Inside the World of Ben Bernanke

Advice Within Reach
Bernanke's bookshelf is a virtual A-to-Z history of modern monetary policy, with books he studied, books he wrote and books that have now been written about him. Included among the titles are: When Washington Shut Down Wall Street by William Silber, which outlines how a 1914 crisis made the U.S. a monetary power; Economics by Paul Samuelson, a 1948 study of Keynesian theory; Too Big to Fail a 2004 Brookings book; and Freedom from Fear by David Kennedy, which draws lessons from the 1930's which have greatly influenced Bernanke's own outlook.

• Ben Bernanke: TIME's 2009 Person of the Year