I surveyed some of my previous scholarly works earlier this year, including my probability theory papers, my Coase papers, my Gödel papers as well as my first few scholarly papers, my game theory models, and my turn to legal history. Today, I will survey my book reviews. To the point, I have read a lot of books since I became a law professor, and if one includes my many multi-part write-ups and micro-reviews on this blog (see here, for example) or my sundry informal reviews on Amazon (here), I have probably reviewed several dozens of scholarly books in all. Below, however, are the most notable reviews I have written, in reverse chronological order. (Nota bene: an asterisk indicates an unpublished review.)

1. *Mixed reviews of two new books about Adam Smith, Robin Paul Malloy’s Law and the Invisible Hand: A Theory of Adam Smith’s Jurisprudence and Paul Sagar’s Adam Smith Reconsidered: History, Liberty, and the Foundations of Modern Politics (2024).
2. Mixed review of Ryan Patrick Hanley’s book Our Great Purpose: Adam Smith on Living a Better Life (2023).
3. Positive review of Cheryl Misak’s biography of Frank Ramsey, A Sheer Excess of Powers (2023).
4. *Mixed review of Tyler Cowen’s book Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero (2020).
5. Critical review of Randy J. Kozel’s book Settled Versus Right: A Theory of Precedent (2019).
6. Critical review of Nathan B. Oman’s book The Dignity of Commerce (2017).
7. Positive review of Ullica Segerstråle’s biography of W. D. Hamilton, Nature’s Oracle (2014).
8. Positive review of Jeremy Adelman’s biography of Albert O. Hirschman, Worldly Philosopher (2014).
9. Mixed review of Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom (2012).
10. *Critical review of David Garrow’s law review article “Mental Decrepitude on the U.S. Supreme Court: The Historical Case for a 28th Amendment” (2007).

One last thing (for now): my most recent reviews (see items #1 and #2 above) revolve around the ideas and works of Adam Smith. As I have mentioned previously, the Scottish philosopher-economist has taken up most of my scholarly attention since the summer of 2020, so stay tuned, for I will have much more to say about my rediscovery of Adam Smith soon …