Why read Luxury Fever?

Book cover of Luxury Fever: Weighing the Cost of Excess

Book description

The turn of the twenty-first century witnessed a spectacular rise in gross consumption. With the super-rich setting the pace, everyone spent furiously in a desperate attempt to keep up. As cars and houses grew larger and more expensive, the costs were enormous--not only monetarily but also socially. Consumers spent more…

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The rat race

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Why read it?

1 author picked Luxury Fever as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Christopher J. Berry

Author

Frank’s book is the work of well-known and respected economists who has the considerable ability to translate what could be dry technical analyses into engaging and approachable prose. This makes his discussion of luxury stand out so that those with no expertise can not only understand but enjoy this book. I found its commitment and seriousness thought-provoking and it is by far the best book on luxury from an ‘economic’ perspective. He uses the discipline’s tools to argue that though pursuing luxuries is rational from an individual perspective it is irrational from a wider societal perspective. He also puts his…

From Christopher's list on answering the question, what is ‘luxury’?.