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Surviving the Daily Grind: Bartleby’s Guide to Work. By Philip Coggan. Profile Books; 208 pages; £14.99. To be published in America by Pegasus Books in July; $26.95
Our former Bartleby columnist takes a wry look at the changing world of work, covering everything from automation to presenteeism. He skewers corporate jargon and a range of management fads, and proposes various new laws of his own—such as “80% of the time of 80% of people in a meeting is wasted”, and “jargon abhors a vacuum”.
Backfire. By Agathe Demarais. Columbia University Press; 304 pages; $30 and £25
A look at the ripple effects of American sanctions by the global forecasting director of the Economist Intelligence Unit, who used to work for the French Treasury in Russia and Lebanon. It highlights sanctions’ unexpected side-effects—and their potential to backfire, as in the case of recent American controls on semiconductor exports to China. “Illuminating”, reckoned International Affairs; “balanced, fast-paced and often surprising”, said the Wall Street Journal.
Money in One Lesson. By Gavin Jackson. Pan Macmillan; 400 pages; $24.95 and £18.99
One of our economics and finance correspondents answers the important questions on the nature of money and the ways it shapes the world. The book draws on historical examples to dispel myths and show how societies and their citizens have always been entwined with matters of lucre. “A lucid and at times very funny history of money”, concluded the Financial Times.
Strength In Numbers. By G. Elliott Morris. W.W. Norton; 224 pages; $28.95 and £21.99
One of our data journalists reflects on the history of polls, showing how they not only predict the outcomes of elections but improve democracy. Polling, he argues, is a way for citizens to have influence they otherwise would not. “A short, valuable guide”, said the Guardian. “Political junkies and policy analysts will savour this informative deep dive,” thought Publishers Weekly.
The Economist Explains: Oddly Informative Matters of Fact that Amaze and Delight. Edited by Tom Standage. Profile Books; 256 pages; £9.99
A compendium of the extraordinary quandaries and conundrums, bizarre facts and head-scratchers featured in our popular “The Economist Explains” series of articles. The editor of our future-gazing annual, “The World Ahead”, collects the mind-stretching answers our journalists wrote to questions such as: How do footballers get their shirt numbers? How do you move a horse from one country to another? What counts as a journey into space?
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline "The midnight oil".
注释：
wry: adj
表示“讽刺的 ”，means "humorously sarcastic or mocking “，如：This is a wry comedy about family life. 这是一部关于家庭生活的讽刺喜剧。
presenteeism: n
表示“ 假出席工作”，means "the act of staying at work longer than usual, or going to work when you are ill, to show that you work hard and are important to your employer: “，如：Job insecurity is making presenteeism increasingly common.
skewer: v；n
1. V表示“ 用杆串好 ”，means "drive a skewer through “，如：He skewered his foot on a nail. 他的脚踩在钉子上了。
2. n表示“ 串肉杆；针 ”，means " “，如：Marinated cubes of lamb threaded on a skewer.串制的切块烧羊肉。
abhor: v
表示“ 憎恶；厌恶；”，means " hate (something or somebody) very strongly “，如：They abhor all forms of racial discrimination. 他们憎恶任何形式的种族歧视。
illuminate: adj
表示“ 点亮灯; 打开 ”，means "to light something and make it brighter:“，如：The streets were illuminated with strings of coloured lights.
Lucre: n
表示“钱财(尤指不义之财)；利润 ”，means "informal terms for money “，如：There is a great temptation to leave the farm and grab the lucre.
Savour: v
表示“ 品尝；欣赏”，means " enjoy the taste or flavour (of sth) especially by eating or drinking it slowly “，如：Savour the culinary delights of Mexico. 品尝墨西哥的美味。
Compendium: n
表示“ 概略；手册”，means " a publication containing a variety of works“，如：The book is a compendium of their poetry, religion and philosophy.这本书是他们诗歌、宗教和哲学的概略
Quandary: n
表示“迷惑；为难 ”，means "a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one “，如：He's caught in a little bit of a quandary. 海德处于一个困惑的境地。
Conundrum: n
表示“难题 ”，means " a difficult problem“，如：I'm going to tell you why this conundrum exists. 我打算告诉你们为什么这个谜题存在。
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