What the Dog Saw
{{Short description|2009 book by Malcolm Gladwell}}
{{Infobox book
| name = What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures
| image = What the dog saw.jpg
| border = no
| caption = Paperback edition
| author = Malcolm Gladwell
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| subject =
| genre = Non-fiction
| publisher = Little, Brown and Company
| pub_date = October 20, 2009
| media_type = Hardback, e-book, audiobook
| pages = 432 pp.
| isbn = 978-0316075848
| dewey =
| congress =
| oclc =
| preceded_by = Outliers (2008)
| followed_by = David and Goliath (2013)
}}
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures is the fourth book released by Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell, on October 20, 2009. The book is a compilation of the journalist's articles published in The New Yorker.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/books/review/Pinker-t.html?pagewanted=all|title=Book Review - 'What the Dog Saw - And Other Adventures,' by Malcolm Gladwell|last=Pinker|first=Steven|author-link=Steven Pinker|date=2009-11-07|work=New York Times|access-date=2017-02-26|archive-date=2023-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531195425/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/books/review/Pinker-t.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}
Background
Gladwell initially covered business and science in The Washington Post before joining the staff at The New Yorker in 1997.Millar, Anna. [http://www.list.co.uk/article/25279-what-the-dog-saw-and-other-adventures-malcolm-gladwell-interview/ What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures - Malcolm Gladwell Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701191656/http://www.list.co.uk/article/25279-what-the-dog-saw-and-other-adventures-malcolm-gladwell-interview/ |date=2010-07-01 }} The List. April 29, 2010. Each of the articles first appeared in The New Yorker and was handpicked by Gladwell. The stories share a common theme, namely that Gladwell tries to show us the world through the eyes of others, even if that other happens to be a dog, hence the title.
Synopsis
What the Dog Saw is a compilation of 19 articles by Malcolm Gladwell that were originally published in The New Yorker which are categorized into three parts. The first part, Obsessives, Pioneers, and Other Varieties of Minor Genius, describes people who are very good at what they do, but are not necessarily well-known. Part two, Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses, describes the problems of prediction. This section covers problems such as intelligence failure, and the fall of Enron. The third section, Personality, Character, and Intelligence, discusses a wide variety of psychological and sociological topics ranging from the difference between early and late bloomers{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/20/late-bloomers-2?intcid=mod-most-popular|title=Late Bloomers. Why do we equate genius with precocity?|magazine=The New Yorker|date=October 20, 2008|accessdate=January 4, 2016|first=Malcolm|last=Gladwell|author-link=Malcolm Gladwell|archive-date=April 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423050102/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/20/late-bloomers-2?intcid=mod-most-popular|url-status=live}} to criminal profiling.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/books/20gladwell.html |title=Changing the Subject, Maintaining the Tone|last=Maslin|first=Janet|author-link=Janet Maslin|date=2009-10-19|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2009-11-09|archive-date=2021-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118065313/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/books/20gladwell.html |url-status=live}}
Reception
What the Dog Saw was met with mainly positive reviews. It received profiles in many high-profile publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Time, the Los Angeles Times and The Independent.Sample, Ian [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/oct/17/what-the-dog-saw-gladwell-review Gladwell's great strength is his ability to make his readers think] The Guardian. October 17, 2009.Altman, Alex [https://web.archive.org/web/20091022135001/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1931100,00.html Q&A: Author Malcolm Gladwell] Time. October 20, 2009.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-22-la-ca-malcolm-gladwell22-2009nov22-story.html The New Yorker writer's sense of curiosity burns bright in this collection of essays] Los Angeles Times. November 22, 2009.[https://web.archive.org/web/20091121162803/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/what-the-dog-saw-by-malcolm-gladwell-1811027.html A 'New Yorker' stalwart incounterintuitive mood] The Independent. November 1, 2009. In particular, Gladwell was praised for his writing and storytelling, and reviewers looked upon the essay format positively, with The Guardian stating "one virtue of What the Dog Saw is that the pieces are perfectly crafted: they achieve their purpose more effectively when they aren't stretched out." However, What The Dog Saw was criticized for its use of statistics and its lack of technical grounding.
