The Little Book of the Commons is out!

Hey everyone,

After 14 months of off-and-on writing, The Little Book of The Commons is available for you to read! You can buy the paperback or get the free digital version (why I give my books away).

From the back cover: The Commons are as widely misunderstood and overlooked as they are widespread and critical in sustaining and enriching our lives. They come from nature, but humans can also create them. They are open for all to enjoy but often suffer from abuse and neglect. This book explains how we’ve come to understand the formation, function and failure of the commons and uses examples to show how the commons touch our lives in so many ways.

Paperbacks are $5.00 at Amazon.com or €5,35 at Amazon.de

Free digital versions for PDF, ePub and MOBI (Kindle) are here.

Curious about my “writing progress”? Here you go!

Review: Actual World, Possible Future

I saw a preview of this documentary on the lives and works of Elinor and Vincent Ostrom in 2019. It aired on PBS in 2020 (watch at the link).

The documentary traces their careers from early days (Lin being denied entry into UCLA’s PhD program because she was a woman; Vincent participating in early city planning), to their move to Indiana U, where they set up the Workshop as a means of avoiding disciplinary silos, to Lin’s “discovery” (or recognition) of the commons as an area of effective action, to their joint development of the Institutional Analysis and Design Framework and Policentricity.

I learned a lot about the evolution of their thought in this documentary. I also was charmed by their enduring decency, curiosity and love for each other (they died within three weeks of each other in 2021, after nearly 50 years of marriage).

I strongly recommend this movie. FIVE STARS.


Here are all my reviews.

Help improve my book, part last!

Last week, I asked for your comments and suggestions for chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 of The Little Book of the Commons.

This week, I am back with the rest of the book (6 chapters), which total 21 pages 🙂

As before… If you have time, then please read, comment and suggest ways to improve chapters 8-13 [a pdf on google drive].

Here’s the whole PDF to read/comment on until 15 Dec 2021. After then, I will make final edits before I publish the book in Jan 2022.

My goal is to have a clear, easy-to-read book, so I am trying (often failing) to minimise footnotes and academic quibbles, so please do say if I am too far in the weeds or losing you.

I will be teaching with this book in November, so your early and helpful comments will be very welcome!

Help improve my book, part 2 (of 3)

Last week, I asked for your comments and suggestions for Part I (Preface plus 3 chapters) of The Little Book of the Commons.

This week, I am back with chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7, which total 13 pages 🙂

As before… If you have time, then please read, comment and suggest ways to improve chapters 4-7 [a pdf on google drive].

Here’s the whole PDF to read/comment on until 15 Dec 2021. After then, I will make final edits before I publish the book in Jan 2022.

My goal is to have a clear, easy-to-read book, so I am trying (often failing) to minimise footnotes and academic quibbles, so please do say if I am too far in the weeds or losing you.

Next Monday, the last 6 chapters!

Can you help improve my book?

Late last year, I announced that I was writing a new book — The Little Book of the Commons — and that I was looking for people to read, review, comment and improve it.

In February, I got some useful feedback. Then I got distracted (teaching, boats, Covid, you know the drill) and slowed down.

Now I’m back!

I’ve revised Part I (25 pages) and finished a draft of Part II (around 40 pages), and I am looking for your help!

If you have time, then please read, comment and suggest ways to improve this draft of Part I [a pdf on google drive].

Here’s the whole PDF to read/comment on until 15 Dec 2021. After then, I will make final edits before I publish the book in Jan 2022.

My goal is to have a clear, easy-to-read book, so I am trying (often failing) to minimise footnotes and academic quibbles, so please do say if I am too far in the weeds or losing you.

I hope plan promise to have Part II up in the next two weeks, so start soon if you can 🙂