# Red Plenty by Francis Spufford

4 Hacker News commenters recommended Red Plenty by Francis Spufford and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** A novel about Soviet central planning and economic computing, recommended for readers interested in economic policy and how systems go wrong.

## Why people recommend it

- Explores economic policy through fiction (1 comments): "interesting book if you are into economic policy or quirky ways that systems can go haywire" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50151202))
- Traces consequences of a planning thesis (1 comments): "You might enjoy the book "Red Plenty" by Francis Spufford, which traces the consequences of this thesis" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47916283))
- Strongly recommended by a commenter (1 comments): "Francis Spufford explores this idea in Red Plenty , which I highly recommend." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47774848))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0571225241?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780571225248) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Red Plenty by Francis Spufford", https://hackerapproved.com/p/red-plenty/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).