In August, Europeans head for the beach. The continent shuts down on the assumption that nothing of consequence will happen until everyone returns, suitably tanned, in September.
Never mind the subprime crisis of August 2007 or, closer to home, the European monetary crisis of August 1992: the August holiday is a venerable tradition. So, what should Europeans be reading beneath their sun umbrellas this year?
Milton Friedman's and Anna Schwartz's "A Monetary History of the United States" belongs at the top of the list. At the center of their gripping narrative is a chapter on the Great Depression, anchored by an indictment of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board for responding inadequately to the mounting crisis.