Episode · EconTalk · 2025-07-21
Russ Roberts & James Marriott: books mentioned on EconTalk
James Marriott on Reading
Is long form reading a dying pastime? Journalist and cultural critic James Marriott joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to defend the increasingly quaint act of reading a book in our scrolling-obsessed, AI-summarized age.
James Marriott recommended Sum by David Eagleman, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler, The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst, The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich, The World of Late Antiquity by Peter Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom by Peter Brown, Samuel Pepys by Claire Tomalin, The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig, and What Good Are the Arts? by John Carey, and discussed Seiobo There Below by László Krasznahorkai and A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel. Russ Roberts recommended The Three Languages of Politics by Arnold Kling and CAN YOU FORGIVE HER? by ANTHONY TROLLOPE, and discussed Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, My Brilliant Friend by Chiara Lagani and others, and The Social Contract by Robert Ardrey.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Sum
Recommended“So, the book I give away pretty often now is Sum by David Eagleman. And if you're at home listening and you haven't read Sum, it's short and lovely and thoughtprovoking and quite extraordinary.”
Where to get it
-
Seiobo There Below
Discussed“The book I've given away the most recent in recent years uh is Siobbo there below by Lo Kra Horai the Hungarian novelist.”
Where to get it
-
Gilead
Discussed“Just to take an example, uh I love Gilead by uh Marian Robinson. It's not vacation reading.”
Where to get it
-
The Corrections
Recommended“uh The Corrections by Jonathan Franson is on it. Okay. Nobody's ever regretted taking that book on hold in my experience.”
Where to get it
-
Breathing Lessons
Recommended“Beautiful little novel called Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler. Highly recommend.”
Where to get it
-
The Line of Beauty
Recommended“uh I always put The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst on that list.”
Where to get it
-
My Brilliant Friend
Discussed“um my brilliant friend, right? It's the first one in the trilogy.”
Where to get it
-
A History of Reading
Discussed“And I picked up us a book uh from a shelf called A History of Reading by Alberto Manuel, which is just a lovely book about the history of reading.”
Where to get it
-
The WEIRDest People in the World
Recommended“A book called The Weirdest People in the World by Joseph Henrik, who is an anthropologist and a psychologist, really transformed the way that I think about people”
Where to get it
-
The Social Contract
Discussed“Um I remember reading this a book called The Social Contract by Robert Arrey.”
Where to get it
-
The Three Languages of Politics
Recommended“uh the three languages of politics by Arnold Kling which we've had at least three two or three episodes about it on this program is a book that changed the way I think about politics”
Where to get it
-
The World of Late Antiquity
Recommended“Peter Brown I think the book to start with is a book called The World of Late Antiquity. quite a slim book”
Where to get it
-
The Rise of Western Christendom
Recommended“And uh he's got an even he's got an even longer book which is maybe if you if you love the world of late antiquity called the rise of western christryendom which takes the same period again.”
Where to get it
-
Samuel Pepys
Recommended“The book to read by her in my opinion is her biograph her biography of Samuel Peeps which is just an utterly charming book.”
Where to get it
-
The World of Yesterday
Recommended“Uh I love his memoir uh the world of yesterday. That's a really wonderful book.”
Where to get it
-
What Good Are the Arts?
Recommended“That's from a wonderful book uh that he wrote called What Good Are the Arts, which is”
Where to get it
-
CAN YOU FORGIVE HER?
Recommended“Uh, I just would put in a plug for Can You Forgive Her if you've never read Trollup.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I have a friend who reads To Kill a Mockingbird every year.”
“similarly, I used to give away The Fatal Conceit by FA Hayek a lot. Uh, it'sund I think 113 I think it's 113 pages.”
“sorry I have read uh all three volumes of the goule archipelago by snniten.”