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Book notes

What this is. A short note on one book: what it is, what holds up, what doesn’t, and whether it’s worth your time. The conclusion comes first, scored, so you can decide in about fifteen seconds.

Two rules I hold myself to. Every book here has been read in full — no summaries, no skimming, no notes built from other people’s reviews. And every note carries a real, named critic, because a shelf of positive reviews is a brochure rather than a library.

The Psychology of Management L. M. Gilbreth · 1914 A 1914 book that states several mechanisms modern management writing only gestures at — and states them better. Including a plain-language version of the measurement trap, decades before anyone named it.
The Theory of the Leisure Class Thorstein Veblen · 1899 Everyone knows this book for one phrase, and the phrase is the least of it. The argument underneath explains why the target always moves, and why spending races never end.
The ONE Thing Gary Keller with Jay Papasan · 2013 Worth reading for the question, not the science. One genuinely useful prompt, wearing research that has since come apart in three separate places.

Elsewhere

The Journal — plain answers about adopting AI → Start here — what this is and why it’s worth your time →