What the Dog Saw
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | October 20, 2009 |
| Founder | Malcolm Gladwell |
| Products | Essay collection |
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures marks the fourth publication by Canadian writer Malcolm Gladwell, issued on October 20, 2009. This volume gathers a collection of Gladwell's essays that were initially featured in The New Yorker.
Background
Before his tenure at The New Yorker starting in 1997, Gladwell began reporting on business and science topics for The Washington Post. The book consists of a curated selection of his articles, all linked by the central concept of perceiving the world from alternative viewpoints, including that of a dog—a perspective that inspired the book’s title.
Synopsis
Comprising 19 essays, What the Dog Saw is organized into three distinct segments. The first segment, Obsessives, Pioneers, and Other Varieties of Minor Genius, highlights talented yet relatively unknown individuals. The second part, Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses, delves into difficulties related to anticipating outcomes, touching upon intelligence shortcomings and the downfall of Enron. The final section, Personality, Character, and Intelligence, investigates psychological and sociological themes such as distinctions between early achievers and late bloomers as well as criminal profiling.
Reception
The collection was met with predominantly favorable critiques and was reviewed in prominent outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Time, the Los Angeles Times, and The Independent. Gladwell's narrative style and storytelling ability received commendation, with The Guardian emphasizing how the essay format enhances the impact by avoiding unnecessary length. Nonetheless, some reviewers expressed reservations about the statistical interpretations and noted a lack of in-depth technical analysis.
Upon release, the book entered the New York Times Bestseller List at position #3, maintaining a spot in the top three for three weeks and remaining on the list for a total of 16 weeks. Its chart presence overlapped with Gladwell’s previous work, Outliers. Additionally, it ranked among Amazon’s Top 25 bestsellers for November and was recognized by Bloomberg as one of the top 50 business books published in 2009.
External links
All essays included in What the Dog Saw can be accessed at no cost on Malcolm Gladwell’s official website.
Part 1: Obsessives, Pioneers, and other varieties of Minor Genius
- The Pitchman – Ron Popeil and the Conquest of the American Kitchen
- The Ketchup Conundrum – Why Ketchup Has Remained Unchanged While Mustard Diversified
- Blowing Up – Nassim Taleb's Investment Strategy Based on Disaster
- True Colors – Hair Dye and Post-War America
- John Rock's Error – Insights on the Birth Control Pill
- What the Dog Saw – Cesar Millan and Mastery
Part 2: Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses
- Open Secrets – Enron, Intelligence, and Information Overload
- Million-Dollar Murray – Addressing Homelessness
- The Picture Problem – Limits of Mammography and Air Power
- Something Borrowed – The Impact of Plagiarism
- Connecting the Dots – Intelligence Reform Paradoxes
- The Art of Failure – Why Some Choke and Others Panic
- Blowup – Accountability in Disasters like Challenger
Part 3: Personality, Character, and Intelligence