3 Good Books on Japan, Economics, Open Source

just got back last week from Japan for a visit with my wife's family... while i was there i took some time to read a few books.  all three were terrific:

• Dogs & Demons / Alex Kerr
• Undercover Economist / Tim Harford
• The Cathedral & The Bazaar / Eric Raymond

Dogs & Demons is a rather tough assessment of Japan, focusing on how bureaucratic national politics & the Japanese construction industry have created significant obstacles for the nation to overcome.  It's a shocking criticism of how the Japanese built their key political, industrial, and cultural institutions after WWII ended (and to some extent, starting before that after the Tokugawa Shogunate / Edo Era ended).  While i don't necessarily agree with all conclusions drawn by the author, the discourse is certainly an eye opener.

The Undercover Economist is a fun read, and provides an excellent way to think about the science, rather than the art, of Economics.  If you enjoyed Freakonomics, you'll similarly enjoy this book.

The Cathedral & the Bazaar was originally authored in the late 90's (updated more recently in early 2000/2001) and chronicles the birth of the open source movement.  Although i considered myself somewhat familiar with open source concepts & products, this book gave me an entirely new perspective on the subject.  Great companion piece to Paul Graham's Hackers & Painters.