“Bodanis is clearly one of the good guys, and The Art of Fairness is a cheering, timely, inspirational reminder that we can succeed without losing our souls.”
My latest book
I’ve recently been invited to join economic journalist and broadcaster Tim Harford on his great podcast Cautionary Tales. We talk about some of the chapters from my most recent book The Art of Fairness but, there’s also a sneak peek at one of the chapters from my new book (which I expect to be published in late 2025).
Find out more about The Art of Fairness
Hear what I’ve been saying to Tim on the Cautionary Tales podcasts
“David Bodanis is an enthralling storyteller. Prepare to be taken on a surprising, wide-ranging and ultimately inspiring journey to explore what makes us human.”
About David
To my great surprise I’ve now spent decades as a writer and speaker. It was never planned that way, but I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people tick and how we can do better, especially in envisaging entirely new vistas. One thing just led to another:
Teaching about that at Oxford turned into work with scenarios, then wider corporate consulting and a range of talks, with spinoffs such as this Financial Times series on management and careers. Books about science and the people behind it led on to ‘The Art of Fairness’, looking at how we navigate almost any profession. Here’s a standard, c.v. style account of how all that fits together; below that you’ll find more reflective notes on how it came about in the first place.
Books.
Why do I write? It's that words fade, and lives fade, but what's passed on need not.
Talks.
I’ve done many talks and interviews over the years, most recently with Tim Harford for his Cautionary Tales podcast.
Ideas.
Einstein was once asked where he wrote down his ideas. ‘Ach’ he said, ‘it’s so rare I get a really good idea…’
Life Guides.
A lot of my work is to help guide us in life, be that in individual careers, companies looking ahead with scenarios, or lessons from history.
More Books by David Bodanis
Readings and occasional Updates
I’m now busy editing a new project (which shall be revealed in a few months!). I enjoy this, but it can get tiring trying to weave each day’s writing neatly together.
In the past I’d take a break from that sort of work through noodling away at music, or gossiping with friends, or curling up with semi-random reading. I’ll spare you the music, but will see here if I can put in the occasional notes on my reading and some of the reflections that leads to.
For speaking engagements please
contact my estimable agent.
From my reading table
The most recent book I’ve enjoyed is Beverly Gage’s excellent ‘G-Man’, on the life of J. Edgar Hoover. It’s in the tradition of Robert Caro’s ‘The Power Broker’, which looked at how Robert Moses, the the man who more than anyone created the shape of modern New York (for better and often for worse) began as an earnest reformer then slowly, ineluctably, got caught up in the delights of sheer power, where his worst impulses came out. Hoover wasn’t quite as saintly when young, but emphasised how important it was to respect civil liberties, and was for example strongly against the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II. He changed of course, and Gage does a good job of showing how.
What others say…
“[His] ability to fuse past, present and future around a subject is what makes him such a special speaker.”