Recommended reading

Hernando de Soto. 2001. The Mystery of Capital. Black Swan. London

A remarkable piece of work which asks the simple question as to why capitalism lasts so well in the West but fails everywhere else. The reply may not convince everyone, but it is brilliantly argued and clearly spelled out.

John B Morrall. 1980. Political Thought in Medieval Times (Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching). University of Toronto Press. Toronto.

It may seem a little strange to retreat into medieval thought at the dawn of a new millennium, but the battles over hegemony in the medieval church and the birth of the theory of the state are worth revisiting at this time.

Paul Halpern. 2000. The Pursuit of Destiny: A History of Prediction. Perseus Books. London.

The only thing that you can predict about predictions is that they will be wrong. This is a fascinating survey of all the efforts at prediction, from the the oracle to the modern world: a chastening experience for anyone involved in the field.

Thomas Cleary. 2001. Classics of Strategy and Counsel (Three Volumes) Shambhala Publications. New York.

Thomas Cleary has spent a lifetime translating and explaining the many texts of strategy and counsel from China and Japan. Here in three volumes he has collated the bulk of his work. The standards, like the Art of War, are here. But also some of the more obscure Japanese works like the Book of Five Rings are also set out.

Gunter Wallraff. 1988. Lowest of the Low. Mandarin. London.

This classic little book is currently quite hard to find. Wallraff disguised himself as a Turkish guest worker and gang master to expose the exploitation of Turks in Germany. This deserves to be reprinted and re-read closely in these hysterical and xenophobic times.