Articles

EconLog

EconTalk

Books

Encyclopedia

Guides

PERMANENT LINK | JANUARY 13, 2008

Another Very Fair Review of My Book

Bryan Caplan

PRINT EMAIL

Posner vs. Becker...

Singapore: The Deal-Breaker...

Home
| EconLog
| Archives
| Permanent Link and Comments

Scoff if you must, but I take great joy from most of the negative reviews of my book, especially the ones that analyze my psychology. They are often eerily perceptive. Here's a highlight from the latest one on Amazon:

What this man REALLY NEEDS is a balcony somewhere, where he can HARANGUE a crowd of HIS FOLLOWERS (fellow Libertarians). OR, since mere English is OBVIOUSLY an INADEQUATE medium for the POWER of his IDEAS, perhaps he would do BETTER to devote his MARVELOUS TALENT to writing GRAND operas in the style of RICHARD WAGNER. More people would PAY attention to HIM that way.

True confession: Wagner is my favorite composer, and if I had a small fraction of his talent, I probably would write grand operas, just for fun. Given my endowment, though, I have to make do by writing graphic novels about grand operas.

Comments and Sharing

CATEGORIES: Books: Reviews and Suggested Readings
Follow Bryan Caplan on Twitter

COMMENTS (9 to date)

Latest Comment

TGGP writes:

Aren't you going to defend your use (or abuse) of italics?

Posted January 14, 2008 1:55 AM

anon writes:

Bryan, the graphic novel is coming along very well. When do you expect it to be completed?

Posted January 14, 2008 4:04 AM

dearieme writes:

Perhaps an economist can explain why no-one has ever made a handy sum by writing better stories and lyrics to combine with the wonderful operatic music that is so often accompanied by verbal bilge?

Posted January 14, 2008 7:06 AM

Les writes:

Bryan:

Your reviewer is indulging in ad hominem comments. Ad hominem comments are the last refuge of scoundrels, who - lacking the wit to argue substance - stoop to hurl personal abuse from the sewers.

This is a free country, and so everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, and - if so inclined - to make fools of themselves.

Posted January 14, 2008 8:38 AM

Brent Buckner writes:

Brings to mind:
UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this
IMPORTANT Information is ENCOURAGED, ESPECIALLY to COMPUTER
BULLETIN BOARDS.

Posted January 14, 2008 9:50 AM

Bryan Caplan writes:

anon writes:
Bryan, the graphic novel is coming along very well. When do you expect it to be completed?

The book is basically done as far as I'm concerned. I'm still waiting for the right artist to come along, though I may be waiting for a long time!

Posted January 14, 2008 1:36 PM

Bryan Caplan writes:

TGGP writes:
Aren't you going to defend your use (or abuse) of italics?

This guy is quite right to think I'm a heavy user. Guilty as charged. However, he's also the first person who complained about them.

P.S. I probably picked up the habit from Murray Rothbard, perhaps via a writing seminar I took in 1989 from Sheldon Richman.

Posted January 14, 2008 1:38 PM

Dezakin writes:

Ad hominem comments are the last refuge of scoundrels
No one's immune from irony I suppose.

Posted January 14, 2008 4:13 PM

Paul Zrimsek writes:

I know an excellent operatic director who knows a number of excellent composers. Let me know when the libretto for The Myth of the Rational Wotan is ready.

Posted January 14, 2008 6:18 PM

Comments for this entry have been closed

Read comments

Return to top