Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2024-12-19
Books mentioned on 616. How to Make Something from Nothing
Adam Moss was the best magazine editor of his generation. When he retired, he took up painting.
Stephen Dubner discussed The Work of Art by Adam Moss and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. Adam Moss discussed Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Work of Art
The Work of Art by Adam Moss is an exploration of the creative process, examining how forty-three different artists and writers successfully build something from an initial notion to a finished product.
Discussed“the something new eventually took the form of a book called the work of art how something comes from nothing the book is 43 cases of building something from first notion to finished product with all the kind of torture”
Where to get it
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Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is a historical fiction novel that follows Abraham Lincoln in a Washington cemetery grieving his young son Willie amid a supernatural bardo of ghosts.
Discussed“George Saunders let's talk about how you wrote Lincoln in the BAU and David Mandel how you wrote a joke or Carol Walker”
Where to get it
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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat is a celebrated culinary guide that deconstructs cooking into four foundational elements to help home cooks master the craft without relying strictly on recipes.
Discussed“no chapter the title of the chapter is with beginner's eyes because she makes this observation about Salt Fat acid heat that when she very excitedly at the beginning of her cooking life tells a fellow Chef the fellow chef says”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“In my book, I mean, everybody remembers their childhood as lonely, of course, but it is definitely true that one after another they described childhoods of isolation and of need, and then something came along to fill that need; among other things, they learn to talk to themselves—this is a big theme of my book.”