recommend a book/resource for learning about.....

[turnipmonster]

often times there is a topic that I have an interest in, and I want to get a broad overview of it before deciding if I'm really interested in exploring it further.

I'd like to have a thread where people can post a topic they are interested in learning more about, and someone who has some knoweledge of that topic can recommend 1 or 2 quality resources for learning.

the idea here is to keep the recommendations very simple, and not to have responses containing long lists where 10 different books get recommended and the original poster has no idea what to read first. in the interest of brevity, let's try and keep discussion focused on the resources recommended, rather than the topics themselves.

to kick off the thread, if anyone is curious about indian cooking, two resources I really like are:

1) the wikipedia entry on indian cuisine is a really great overview of the different styles of cooking, which vary a lot by region. I've read a lot of wikipedia articles and this series stands out to me.

2)classic indian cooking, by julie sahni is the best overview I've read of indian cooking. there are plenty of recipes, but the entire first section of the book is dedicated to a discussion of the ingredients and techniques used in indian cooking, and their function in a dish. by learning how different spices interact, you can understand the spice's function in a dish and often make a substitution in case you're running low on mango powder.

some topics I'd love to hear recommendations for are

1) economics
2) chess
3) the great depression

ok, either recommend or post something you'd like to learn about!

[UncleSalty]

I'd like to learn more about basic political theory, particularly in the US but World politics interests me too.

Are there any basic primers or websites that discuss foundational issues such as the left/right spectrum, conservative vs. liberal, the origin of our existing political parties and their original platforms vs. today, etc...? (Ideally something non-biased if that's even possible.)

Basically when I try to have an intelligent discussion about politics I feel extremely undereducated and I'd like to know a little more what I'm talking about.

[WillMagic]

On economics, everyone should read Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson. It's cheap, it's a fast read, and it will give you a very sharp understanding of economic thought and how to use it in policy analysis.

[LooseCaller]

these arent exactly about economics but two books that are both very interesting and engaging reads which deal with risk, luck and finance are:
1)fortune's formula
2)fooled by randomness

[Borodog]

[ QUOTE ]
On economics, everyone should read Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson. It's cheap, it's a fast read, and it will give you a very sharp understanding of economic thought and how to use it in policy analysis.

[/ QUOTE ]

Since I can't simply QFT this in this forum, I will add emphasis by saying that this book, while slightly dated in some places, should be a must read for everybody.

[ QUOTE ]
Economics is haunted by more fallacies than any other study known to man. This is no accident. The inherent difficulties of the subject would be great enough in any case, but they are multiplied a thousandfold by a factor that is insignificant in, say, physics, mathematics or medicine-the special pleading of selfish interests. While every group has certain economic interests identical with those of all groups, every group has also, as we shall see, interests antagonistic to those of all other groups. While certain public policies would in the long run benefit everybody, other policies would benefit one group only at the expense of all other groups. The group that would benefit by such policies, having such a direct interest in them, will argue for them plausibly and persistently. It will hire the best buyable minds to devote their whole time to presenting its case. And it will finally either convince the general public that its case is sound, or so befuddle it that clear thinking on the subject becomes next to impossible.
<font color="white"> . </font>
In addition to these endless pleadings of self-interest, there is a second main factor that spawns new economic fallacies every day. This is the persistent tendency of men to see only the immediate effects of a given policy, or its effects only on a special group, and to neglect to inquire what the long-run effects of that policy will be not only on that special group but on all groups. It is the fallacy of overlooking secondary consequences.
<font color="white"> . </font>
In this lies the whole difference between good economics and bad. -- Henry Hazlitt, Economics in One Lessson, p. 1.

[/ QUOTE ]

[econophile]

i think some of these topics are too broad to really be covered by one book in more than a cursory fashion.

take chess for instance. one book can teach you the rules and basic strategy; another book can teach you about great chessmasters; another book can teach you about openings; but there is no complete chess book. to recommend a chess book, we would need to know what you want to learn about chess.

i think economics is similarly broad. hazlitt's book is certainly useful, but it is also 50 years old and therefor doesn't cover recent advances such as the economics of information. the point of the book - understanding why markets work - is very fundamental, but i think it is equally important to learn how and why markets can fail (this is a more recent theme of economics). still, i have trouble thinking of a good book. something like "lives of the laureates" should explain the most important economic ideas of the last five decades, but i've never read it so i can't vouch for it.

[turnipmonster]

this is a good point, I was going to add a caveat I forgot about. most topics are going to be too broad to be addressed by a single book, in this case just recommend a great book for beginners.

[51cards]

Economics in one lesson

It is good. Should be required high school reading or something.

[The Yugoslavian]

chess - depends on the level you're at....pachman's book (modern chess theory or something?) is amazing but v dry...dvortesky's books are ridic good esp. his endgame manual dealio. Silman's stuff is easier to read but he essentially just is compiling stuff from my nimzovich and pachman and then adding a bit of humor and less good analysis.

Yugoslav

[JaBlue]

[ QUOTE ]
chess - depends on the level you're at....pachman's book (modern chess theory or something?) is amazing but v dry...dvortesky's books are ridic good esp. his endgame manual dealio. Silman's stuff is easier to read but he essentially just is compiling stuff from my nimzovich and pachman and then adding a bit of humor and less good analysis.

Yugoslav

[/ QUOTE ]

if you're only going to ever get one chess book it should probably be Nimzowich's My System.

Other than that I highly recommend manual of combinations v 1, 2, 3 - covers all [yes ALL] skill levels, gets progressively harder

While Dvoretsky is great, its really only suitable for higher level players- probably expert and beyond. Endgame manual is an exception but that also has some really tough stuff in it.

Best thing to do in chess would be to get a coach and analyze your own games.