FC Recommends

Big Idea: "The Capitalist Philosophers: The Geniuses of Modern Business -- Their Lives, Times, and Ideas," by Andrea Gabor (Times Business, $25.95). A gifted writer offers some context for the new economy, with intellectual profiles of Chester Barnard, Peter Drucker, Frederick Winslow Taylor, and other business thinkers.

Best Practice: "Sex & Business," by Shere Hite (Financial Times Prentice Hall, $22.50). What could be more fascinating than a business book about IPO madness and Internet millionaires? A business book about sex! The infamous Shere Hite describes (ahem) best practices among men and women in corporate life.

Sleeper: "The Working Life: The Promise and Betrayal of Modern Work," by Joanne B. Ciulla (Times Business, $25). An academic (but still engaging) look at the allure and changing significance of work in an era when, more than ever, you are what you do.

Keeper: "Confessions of a Venture Capitalist: Inside the High-Stakes World of Start-Up Financing," by Ruthann Quindlen (Warner Books, $25.95). We know what you're thinking: Not another Silicon Valley tome! Well, Quindlen is an unusual breed of VC. She's a real player, and she can write. Read it on your next flight aboard the Nerd Bird.

Cheat Sheet

Are you too busy jetting around the world to think about globalization? John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge have five myths that are worth reckoning with.

Myth #1: Size trumps all. It doesn't. National champions find it easier to spread globally, but they often encounter other giants when they do. In addition, technology and deregulation of capital markets have made it easier for small companies to upset bigger rivals.

Myth #2: Universal products triumph. "Most people have begun to realize that in marketing, just as in navigation, treating the world as if it is flat can have drawbacks." In fact, only a handful of global brands sell everywhere to everyone -- and even those brands are sold in different ways in different places.

Myth #3: Economics need to be rewritten. Yes, computers and globalization are having an impact on productivity -- allowing for fast growth with low inflation. But ultimately, cheap commodities, a strong dollar, and weak labor have more likely caused the long boom of the 1990s.

Myth #4: Globalization is a zero-sum game. Yes, there are losers. But overall, globalization creates jobs because it's more efficient. Adam Smith's division of labor still applies: Productivity improves when people specialize in what they do best.

Myth #5: Geography is disappearing. Geography still matters, because in a global economy, business clusters are important. Relationships also matter, as do shipping times.