A Book with Legs cover art
Podcast · 102 episodes

A Book with Legs

by Smead Capital Management · English

In each episode, we explore value investing through an entirely unique lens, bringing in authors to discuss books that have directly or indirectly influenced the decisions the Smead Capital Management team has made on their investments in stocks and equities. The podcast is for the curious-minded looking for worldly wisdom. Investing is the last great liberal art, and the team at Smead wants to learn as much as they can. Any level of investor, business person, or thinker, whether personally or professionally, will be intrigued and engaged by these discussions.

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The Smead Book List - Fall Book List 2026Smead Capital Management’s quarterly “Smead Book List” for Fall 2026, mixing recent reading with long-term investing themes: historical market manias (1873/1893), private vs public college…28 Sep 2026 · 56 min · 25 chapters
Kenneth Rogoff - Our Dollar, Your Problem: An Insider's View of Seven Turbulent Decades of Global Finance, and the Road AheadKenneth Rogoff argues that the “dollar world” is changing slowly, driven less by tomorrow’s headlines than by long-run forces: rising real interest rates, persistent U.S.14 Sep 2026 · 1 h 12 min · 23 chapters
Adrian Wooldridge - The Revolutionary Center: The Lost Genius of LiberalismAdrian Wooldridge argues that Western liberalism (individual primacy, restrained power, truth pursued via open discussion) is being eroded by left and right illiberalism, authoritarian rivals…31 Aug 2026 · 1 h 18 min · 34 chapters
Bryan Burrough - The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West WildThe “gunfighter era” in American history (1865–1901) and how Texas helped create and spread Old West gunfighting through Southern honor culture, post–Civil War violence, revolver technology, open…17 Aug 2026 · 1 h 10 min · 26 chapters
Liaquat Ahamed - 1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern WorldLee Akit Ahmed’s book examines the first truly global financial crisis, the Panic of 1873, and how it triggered years of deflation.3 Aug 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 28 chapters
David Williams - The William E. Boeing Story: A Gift of FlightDavid Williams discusses his book The William E. Boeing Story: A Gift of Flight, covering how William E.20 Jul 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 30 chapters
Alex Wright - Empire of InkHow the American newspaper industry emerged as a decentralized “information superpower,” then shifted toward corporate consolidation—driven by printing technology (Linotype, rotary presses),…6 Jul 2026 · 1 h 13 min · 34 chapters
The Smead Book List - Summer 2026Smead Capital Management’s quarterly “Summer 2026” book list discussion, using books to explore business, markets, and people; includes a long exchange on oil market uncertainty (especially Strait of…29 Jun 2026 · 1 h 8 min · 24 chapters
The Long View: Defining IntelligenceWhether human intelligence can be fully explained by machine learning, biology/chemistry, or data—and what “leftover” remains (soul, emergence, grace, God-sized holes).15 Jun 2026 · 53 min · 14 chapters
Howard Gardner - Frames of MindHoward Gardner discusses Frames of Mind (1983) and his theory of multiple intelligences, arguing that “intelligence” isn’t a single IQ number but several relatively independent faculties shaped by…1 Jun 2026 · 1 h 7 min · 26 chapters
Justin Baer - House of FidelityJustin Baer’s book House of Fidelity, about how the Johnson family built Fidelity into a defining force in American retail investing, and how Fidelity’s strategies and “star manager” culture evolved…18 May 2026 · 1 h 20 min · 29 chapters
Andrew Seth Meyer: To Rule All Under HeavenThe episode discusses Andrew Seth Meyer’s book To Rule All Under Heaven, a history of classic China from Confucius to the first emperor, focusing on how political power, moral philosophy, and…4 May 2026 · 1 h 17 min · 27 chapters
Gaurav Suri - The Emergent Mind: How Intelligence Arises in People and MachinesHow intelligence and consciousness emerge from neural networks in people and how that maps to large language models’ strengths/limits, including learning, meaning, language, decision-making, social…20 Apr 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 26 chapters
Jason Bardi - The Great Math War: How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of MathematicsThe episode discusses Jason Bardi’s book The Great Math War, tracing how major thinkers tried to establish secure “foundations of mathematics,” starting around 1900 and focusing on competing…6 Apr 2026 · 1 h 20 min · 29 chapters
The Smead Book List - Spring Book ListSmead Capital’s quarterly “Spring Book List” episode, mixing recent reads with investment takeaways (history of bubbles, markets, competition, and human nature) and answering client questions on…30 Mar 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 33 chapters
Kathryn Paige Harden - Original Sin: On The Genetics of Vice, The Problem of Blame, And the Future of ForgivenessKathryn Paige Harden - Original Sin: On The Genetics of Vice, The Problem of Blame, And the Future of Forgiveness16 Mar 2026 · 1 h 26 min · 30 chapters
Tom Griffiths - Laws of Thought: The Quest for a Mathematical Theory of the MindTom Griffiths - Laws of Thought: The Quest for a Mathematical Theory of the Mind2 Mar 2026 · 1 h 24 min · 30 chapters
Amy Gamerman - The CraziesThis episode features a discussion about the challenges surrounding the development of a wind farm in Big Timber, Montana, which faced resistance from wealthy neighbors and local activists.16 Feb 2026 · 1 h 10 min · 34 chapters
Tim Wu - The Age of ExtractionTim Wu - The Age of Extraction2 Feb 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 28 chapters
Kenneth R. Rosen - Polar WarIn this episode, the host Cole Smead interviews Kenneth R. Rosen, author of "Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic." They explore the intricate dynamics of…19 Jan 2026 · 1 h 13 min · 32 chapters
Trent Preszler - EvergreenExploring value investing through the insights of authors whose works have influenced investment decisions. The podcast caters to all levels of investors and aims to inspire curiosity about the world.5 Jan 2026 · 1 h 11 min · 27 chapters
The Smead Book List - Winter 2025The "A Book with Legs" podcast, hosted by Smead Capital Management, delves into value investing through discussions with authors whose works have influenced investment decisions.29 Dec 2025 · 49 min · 29 chapters
David McWilliams - The History of Money: A Story of HumanityThis podcast explores value investing through discussions with authors about books that have influenced investment decisions.15 Dec 2025 · 1 h 14 min
Charles Murray - Taking Religion SeriouslyCharles Murray - Taking Religion Seriously1 Dec 2025 · 1 h 3 min