Also new is A Book of Ages, in which author Eric Hanson offers offbeat moments in the life of famous and infamous people. Such a collection is nothing new, except this one is arranged by the age of the deed-doer. So, for example, you’ve got a chapter on what crazy stuff people did at age 1 to 100, starting with Helen Keller, who could still see and hear at the age of 1. I looked up my age — 42 — and found all sorts of interesting tidbits. That’s how old Madame Tussaud was when she opened her famous wax museum, and that’s also how old Alexis De Tocqueville was when he wrote a new constitution for France in 1848. Preston Sturges won the 1941 Oscar for best screenplay (for The Great McGinty).

Man, I’ve really been slacking, haven’t I?.

On the other hand, Elvis Presley died when he was 42, so….

Now here’s a timely book. 1,000 Dollars and an Idea by Sam Wyly offers his life story, a sort of Horatio Alger story for the new generation. Although it’s also very old school — Wyly is from one of the poorest regions of the country, Mississippi River delta in northern Louisiana. How did he do it? And can you? The first question is easy to answer — read the book — but the second one will probably the source of economics debate from now to the end of time.