Profiles in Folly: History's Worst Decisions and Why They Went Wrong - Tapa blanda

Using the same engrossing anecdotal format that proved so popular in "Profiles in Audacity", bestselling author Alan Axelrod turns to the dark side of audacious decision-making and explores history's most tragic errors. While Axelrod looks at the hopelessly dumb and the overtly evil, the main focus is on smart people who had the best of intentions, but whose plans went disastrously wrong. The 35 compelling, often poignant stories include the sailing of the Titanic; Edward Bernays' 1929 campaign to recruit women smokers; Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of the Nazis; Ken Lay's deception with Enron and even the choice to create a 'New Coke'. These are cautionary tales, albeit with exquisite twists ranging from acerbic to horrific. It is new in paperback.

Alan Axelrod is the author of more than 60 books on subjects covering history, business and management, including the bestselling Profiles in Audacity, the CEO series and the Real History series. He has appeared on MSNBC, the Discovery Channel, CNN, Fox and numerous radio news shows. He has also been featured in BusinessWeek, Fortune, Men's Health, Cosmopolitan and many newspapers.