Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
3 new from CDN$ 18.47

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Superfreakonomics
 
See larger image
 

Superfreakonomics (Hardcover)

by Steven D. Levitt (Author), Stephen J. Dubner (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 36.99
Price: CDN$ 18.50 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save: CDN$ 18.49 (50%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

3 new from CDN$ 18.47

Frequently Bought Together

Superfreakonomics + What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures + Freakonomics
Total List Price: CDN$ 91.97
Price For All Three: CDN$ 46.00

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

by Malcolm Gladwell
4.5 out of 5 stars (4)  CDN$ 17.50
Freakonomics

Freakonomics

by Steven D. Levitt
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  CDN$ 10.00
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy

The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy

by Malcolm Gladwell
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  CDN$ 23.31
Eating the Dinosaur

Eating the Dinosaur

by Chuck Klosterman
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  CDN$ 18.89
On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not

On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not

by Robert Burton
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  CDN$ 12.37
Explore similar items

Product Details


Product Description

Product Description

New York Times bestselling authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner return with more iconoclastic insight and observations in this long-awaited follow-up to their blockbuster Freakonomics.

In 2005, Freakonomics exploded in the culture, forever changing our understanding of how the world works, how we really make decisions--even how we name our children. This revolutionary book spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 3 million hardcover copies, single-handedly spawned a new genre of books, and led to a column in the New York Times Magazine and a blog on the New York Times website. Now, University of Chicago economist Steven D. Levitt and award-winning writer Stephen J. Dubner return with this all-new book that is bigger, more provocative, and sure to challenge the way we think all over again.

Freakonomics was one of the bestselling books of all time, selling more than three million copies and dominating the New York Times list for two straight years.

SuperFreakonomics is based on all-new, revolutionary research and original studies by Steven Levitt. This provocative material has never been seen before.Freakonomics was a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, a Globe and Mail bestseller, a Book Sense Book of the year, a Quill Award winner for the Best Business Book and a finalist for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the year.



About the Author

STEVEN D. LEVITT is a Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. In January 2004 he was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, given to the economist under 40 who has made the greatest contribution to the discipline by the American Economic Association. He was recently named one of TIME magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World."

STEPHEN J. DUBNE is the author of Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper and Turbulent Souls, and is a former writer and editor at The New York Times Magazine, where he wrote the 2003 cover story about Steven Levitt that launched Freakonomics. He lives in New York City with his family.

STEVEN D. LEVITT is a Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. In January 2004 he was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, given to the economist under 40 who has made the greatest contribution to the discipline by the American Economic Association. He was recently named one of TIME magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World."

STEPHEN J. DUBNER is the author of Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper and Turbulent Souls, and is a former writer and editor at The New York Times Magazine, where he wrote the 2003 cover story about Steven Levitt that launched Freakonomics. He lives in New York City with his family.

Steven D. Levitt is a Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. In January 2004 he was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, given to the economist under 40 who has made the greatest contribution to the discipline by the American Economic Association. He was recently named one of TIME magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World."

Stephen J. Dubne is the author of Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper and Turbulent Souls, and is a former writer and editor at The New York Times Magazine, where he wrote the 2003 cover story about Steven Levitt that launched Freakonomics. He lives in New York City with his family.


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

Superfreakonomics
79% buy the item featured on this page:
Superfreakonomics 3.0 out of 5 stars (8)
CDN$ 18.50
Freakonomics
8% buy
Freakonomics 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
CDN$ 10.00
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures
8% buy
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
CDN$ 17.50
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
3% buy
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference 4.1 out of 5 stars (356)
CDN$ 10.00

 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Read, Oct 27 2009
By Jethro Tull (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
Much like Freakonomics, Superfreakonomics is an entertaining book that covers a wide variety of unrelated topics in a fun way. But in contrast with Freakonomics, it is less reliant on econometric analysis and more on anecdotal evidence. As a result, its conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt.

For example, their finding that it is safer to drive than walk while drunk depends on several assumptions that may not hold. One such assumption is that the level of inebriation is on average the same for both drunk walkers and drunk drivers whereas, as they point out themselves earlier in the section, most people believe it is safer to walk when drunk, indicating that those who walk while drunk are probably more inebriated than those who drive while drunk. But to put things in context, that was just a small example and is only a very minor part of the book.

Sadly, many critics and reviewers are basing their entire opinion of the book on the last chapter concerning global warming. Let me just point out that it is not true that they are claiming that global warming is not a problem. Yes, they do mention some old global cooling theories from the 70's. But put this in the context of this book - a random collection of fun facts - and you can see why such theories were mentioned.
But that misses the main point of the chapter. In fact, the purpose of the chapter is to find a way to cool the globe, but using geoengineering, as opposed to restricting emissions of Carbon Dioxide. They propose an idea sponsored by Intellectual Ventures, a company whose business is to accumulate patents in a wide range of fields. The plan basically entails the injection of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, which would reflect sunlight and possibly cool the Earth. The authors propose this as a much cheaper and possibly effective solution for global warming.
You can see why environmentalists may be annoyed by this book: it gives their political opponents some ammunition in a critical time when they are trying to pass environmental regulation. It is thus critical, for them, to destroy the credibility of the book and its authors. Perhaps this is an understandable position, but the attacks on this chapter of the book are highly unwarranted in any other context given that it is merely proposing new ideas, and there's nothing wrong with that. For all we know, more research could prove that such schemes are effective.

