Best Selling Books by John Cassidy

A Financial Times Most Anticipated Book of 2025 A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Book of 2025 A sweeping, dramatic history of capitalism as seen through the eyes of its fiercest critics. Capitalism has long been understood as a driving force behind the biggest political, economic, and social dislocations of our time. But in this sweeping, kaleidoscopic history of the economic system that has shaped our world, the Pulitzer Prize finalist John Cassidy adopts a bold new approach: he examines global capitalism through the eyes of its critics. From the English Luddites, who rebelled against early factory automation, to communists in Germany and Russia in the early twentieth century, Latin American dependistas, the international Wages for Housework campaign of the 1970s, and the modern degrowth movement, this absorbing narrative traverses the globe. It visits with familiar names—Smith, Carlyle, Marx, Luxemburg, Keynes, Polanyi—but also focuses on many lesser-known figures, including William Thompson, the Irish proto-socialist whose work influenced Marx; Flora Tristan, the French proponent of a universal labor union; John Hobson, the original theorist of imperialism; J.C. Kumarappa, the Indian exponent of Gandhian economics; Eric Williams, the Trinidadian author of a famous thesis on slavery and capitalism; and Joan Robinson, the Cambridge economist and critic of the Cold War. Blending rich biography, panoramic history, and lively exploration of economic theories, Capitalism and Its Critics tells an expansive story that illuminates the deep roots of many of the most urgent issues we face today, from widening inequality and the ecological crisis to technological transformation and resurgent authoritarian politics.

How did we get to where we are? John Cassidy shows that the roots of our most recent financial failure lie not with individuals, but with an idea - the idea that markets are inherently rational. He gives us the big picture behind the financial headlines, tracing the rise and fall of free market ideology from Adam Smith to Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan. Full of wit, sense and, above all, a deeper understanding, How Markets Fail argues for the end of ''utopian'' economics, and the beginning of a pragmatic, reality-based way of thinking. A very good history of economic thought Economist How Markets Fail offers a brilliant intellectual framework . . . fine work New York Times An essential, grittily intellectual, yet compelling guide to the financial debacle of 2009 Geordie Greig, Evening Standard A powerful argument . . . Cassidy makes a compelling case that a return to hands-off economics would be a disaster BusinessWeek This book is a well constructed, thoughtful and cogent account of how capitalism evolved to its current form Telegraph Books of the Year recommendation John Cassidy ... describe[s] that mix of insight and madness that brought the world''s system to its knees FT, Book of the Year recommendation Anyone who enjoys a good read can safely embark on this tour with Cassidy as their guide . . . Like his colleague Malcolm Gladwell [at the New Yorker], Cassidy is able to lead us with beguiling lucidity through unfamiliar territory New Statesman John Cassidy has covered economics and finance at The New Yorker magazine since 1995, writing on topics ranging from Alan Greenspan to the Iraqi oil industry and English journalism. He is also now a Contributing Editor at Portfolio where he writes the monthly Economics column. Two of his articles have been nominated for National Magazine Awards: an essay on Karl Marx, which appeared in October, 1997, and an account of the death of the British weapons scientist David Kelly, which was published in December, 2003. He has previously written for Sunday Times in as well as the New York Post, where he edited the Business section and then served as the deputy editor. In 2002, Cassidy published his first book, Dot.Con. He lives in New York.

The history of the dot-com stock rise and fall from an economics reporter and staff writer for The New Yorker . The Internet stock bubble wasn''t just about goggle-eyed day traders trying to get rich on the Nasdaq and goateed twenty-five-year-olds playing wannabe Bill Gates. It was also about an America that believed it had discovered the secret of eternal prosperity: it said something about all of us, and what we thought about ourselves, as the twenty-first century dawned. Business journalist John Cassidy''s Dot.con brings this tumultuous episode to life. Moving from the Cold War Pentagon to Silicon Valley to Wall Street and into the homes of millions of Americans, Cassidy tells the story of the great boom and bust in an authoritative and entertaining narrative. Featuring all the iconic figures of the Internet era—Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos, Steve Case, Alan Greenspan, and many others—and with an afterword on the aftermath of the bust— Dot.con is a panoramic and stirring account of human greed and gullibility. "Required reading for generations of B-school students as yet unborn. . . . A marvelous book." — Wall Street Journal "Deserves to be the boom''s standard account. It is informative, perceptive, and gracefully written." — New Republic "The first good book about one of capitalism''s most embarrassing debacles." —Salon.com

When a little girl gets trapped within a terrible storm, the mouse size creatures of Willow Creek risk paw and tail to rescue her as they are bombarded by ravenous crows, hampered by a battalion of ants, besieged by angry bees, attacked by a gruesome mole, flooded by a raging sprinkler system, and still they have yet to travel a single block. Welcome to Willow Creek, home of the rarest pups on earth; they also happen to be the most self-absorbed, neurotic, ill-mannered, chatterboxes this side of the Mississippi. But happy they are, beloved by their masters, and spoiled rotten. But when Willow comes to town, a young varmint straight out of boot camp, they are immediately put off by her toe-the-line demeanor. As tempers escalade, tragedy strikes: Willow and her young master, Misty, get stranded in Redwood City amidst a dreadful storm. To bring them home again, the pint-size varmints soar off on a dazzling adventure that is chalk full of wonder and danger. But the question remains, can these oddball creatures hold it together long enough to save the day? It is a scary world out there after all, especially when youre the perfect size to be gobbled up.

John Cassidy''s poem ''Walking on Frogs'' could almost be a description of the way his poems work. As the critic Dick Davis has said, they have ''a wary ease'' in which ''placid surfaces mask a buried violence or vitality''. Walking on Frogs is his third book of poems. His second, Night Cries (Bloodaxe Books, 1982), was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.

Crazy Action Contraptions gives young builders everything they need to create ten marvelous machines. Contains simple instructions and 60 assorted LEGO pieces. Consumable. Illustrations.

Learn how to juggle with this amusing how-to book.

Put the brush in your hand. Stick it in the water, then smush it around in one of the colors. Now take a deep breath and plop it down on the page . . . You’re an artist. Yes, really! Young or old, there is an artist in each of us. If yours is hiding (perhaps behind a shred of self-consciousness?), just remember: Art is personal expression. You have your talent. Nobody else has anything like it! If you are ready to discover (or re-discover) your genius, Paint This Book! is here to help. The paints, the brush, and the watercolor paper are all included—plus irresistible encouragement and exercises from authors John Cassidy and Thacher Hurd: Work small: Quick, spontaneous strokes will happen more naturally. Trust your instincts: Watercolor can turn to mush with a lot of revision. You’re better than you think you are! Choose your techniques: You’ll learn about light and shadow (page 43), perspective (page 51), and more. But it’s up to you whether to use these skills often, or never! Either way, there are many artists who do the same. Don’t forget: Sometimes a shimmer of color on the page can look even fruitier than a realbowl of fruit. Between these covers, there are no mistakes. Just add imagination (and water)!

Take soccer and mix it with juggling. This book introduces the 5 basic kicks, along with various games played with a footbag. Includes information on joining the World Footbag Association.

Includes activities in magnetism, light wave craziness, optical illusions, hair dryer science, and bacterial stories.

Discusses the history and mechanics of yo-yos. Illustrates techniques for playing with the yo-yo.