Freakonomics

Freakonomics (2005) is a groundbreaking collaboration between the economist Steven D. Levitt and the author Stephen J. Dubner. It explores the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and more. It became a worldwide sensation and won several awards.

Levitt and Dubner followed up with SuperFreakonomics (2009), which carried on the spirit and success of the first book. They also published an illustrated edition of SuperFreakonomics (2010), containing more than 200 photos and illustrations. They may or may not be working on a third book.

THE BOOKS

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime? Published in 2005, Freakonomics became an instant worldwide cultural phenomenon, and spent more than two years in hardcover on the N.Y. Times best-seller list. It has sold more than 4 million copies and has been translated into 35 languages.

SuperFreakonomics

Four years in the making, SuperFreakonomics asks not only the tough questions but the unexpected ones: What's more dangerous, driving drunk or walking drunk? Why is chemotherapy prescribed so often if it's so ineffective? Can a sex change boost your salary? And what's the smartest way to think about global warming? Published in 2009, SuperFreakonomics was an instant world-wide best-seller, debuting at No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list.

SuperFreakonomics Illustrated

The illustrated version of SuperFreakonomics, created in collaboration with the design firm Number 17, is an oversized edition that takes the original book and explodes it with hundreds of photos, illustrations, charts, and other tantalizing extras.