Shelf Life

If people disappeared from the planet tomorrow, nature would work fast to dismantle most anything man-made. Kai Ryssdal ponders a humanless world with Alan Weisman, author of "The World Without Us."

Before crude oil, there was whale oil. Kai Ryssdal sits down with Eric Jay Dolin, who talks about the American whaling industry in his new book.

Once upon a time, publishers would go the extra mile to help their first-time writers. But no longer. Sally Herships reports that the book party, which used to be a staple of the publishing industry, has largely vanished.

Some Harry Potter fans have been trying to find advance copies of the latest book on the black market. Which got The Marketplace Players thinking about how the series is addictive -- really addictive.

A Google employee learned an important lesson after she posted comments on a company blog that were critical of Michael Moore's new film "Sicko." Bob Moon talked about blog do's and don'ts with Debbie Weil, author of "The Corporate Blogging Book."

Most moms and dads these days are over-tired, over-stressed and over-worried that they're not doing the right thing when it comes to raising their kids, says author Susan Gregory Thomas. And, she says, that makes them easy targets for marketers.

Samuel Langhorn Clemens, otherwise known as famed author Mark Twain, was also a tireless businessman. He made and lost a pile of money inventing and investing. In a new book, Peter Krass says it's clear where Twain's heart really was.

Some of life's little mysteries have simple economic explanations behind them. Econ professor Robert Frank shares a few, and the philosophy behind his book and the assignment that gets everyone thinking about everyday life in cost-benefit terms.

A new magazine debuted today devoted to the $7 billion business of getting organized. When Scott Jagow heard about this, only one person came to mind: His mom.

When economic bubbles burst, a ripple of devastating effects inevitably follows. Investors can lose everything, tens of thousands of workers may lose their jobs. But there's usually an upside says author Daniel Gross, even in the deflating housing market.