or 470-892-2037.

The fate of Russia hangs in the balance as up-timers and down-timers battle for freedom! The United Sovereign States of Russia struggles to set in place the traditions and legal precedents that will let it turn into a constitutional monarchy with freedom and opportunity for all its citizens. At the same time, they’re trying to balance the power of the states and the federal government. And the USSR is fighting a civil war with Muscovite Russia, defending the new state of Kazakh from invasion by the Zunghars, building a tech base and an economy that will allow its money to be accepted in western Europe, establishing a more solid claim to Siberia, and, in general, keeping the wheels of civilization from coming off and dumping Russia back into the Time of Troubles. Or, possibly even worse, reinstalling the sort of repressive oligarchy that they just got rid of.

Come for the games. Stay for the murder. A mystery in the Gordian Division universe. The Weltall Tournament’s professional VR games were supposed to be a symbol of cooperation between SysGov and its militaristic neighbor, the Admin. But that was before star Admin player Elly Sako received a death threat, written in blood next to a copy of her own severed head. The Admin’s Department of Temporal Investigation swiftly seizes control of the crime scene, and the tournament transforms into a flashpoint of charged politics and conflicting jurisdictions. SysPol Detective Isaac Cho and DTI Special Agent Susan Cantrell—partners in the officer exchange program—are sent in to take charge of the investigation and bring the situation under control. But solving this mystery won’t be easy, and the pair struggles to determine who is telling the truth. A jilted relationship between players soon explodes into signs of a far-reaching conspiracy, and the two detectives find themselves racing against time before the tournament ends. Because the killer will be the only one who wins, should they fail. Praise The Janus File: “A satisfying, self-contained mystery for its mismatched protagonists to gradually unravel . . . moments of humor amid the expected culture clashes, and the exploration of the authors’ well-realized far-future world . . . It’s pure entertainment.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for prequel The Gordian Protocol: “Tom Clancy-esque exposition of technical details . . . absurd humor and bloody action. Echoes of Robert Heinlein . . . lots of exploding temporal spaceships and bodies . . . action-packed . . .” —Booklist “[A] fun and thrilling standalone from Weber and Holo. . . . Time travel enthusiasts will enjoy the moral dilemmas, nonstop action, and crisp writing.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for David Weber: “[A] balanced mix of interstellar intrigue, counterespionage, and epic fleet action . . . with all the hard- and software details and tactical proficiency that Weber delivers like no one else; along with a large cast of well-developed, believable characters, giving each clash of fleets emotional weight.” —Booklist “[M]oves . . . as inexorably as the Star Kingdom’s Grand Fleet, commanded by series protagonist Honor Harrington. . . . Weber is the Tom Clancy of science fiction. . . . His fans will relish this latest installment. . . .” —Publishers Weekly “This entry is just as exciting as Weber’s initial offering. . . . The result is a fast-paced and action-packed story that follows [our characters] as they move from reaction to command of the situation. Weber builds Shadow of Freedom to an exciting and unexpected climax.” —The Galveston County Daily News “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel . . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.” —Publishers Weekly “This latest Honor Harrington novel brings the saga to another crucial turning point. . . . Readers may feel confident that they will be Honored many more times and enjoy it every time.” —Booklist “[E]verything you could want in a heroine. . . . Excellent . . . plenty of action.” —Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!” —Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.” —Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection. . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .” —Publishers Weekly Praise for Jacob Holo: “An entertaining sci-fi action novel with light overtones of dystopian and political thrillers.” —Kirkus on The Dragons of Jupiter “Thrilling . . . sci-fi adventure.” —Kirkus on Time Reavers