Chris Anderson
Print version 288 pages or Audiobook 7 hours
Published by Hyperion, 2009
In Free, Chris Anderson explains why making things cost nothing is influential and has radical implications for the modern world. He argues for the paradox that approached rightly making products and information free can actually be profitable and beneficial. While the book deals with free in various physical and digital forms the main focus of the book is in relation how the internet is especially suited to economic models based on free. I was somewhat sceptical that there was really enough to say on the topic to fill a whole book but I was pleasantly surprised. In the book he approaches the topic from a wide variety of angles including history, psychology, economic theory, sociology, IT, marketing and science. I found the book to be a quite engaging read even in discussions of areas like economics I normally have little interest in. Even if you don’t agree with the overall argument, you will likely learn some interesting facts along the way. As you would expect of a book making this argument, the book is available for free online in various text and audio formats.
