Recommended Books for Sale

These are books I have read and highly recommend! If you make a purchase from this page (via the amazon links) I will get a cut of the transaction (so thanks)! Along those lines, it would be great (for me) if you recommend this site to others interested in these topics. As I read other books that I really like, I will add them here, with appropriate comments (that's my plug to ask you to bookmark this page and come back).

The comments are mine, and not copied from Amazon or elsewhere. I would not list a book here if I was not willing to debate the merits of the book (alex@udel.edu.

These books cover the following topics: internet, design, open source, game theory and globalization.

The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual A must-read to understand the impact of the Web. It is simple, but enlightening. Communications transparency is critical and this book allows you to understand why! Your customers have more access to information, and they are looking for honest, straightforward information, not PR-speak. They are also talking to each other, and learning from each other. How should a business leverage this opportunity, rather than run for cover?

Nonzero : The Logic of Human Destiny This book discusses the evolution of humankind, through trade, and the non-zero sum impact of trade. Very straightforward and logical understanding of how some civilizations evolved more effectively than others. Great reading, especially within the context of globalization and books such as Lexus (see below).

The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization A good introduction to the issues related to global business and regional cultures. Explores the importance of trade and attracting investment in the evolution of an economy.

The Evolution of Cooperation Ever wonder how decisions are made in complex situations (such as political negotiations)? This is a great introduction to the Prisoners Dilemma and Game Theory issues. Explores an ever-increasingly important aspect of business and life today.

Information Rules : A Strategic Guide to Network Economy If you want to understand the fundamentals of the economics behind digitial goods, then this is an excellent and comprehensive read with solid examples. Great for understanding pricing strategies in a digital economy, the value of first mover advantage, the importance of standards and networks etc.

The Innovator's Dilemma Businesses are told that the closer they are to their customer base, the better they will be able to serve their customers, and therefore ensure their own survival. This book investigates a flaw in that logic, especially in business environments where technology can change the product offering over time. When a disruptive technology is introduced into the marketplace, it often spells doom (in the long run) for the market innovator.

High Stakes, No Prisoners : A Winner's Tale of the Greed and Glory of the Internet Wars. If you can get past the author's arrogance, you will get some great insights into the development of a product during the heights of the Internet evolution and the decisions that needed to be made to ensure commercialization of the product. The book does a good job of discussing the evolution of the internet, and the mistakes of Netscape and the problems that Microsoft poses as a competitor.

The Mythical Man-Month, Essays on Software Engineering: Anniversary Edition I am not a programmer, but understanding core issues behind program management is very interesting, and while this book was written a while ago, it is still very relevant. Discusses issues such as the importance of architecture, the scalability of a software project, etc. Offers good management insights.

The Cathedral and the Bazaar : Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolution You can actually get the contents of this book online at Eric Raymond's site (a true open source plug!). These essays, compiled into this one book, are excellent for teaching about the Open Source revolution ... and whether you are directly interested in open source (Linux etc.) or in how this revolution may have wider business impact in the future, this book is an excellent starting point!

Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution A great compliment to the above book, Cathedral and Bazaar. Many viewpoints, covering many relevant topics for the success of open source. These would include commercialization issues, licensing issues etc. If nothing else, these authors, and others in the open source field, are super smart!

Bionomics : Economy as Ecosystem Discusses the relevance of the field of biology to the area of business (as opposed to physics I suppose). Offers some very interesting insights and a nice discussion on ecosystems (bumblebees, etc!) and symbiotic relationships.

The Social Life of Information A good discussion on the social impact of information. How media can serve as a community platform ... this runs counter to the idea that each person wants to design their own set of information, based on their individual needs. We seek common ideas and discussion points ?

Weaving the Web: The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web Tim Berners Lee designed the web (or at least had a significant impact in its ultimate design). Understanding his motivations and rationale is interesting in terms of understanding the original goals of the web. His current role at the World Wide Web Consortium reinforce his commitment to developing open standards.

Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolution While this book is pretty light, given Linus' contribution to the open source community, we should get to know Linus better. Not bad for doing that, a nice light read.

Designing Web Usability : The Practice of Simplicity Ever get confused when accessing a web site, well the site's designers will not likely have read this book. It is a very thorough, and down-to-earth view of effective web design. KISS! Effective design is all about communicating information, and this allows us to understand how it can be done on the web. A minimalist approach perhaps, but effective.

The Invisible Computer If web design is not bad enough, what about technology design. This discusses our obsession with feature evolution at the cost of usability, very interesting ideas.