Episode 28: Ben Bernanke

This book is a fully revised and updated edition of Bill James's original 'Historical Baseball Abstract,' published in 1985. It provides a century's worth of American baseball history, told one decade at a time, with detailed facts and figures about how, where, and by whom the game was played. The book includes listings of the top 100 players at each position, using James's 'Win Shares' method to quantify individual performance. It also features a reference section with Win Shares for each season and player, as well as team comparisons. This work is essential for both baseball fans and historians.

The Courage to Act recounts and explains the worst financial crisis and economic slump in America since the Great Depression. The book provides an insider’s account of the policy response, detailing the decision-making process in Washington and the roles of major players like Hank Paulson and Tim Geithner. Bernanke discusses how the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department worked together to stabilize the financial system, prevent an economic collapse, and implement unorthodox programs to revive the U.S. economy. The book is rich in detail and offers a clear, informed, and dispassionate account of the crisis and its resolution.

This book, written by Milton Friedman and Anna J. Schwartz, is a landmark work in economic history. It argues that changes in the money supply profoundly influenced the U.S. economy, particularly during significant economic events such as the Great Depression. The authors criticize the Federal Reserve for its handling of monetary policy, especially during the Great Depression, and emphasize the importance of steady control of the money supply in managing economic fluctuations. The book also discusses the role of the gold standard, the impact of bank failures, and the decision-making processes within the Federal Reserve.