Alchemy vs The Attention Merchants: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Advertising, Marketing, Business
Alchemy
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HOW DOES MAGIC HAPPEN? The Ogilvy advertising legend—“one of the leading minds in the world of branding” (NPR)—explores the art and science of conjuring irresistible products and ideas."Sutherland, the…
The Attention Merchants
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"From Tim Wu, author of award-winning The Master Switch, and who coined the phrase "net neutrality"--a revelatory look at the rise of "attention harvesting," and its transformative effect on our society and our selves"--
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Alchemy highest: Alchemy 4.3 · The Attention Merchants 4.0.
- Alchemy has the widest readership — 51 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Alchemy | The Attention Merchants | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 4.2 (31) | 4.0 (38) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (51) | 4.5 (20) |
Reception
| Alchemy | The Attention Merchants | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 51 | 38 |
| Editions | 6 | 6 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 54091 | — |
| Pages | 384 | 416 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Alchemy or The Attention Merchants?
Alchemy has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Alchemy 4.3/5, The Attention Merchants 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: Alchemy or The Attention Merchants?
Alchemy is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Alchemy (384 pages, ≈ 7 h 07 m); The Attention Merchants (416 pages, ≈ 7 h 42 m).
Which is harder to read: Alchemy or The Attention Merchants?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Alchemy: Moderate; The Attention Merchants: Moderate.