Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2026-03-04
Tyler Cowen & Henry Oliver: books mentioned on Conversations with Tyler
Henry Oliver on Measure for Measure, Late Bloomers, and the Smartest Writers in English
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Tyler Cowen discussed Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare, Paradise Lost by John Milton, Faerie queene by Edmund Spenser, Swan Song (Forsyte Chronicles) by John Galsworthy, Bleak House by Charles Dickens, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling, The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham and others, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and Second Act by Henry Oliver. Henry Oliver recommended Democracy by Henry Adams, and discussed The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare is a complex dramatic play exploring themes of justice, morality, and human flaw.
Discussed“COWEN: Now, the premise of this episode is, we’re going to discuss Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. That’s not the only thing we’ll do, but that is what we will start with.”
Where to get it
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The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a famous comedic and dramatic play by William Shakespeare that explores complex themes of justice, mercy, and religious prejudice in Renaissance-era Europe.
Discussed“OLIVER: I think, basically, it picks up where The Merchant of Venice leaves off. It takes the problem of mercy.”
Where to get it
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The Rape of Lucrece
Discussed“COWEN: I thought immediately of “The Rape of Lucrece,” which is, I think, from 1594. In that story, there’s an actual rape of Lucrece by Tarquin, and she kills herself.”
Where to get it
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The Taming of the Shrew
William Shakespeare's celebrated comedy examines courtship, gender dynamics, and social hierarchy through the turbulent relationship between Petruchio and Katharina.
Discussed“OLIVER: You can contrast it with the end of Taming of the Shrew, where it’s argued, when she submits, is that a happy thing?”
Where to get it
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All's Well That Ends Well
Discussed“COWEN: You can cite All’s Well That Ends Well, for your point of view also, where there’s a coupling based on a trick and deceit and body substitution.”
Where to get it
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
Discussed“OLIVER: Measure for Measure is not like Midsummer Night’s Dream. Midsummer Night’s Dream is a perfectly Girardian play...”
Where to get it
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Troilus and Criseyde
Discussed“OLIVER: Then in Troilus and Criseyde, he has a very good reading of that, which is contemporaneous with this play.”
Where to get it
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Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift is a classic satirical novel that follows Lemuel Gulliver on extraordinary voyages to strange and fantastical lands.
Discussed“OLIVER: He loves Gulliver’s Travels. He loves Samuel Richardson.”
Where to get it
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Paradise Lost
John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost explores the fall of man, temptation, and the battle between good and evil.
Discussed“COWEN: John Milton’s Paradise Lost—overrated or underrated?”
Where to get it
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Faerie queene
The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser is an epic, allegorical English poem celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Queen Elizabeth I while exploring moral virtues through the adventures of various knights.
Discussed“COWEN: Spenser’s Faerie Queene.”
Where to get it
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Swan Song (Forsyte Chronicles)
Swan Song is the final volume of John Galsworthy's epic Forsyte Chronicles, tracing the twilight of a wealthy Victorian family as modern social structures and values begin to shift around them.
Discussed“COWEN: Galsworthy, Forsyte Chronicles, the book.”
Where to get it
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Bleak House
Bleak House by Charles Dickens is a sprawling and intricate Victorian novel that famously critiques the British judicial system through the interminable chancery lawsuit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce.
Discussed“COWEN: Dickens’s Bleak House.”
Where to get it
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The Hobbit
The Hobbit by J.R.R.
Discussed“OLIVER: Lord of the Rings plus The Hobbit, right?”
Where to get it
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K.
Discussed“COWEN: Harry Potter.”
Where to get it
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Democracy
Democracy by Henry Adams is a novel exploring the political corruption and social maneuvering of Washington, D.C.
Recommended“OLIVER: I just read Democracy by Henry Adams, that I actually thought was really good.”
Where to get it
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The Day of the Triffids
Discussed“COWEN: Day of the Triffids is from your people, and that’s quite good.”
Where to get it
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Second Act
Second Act by Henry Oliver is a nonfiction book that examines the lives and trajectories of late bloomers who achieve success later in life.
Discussed“COWEN: Your book on late bloomers—it’s called Second Act.”
Where to get it
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Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a sweeping philosophical novel that champions objectivism, laissez-faire capitalism, and individual achievement while depicting a dystopian society collapsing under the weight of excessive government controls.
Discussed“OLIVER: [...] but if we accept that Atlas Shrugged is singular, then yes, she’s a late bloomer.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“He is author of a wonderful book, called Second Act, about late bloomers, which has been very popular.”