April Quote of the Month: "Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing"

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." 

- Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray


Last week, America was given an extra day to file taxes (see IRS site down for millions of people trying to file last minute), so what better time to remember the wise orders of Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray than with our Qoute of the Month for April?

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Short Stories is a compilation of short stories by Oscar Wilde, along with his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was originally published in 1888 under the title Stories: Oscar Wilde.

Some of the short stories within include: "The Sphinx Without a Secret," "The Model Millionaire," and stories from the previously-published collections "A House of Pomegranates" and "The Happy Prince and Other Tales." This book is sure to interest Oscar Wilde fans and fans of Victorian literature.

About the Author
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was a celebrated Irish-born playwright, short story writer, poet, and personality in Victorian London. He is best known for his involvement in the aesthetic movement and his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as his many plays, such as Lady Windermere's Fan, The Importance of Being Ernest, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and Salomé.

April Classic of the Month: One-Way Pockets by Don Guyon

"The circulation of a mere rumor that the Morgan interests are accumulating Steel or that the Standard Oil crowd is getting out of St. Paul is sure at any time to create a market following. Most of the tips that are hawked about the Street are based on the supposition that somebody-or-other of consequence is buying or selling certain stocks. I do not know of a single case where anyone has been able to make money consistently by following information of this character, even when the information comes to him first hand.

--from A Speculative Decision

In honor of tax refunds coming our way, we are highlighting One-Way Pockets: The Book of Books on Wall Street Speculation by Don Guyon as our April Classic of the Month.

In 1917, an insider at a Wall Street brokerage firm took a close look at his company's most active traders and analyzed their trades to glean the secrets of their success... and what he found is still applicable today.

Writing pseudonymously, he here offers a wide range of sage advice about: 

- buying on the way down

- determining trends

- how a bull market starts 

- the correct use of stop orders

- when and what to sell short 

- and much more

Happy Tax Day!

Wether you are paying the government some overdue taxes or are anxiously awaiting your refund, we at Cosimo are celebrating Tax Day with some awesome classics about that little bit of green that is so important to us. Read these books and learn more on how to manage your money.

On the Origin of Money by Carl Menger

On the Origins of Money is a discussion of the history of money and currency, from its crudest form as cowrie shells, animal pelts, and salt in early societies to the coin and paper money we use today. Rather than focusing on the type or shape of the money, author and economist Carl Menger looks at the reasons behind monetary exchange and why money is so valuable (or where it gets its inherent value). His argument centers on the "saleableness" of the goods or commodities being sold-in other words, the more "saleable" (or valuable or in demand) an item is, the more money it is worth. Hence, money gets its value from the objects it pays for. This short work is an insightful look into the history and value of money for any student or professional economist.

The Purchasing Power of Money by Irving Fisher

Perhaps America's first celebrated economist, Irving Fisher — for whom the Fisher equation, the Fisher hypothesis, and the Fisher separation theorem are named — staked an early claim to fame with his revival, in this 1912 book, of the "quantity theory of money." An important work of 20th-century economics, this work explores: the circulation of money against goods, the various circulating media, the mystery of circulating credit, how a rise in prices generates a further rise, influence of foreign trade on the quantity of money, the problem of monetary reform, and much more.

The ABC of Money by Benjamin Franklin

From the days of farmer's bartering for bushels of corn to establishing the concept of credit, this practical guide gets at the root of the subject of money: why it exists and, more importantly, what money really is. The ABC of Money is an undiscovered gem offering a wealth of knowledge and Carnegie's shrewd philosophies on the subject — a fascinating look at the history of "debased coin" and "greenbacks," and the value of currency from one of the great American industrialists.

Making Money Happily by Herbert N. Casson

Do your job a little better than expected. Learn all you can from those above you. Waste no time on little things. Back yourself to win. The business advice in this handy little book, first published in 1926, are the bricks that build solid foundations for success, but they're ones that far too many who strive for success forget along the way. Casson, a business journalist, knows wherefrom he speaks: he met and interviewed many of the biggest successes of the early 20th century, and the knowledge and wisdom he gleaned from those meetings is still pertinent today. 

For more books on money, history of currency, wealth, and government reports, be sure to check out our economics page on cosimobooks.com