Buy this book if you enjoy reading a collection of fun, often counter-intuitive, random "facts" about controversial issues. I would give it 5 stars for entertainment value, but I only gave it 4 stars out of 5 because the high level of econometric analysis that could be found in Freakonomics is virtually non-existent here, making the sequel sloppy and less rigorous.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first..., Nov 4 2009
By Philip C. Mooney "Moonbeam" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book continues on the theme of the first book. There are no real revelations in it over and above what they had already done, though it is interested to see further examples.

As mentioned in another review, the overwhelming distraction is the discussion on global warming. While they don't actually explicity deny it, doubt is so thoroughly implied that one wonders their motives. The interviews with IV have obviously been biased in the direction of scepticism (I would love to read/see the entire thing). Are they just pandering to the global warming denialists? Are they fence sitting to sell books? It is dubious enough to cast doubt on the other, potentially worthy case descriptions.

There are better books out there: Malcolm Gladwell's followups are of a more consistent quality than this one is.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Microeconomic Speculations Intended to Challenge and Amuse, Nov 7 2009
"But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?'" -- Acts 7:27

One of the earliest lessons of microeconomics has been credited to Pareto, based on his observation that 20 percent of the people have 80 percent of the wealth. Since then, we've learned that many other things are distributed in similarly lopsided fashion. If we focus on where there is little opportunity, we get little done. If we focus instead where there is great opportunity, the results may well be virtually unlimited. SuperFreakonomics, like Freakonomics before it, uses Pareto's perspective in a variety of areas where you probably don't normally think that unusual solutions at low cost might hold. The results can be enlightening and amusing, at the same time.

Here's a brief summary of the book:

Chapter 1: Economic inequality of women as exemplified by salary information with a lot of documentation of price elasticity and inelasticity in sex-worker employment.

Chapter 2: Using unusual patterns to locate terrorist intent on suicidal attacks. A shortened life expectation shifts behavior in ways that can be observed.

Chapter 3: People respond to incentives rather than to altruism. Measurements are challenged by newer measurements that take more factors into account.

Chapter 4: Seemingly possible inexpensive ways to solve difficult problems. Filled with more amusing speculation than substance.

Chapter 5: Curtailing carbon dioxide emissions won't cure global warming. The authors look at speculative ideas for changing the heat-trapping qualities of the atmosphere and oceans.

Epilogue: Monkeys can be trained to act like people with money.

If that mix of material seems a little random, the underlying theme is that microeconomic analysis can bring new insights, even where you wouldn't expect it to. Methinks the authors doth protest a little too much.

I could have done with a lot less information about prostitution. I don't really need to understand price elasticity in that area. This material felt a little like pandering to sell more books.

I enjoyed the terrorist chapter. If the book had been more like that, it would have been a lot more interesting.

The studies of motives seemed better suited to a book on social science research than to a popular book.

In the inexpensive solutions, I thought that the authors were reaching to be entertaining more than they were trying to inform.

In the global warming section, the points about carbon dioxide compared to water vapor and methane are accurate and well presented. But the authors went off the deep end in pursuing alternatives. These suggestions are more in the realm of speculation than proven alternatives.

Will the book harm you? Probably not.

Will the book give you a great big insight that will reward you for reading it? Maybe not.

Will the book give you lots to talk with other people? Sure.

I hope the authors will attempt to be more solution oriented in future books and less driven by a desire to be "entertaining."
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Trading Credibility for Controversy
For those who enjoyed Freakonomics you will not be surprised to learn this book is very similar.

Dubner and Levitt are quick to explain that economics is about... Read more
Published 6 days ago by Drew M.

3.0 out of 5 stars More of the Same
Super Freakeconomics is more of the same material that made up Freakeconomics. This book feels less cohesive than the first on the topic. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Kurt Berger

2.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly up to the same standards as Freakonomics
I was expecting a book as well researched and well-written as Freakonomics. I was very disappointed in this book. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Julia

1.0 out of 5 stars Missleading
I really enjoyed the first Freaconomics, but this sequel has been so widely debunked that I think it's only value is in teaching aspiring shock-jock authors how to mislead their... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Patrick M.

5.0 out of 5 stars Freak your mind, and the rest will follow
SuperFreakonomics is a friendly but wild read that keeps the mind flexing at a steady pace throughout. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms. A. Morrison

Only search this product's reviews



Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject




i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.