首富的书单：比尔·盖茨私人推荐2014最值得一读的5本书

In between running one of the world's largest charitable agencies and acting as Microsoft's technology advisor, Bill Gates manages to find a significant chunk of time to read books, both long and short.

在运转着全球最大的慈善基金会和担任微软技术顾问的同时，比尔·盖茨还抽出大量时间阅读各种篇幅的书籍。

Now Gates — who has been labeled a voracious reader — has released a list of his favorite books of the year. Not all of them were released in 2014; some were published in past years, and one is still unreleased. All of the books, though, are standout reads, according to the billionaire techie.

作为一个如饥似渴的读者，盖茨列出了2014年他最喜爱的书籍名单。其中有些书并不是2014年开始发售的，有些是以前出版的，有一本则尚未出版。不过，用这位拥有亿万身家的高科技专家的话说，这些书都是非常出色的读物。

Most are focused on business and the economy. While that wasn't necessarily intentional, "that's fitting in a year when Thomas Piketty's 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' put a big spotlight on inequality," Gates wrote on his blog.

盖茨推荐的大多是商业和经济类书籍，但并非刻意而为，“托马斯·皮凯蒂在《21世纪资本论》里对贫富差距给予了强烈关注，在这样的一年里读这些书是很合适的，”盖茨在自己的博客中如此写道。

Here are Bill's top five picks for 2014 (with extracts from his full review of each book).

以下是盖茨在2014年为读者推荐的5本最值得一读的书，后面还附上了他书评的节选：

1. "Business Adventures," by John Brooks

《商业历险记》，作者约翰·布鲁克斯

Brooks' collection was published in 1969 and remains one of Gates' favorites. He re-read it again this year, labeling it the "best business book I've ever read."

约翰·布鲁克斯的文集出版于1969年，至今仍是盖茨最爱的书籍之一。今年他重读了这本书，并盛赞这本书是“我读过的最好的商业书籍”。

"Shortly after we met, Warren Buffett loaned me this collection of New Yorker business articles from the 1950s and 1960s. I loved them as much as he did. Brooks's insights about business have aged beautifully, and they are as true today as ever."

“我和巴菲特刚认识不久，他就把这本书借给了我。这本书收集了作者20世纪50至60年代在《纽约客》杂志上发表的商业类文章。他和我都非常喜欢这本书。布鲁克斯的商业见解历久弥新，同样适用于现在。”

2. "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," by Thomas Piketty

《21世纪资本论》，作者托马斯·皮凯蒂

Piketty's novel hit the shelves in August 2013 and sparked much discussion concerning income inequality throughout this year. Gates also got to sit down with Piketty after reading the non-fiction work to discuss the topic.

皮凯蒂的这本著作于2013年8月上市，并在今年引发了关于收入不平等的热议。盖茨在读完这本纪实性著作后，还与作者坐在一起讨论了书中主题。

"As I told him, although I have concerns about some of his secondary points and policy prescriptions, I agree with his most important conclusions: inequality is a growing problem and that governments should play a role in reducing it."

“我告诉皮凯蒂，虽然我不完全同意书中一些次要观点和政策处方，但是我同意他最重要的结论：贫富差距是一个日趋严重的问题，各国政府应该有所作为，努力缩小贫富差距。”

3. "How Asia Works," by Joe Studwell

《亚洲如何崛起》，作者乔·斯塔威尔

Studwell's work, which was published in May this year, addresses how countries such as Japan, South Korea and China have continued to achieve high growth, and why other countries have failed to do the same.

斯塔威尔的这部作品出版于今年5月，主要分析了日本、南韩和中国等国家是如何持续实现高速的经济增长，而其他国家又为何无法振兴经济。

"The agriculture section of the book was particularly insightful. It provided ample food for thought for me as well as the whole Agriculture team at our foundation. And it left us thinking about whether parts of the Asian model can apply in Africa."

“此书关于农业的章节可谓是真知灼见，为我和我们基金会的农业团队提供了充足的精神食粮，同时也启发我们思考：是否可以将部分亚洲经济模式用于非洲。”

4. "The Rosie Effect," by Graeme Simsion

《萝西效应》，作者格兰·辛溥生

The only fiction work to make Gates' list is a follow-up to Simsion's "The Rosie Project." The novel will be released on Dec. 31 this year, but Gates was able to snag an advanced copy from the author directly.

这是盖茨书单上唯一的一本小说，是辛溥生所著《萝西的计划》的续篇。该书将于今年12月31日正式出版，但是盖茨已经直接从作者手中拿到小说的样书。

"It's a funny novel that also made me think about relationships: what makes them work and how we have to keep investing time and energy to make them better. A sweet, entertaining, and thought-provoking book."

“这本有趣的小说唤起了我对人际关系的思考：人际关系是如何建立起来的？我们要如何花时间和精力去改善这些关系？这是一本温馨、有趣并引人思考的书。”

5. "Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization," by Vaclav Smil

《创建当代世界：材料及去材料化》，作者：茨拉夫·斯米尔

Smil's books are a constant favorite of the Microsoft founder — one of his books makes Gates' list almost every year. "Making the Modern World" came out late last year and explores the global use of materials, from silicon to wood, and plastic.

这位微软的创始人一直对斯米尔的书情有独钟—— 每年都会有一本他的书进入盖茨的书单。《创建当代世界》是去年末出版的，探索的是从硅到木材再到塑料等材料的全球使用情况。

"If anyone tries to tell you we're using fewer materials, send him this book. With his usual skepticism and his love of data, Smil shows how our ability to make things with less material — say, soda cans that need less aluminum — makes them cheaper, which actually encourages more production."

“如果有人试图告诉你，我们现在用的材料减少了，就给他看这本书。这本书依然体现了斯米尔惯常的怀疑主义和对数据的迷恋。斯米尔在书中展示了，如果我们减少材料的使用（比如用更少的铝来生产易拉罐）就可以降低成本，这实际上会鼓励更多的生产。”

（来源：爱思英语，编辑：刘明）