I’ve never seen a 55 page long book review. Ed Leamer:

When the Journal of Economic Literature asked me to write a review of The World Is Flat, by Thomas Friedman, I responded with enthusiasm, knowing it wouldn’t take much effort on my part. As soon as I received a copy of the book, I shipped it overnight by UPS to India to have the work done. I was promised a one-day turn-around for a fee of $100. Here is what I received by e-mail the next day: “This book is truly marvelous. It is perhaps the greatest book ever written. It will surely change the course of human history.” That struck me as possibly accurate but a bit too short and too generic to make the JEL happy, and I decided, with great disappointment, to do the work myself.

I’ve also never seen a smiley face in the JEL, but there it is on page seven. I’m still working my way through the section on economic geography, but Leamer also covers trade theory and recent economic history.

[Hat tips]