Washoe County Library System

Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it's the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it's the chains of labor. But historian Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress. What's more, he reveals financial history as the essential backstory behind...

"One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results. Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship....

A professor at Georgetown University explains how following one's talent and skills, rather than their passion, should determine a career path and offers scientific proof and case studies that show how following a dream is actually bad advice.

"In the spirit of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and The Joy of Less, experience the benefits of buying less and sharing more with this accessible 7-step guide to decluttering, saving money, and creating community from the creators of the Buy Nothing Project"-- Provided by publisher.

"The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause. Capitalism demands perpetual expansion, which is devastating the living world. There is only one solution that will lead to meaningful and immediate change: degrowth. If we want to have a shot at halting the crisis, we need to restore the balance. We need to change how we see nature and our place in it, shifting from...

"Thomas Sowell “both surprises and overturns received wisdom” in this indispensable examination of widespread economic fallacies (The Economist) Economic Facts and Fallacies exposes some of the most popular fallacies about economic issues-and does so in a lively manner and without requiring any prior knowledge of economics by the reader. These include many beliefs widely disseminated in the media and by politicians, such as mistaken ideas about...

"There’s a lot of noise out there about how to spend (and not spend) your hard-earned money. But what if you made financial decisions based on what you value—instead of what others are telling you to value? This is the empowering approach Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni, hosts of the Frugal Friends podcast, want you to take to improve your spending habits. They believe you can value anything (yes, anything!), whether that’s a daily latte, fancy...

"This illustrated book extends the field guide genre from natural phenomena to human-made structures, making their design and construction approachable and understandable to non-engineers. Readers will learn to identify characteristics of the electrical grid, roadways, railways, bridges, tunnels, waterways, and more"-- Provided by publisher. "Engineering in Plain Sight is a beautifully illustrated field guide with accessible explanations to nearly...