ISBN: 9781491920497
Publisher: O’Reilly – Safari Books
Published: February 2015
O’Reilly has been publishing technical books for decades and has established a reputation for accuracy, timeliness and depth that is unparalleled in the market. BLueprint for a New Economy lives up to this reputation and covers the philosophical, economic and technical implications of the technology in great depth.
The one limitation of the book is its age: At three years old in a fast moving are like this it is seriously in need of an update. While the underlying technology and its implications have not changed, it is frustrating to read facts and figures that an educated layperson knows are wrong peppered throughout the text. While this remains a valuable reference, I am not recommending it as an introductory text for that reason.
If you are comfortable with your knowledge of the overall area and want to go deeper into the implications at an academic, philosophical or policy level this remains relevant and useful. Do not turn to it, however, for a current snapshot of the industry.
At $US4.82 and $US9.54 for the ebook and paperback respectively, O’Reilly appears to be currently discounting this in preparation for a new edition. When that happens I have no hesitation recommending this as the authoritative text providing a complete overview on a range of levels.