It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Everlasting Light Bulbs is based on a collection of John’s columns for the Financial Times, written between 1996 and 2004. The period was characterised by the dawn of the new economy, fears of ‘irrational exuberance’, attacks on the legitimacy of capitalism and the greatest speculative bubble in world history that swept the ballgoers off the floor. However, at the time when this collection was put together, a new lot of hopefuls had emerged at the edges of the ballroom, waiting to launch once more to the ballroom floor.
In this book, John shares some of the insights and lessons of his articles during this remarkably turbulent time, and gives thought to how economics illuminates the world – from BT’s dress code to the deadweight loss of Christmas.