What the Dog Saw debuted at #3 on The New York Times Bestseller List.[http://www.hawes.com/2009/2009-11-08.pdf New York Times Bestseller List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122102949/http://www.hawes.com/2009/2009-11-08.pdf |date=2009-11-22 }} 11-08-2009 It spent three weeks in the top 3 and a total of 16 weeks on the chart, appearing concurrently with Gladwell's previous book Outliers.[http://www.hawes.com/2010/2010-01-17.pdf New York Times Bestseller List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215140407/http://www.hawes.com/2010/2010-01-17.pdf |date=2010-02-15 }} 01-07-2010[http://www.hawes.com/2010/2010-02-21.pdf New York Times Bestseller List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602041628/http://www.hawes.com/2010/2010-02-21.pdf |date=2010-06-02 }} 11-08-2009 It was also an Amazon Top 25 seller for the month of November.[https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2009-11/books/ref=zg_bs_cal Bestsellers in Books for November 2009] Amazon.com. What the Dog Saw was named to Bloomberg's top 50 business books of 2009.Pressley, James [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-27/top-50-business-books-animal-spirits-to-what-the-dog-saw-.html Top 50 Business Books, Animal Spirits to What the Dog Saw] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109185203/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-27/top-50-business-books-animal-spirits-to-what-the-dog-saw-.html |date=2015-01-09 }} Bloomberg. Jun 17, 2010.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
All of the articles in What the Dog Saw can be read for free on [http://www.gladwell.com/archive.html Gladwell's website].
Part 1: Obsessives, Pioneers, and other varieties of Minor Genius
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130121133440/http://gladwell.com/2000/2000_10_30_a_pitchman.htm The Pitchman – Ron Popeil and the Conquest of the American Kitchen]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130423002217/http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_09_06_a_ketchup.html The Ketchup Conundrum – Mustard Now Comes in Dozens of Varieties. Why Has Ketchup Stayed the Same?]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130424203058/http://gladwell.com/2002/2002_04_29_a_blowingup.htm Blowing Up – How Nassim Taleb Turned the Inevitability of Disaster into an Investment Strategy]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130425002556/http://gladwell.com/1999/1999_03_22_a_colors.html True Colors – Hair Dye and the Hidden History of Post War America]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130219103742/http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_03_10_a_rock.htm John Rock's Error – What the Inventor of the Birth Control Pill Didn't Know About Women's Health]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130120231428/http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_05_22_a_dog.html What the Dog Saw – Cesar Millan and the Movements of Mastery]
Part 2: Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130424211259/http://gladwell.com/2007/2007_01_08_a_secrets.html Open Secrets – Enron, Intelligence, and the Perils of Too Much Information]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130526063343/http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_02_13_a_murray.html Million-Dollar Murray – Why Problems like Homelessness May Be Easier to Solve Than to Manage]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120614144946/http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_12_13_a_picture.html The Picture Problem – Mammography, Air Power, and the Limits of Looking]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130114152902/http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_11_25_a_borrowed.html Something Borrowed – Should a Charge of Plagiarism Ruin Your Life?]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120815054145/http://www.gladwell.com/2003/2003_03_10_a_dots.html Connecting the Dots – The Paradoxes of Intelligence Reform]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121101190413/http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_08_21_a_choking.htm The Art of Failure – Why Some People Choke and Others Panic]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120505045631/http://gladwell.com/1996/1996_01_22_a_blowup.htm Blowup – Who Can Be Blamed for a Disaster like the Challenger Explosion? No One, and We'd Better Get Used to It]
Part 3: Personality, Character, and Intelligence
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120818140641/http://www.gladwell.com/2008/2008_10_20_a_latebloomers.html Late Bloomers – Why Do We Equate Genius with Precocity]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130216082019/http://www.gladwell.com/2008/2008_12_15_a_teacher.html Most Likely to Succeed – How Do We Hire When We Can't Tell Who's Right for the Job?]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120815151305/http://www.gladwell.com/2007/2007_11_12_a_profile.html Dangerous Minds – Criminal Profiling Made Easy]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130120183435/http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_07_22_a_talent.htm The Talent Myth – Are Smart People Overrated?]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120728154839/http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_05_29_a_interview.htm The New-Boy Network – What Do Job Interviews Really Tell Us?]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120728155025/http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_02_06_a_pitbull.html Troublemakers – What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Crime]
{{Malcolm Gladwell}}
Category:2009 non-fiction books
Category:Little, Brown and Company books
Category:Popular science books