"Bodanis is a superb storyteller ... [he] is clearly one of the good guys and this book is a cheering, timely, inspirational reminder, as we witness a new dawn in the American presidency, that they - we - can succeed, without losing our souls." ―Sunday Times
"This is a delightful book about a vitally important subject...Prepare to be taken on a surprising, wide-ranging and ultimately inspiring journey to explore what makes us human - and how decency and kindness can prevail even in dark times. You won't be able to forget this book; and you won't want to." ―Tim Harford
"[Fairness] is one of those senses which drives our feelings much more than our thoughts ... I cannot think of a topic more in need of the kind of intelligent study which David Bodanis unfailingly provides." ―Rory Sutherland
Can you succeed without being a terrible person? We often think not: recognising that, as the old saying has it, 'nice guys finish last'. But does that mean you have to go to the other extreme, and be a bully or Machiavellian to get anything done?
In The Art of Fairness, David Bodanis uses thrilling historical case studies to show there's a better path, leading neatly in between. He reveals how it was fairness, applied with skill, that led the Empire State Building to be constructed in barely a year - and how the same techniques brought a quiet English debutante to become an acclaimed jungle guerrilla fighter. In ten vivid profiles - featuring pilots, presidents, and even the producer of Game of Thrones - we see that the path to greatness doesn't require crushing displays of power or tyrannical ego. Simple fair decency can prevail.
With surprising insights from across history - including the downfall of the very man who popularised the phrase 'nice guys finish last' - The Art of Fairness charts a refreshing and sustainable new approach to cultivating integrity and influence.