Deals and Myths for Christmas

In his Dec. 14 nationally syndicated column, famed economist Thomas Sowell shared a list of books that would make good Christmas gifts. Two of them (which also happened to be the top two) were authored by Burton Folsom, the Mackinac Center senior fellow in economic education.

“Among the books I read this year, the one that made the biggest impact on me was New Deal or Raw Deal by Burton Folsom Jr., a professor at Hillsdale College,” Sowell wrote. “It was that rare kind of book, one thoroughly researched by a scholar and yet written in plain language, readily understood by anyone.”

Sowell continued: “The next time someone repeats one of the many myths about FDR, or tries to use the New Deal as a model of how we should try to solve current economic problems, whoever reads this book will have the hard, documented facts with which to shoot down such claims.”

The book has received critical acclaim from the likes of William F. Buckley, Walter Williams and Glenn Beck, to name a few. It’s also garnered Folsom interviews and speaking opportunities throughout the country.

Sowell had similar praise for his second book selection.

“Another book by the same author was published this year — the sixth edition of ‘The Myth of the Robber Barons,’” Sowell wrote. “When I have asked people, ‘Just whom did the robber barons rob?’ I have never gotten an answer. This book shows why.

“Apparently the real sin of the ‘robber barons,’ like that of Wal-Mart today, is that they charged lower prices than their competitors, many of whom went out of business because they were not efficient enough to be able to bring down their prices.”

While Sowell is a brilliant economist and accomplished author, he also has good taste in books. A copy of either of Folsom’s works will provide the lucky recipient with an entertaining and informative read.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.