Leisure reading

'Do You Sincerely Want to Be Rich?'

By Charles Raw, Bruce Page

and Godfrey Hodgson

Broadway, $16.95 (softbound).

This book, subtitled "The Full Story of Bernard Cornfeld and IOS," surveys capitalism in the 1950s, when Bernard Cornfeld, a man with little money, went to Paris to sell mutual funds from his New York firm.

His intricate scheme used bull markets, the growing mutual-fund industry, distortions and loopholes in tax laws to make a fortune from Investment Overseas Services.

Cornfeld, a charming ex-social worker and former psychologist, targeted American expatriates who wanted to build their own fortunes, and American servicemen who loved to live "high-rolling lives." His simple one-line pitch was "Do you sincerely want to be rich?"

In the beginning, Cornfeld looked like a bohemian. His only expense was gas. He didn't buy clothes or food, and he didn't smoke. The authors think his behavior was a precursor to the corruption that is such a problem today. — Dennis Lythgoe

'All In Good Time'

By Jonathan Schwartz

Random House, $13.95 (softbound).

Jonathan Schwartz, a storyteller and radio broadcaster at WNYC-FM in New York, has written an insightful memoir.

During his childhood, Judy Garland sang him lullabies and Jackie Robinson hit him fly balls — yet he grew up longing for a regular life. His father was famed composer Arthur Schwartz ("Dancing in the Dark," "That's Entertainment").

Schwartz eventually embraced the world of music, releasing three CDs of his own (featuring him singing and playing piano) and expressing his admiration for Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers and Harold Arlen, as well as his own father. He has also written novels and short stories that reflect his love of music.

In his memoir, Schwartz also writes about the beginnings of FM radio, the inception of the LP and the changing nature of popular music. He also writes about living in New York, Paris and Los Angeles. After the death of his mother, he met Frank Sinatra — and he writes a very affectionate portrait of him here.

There is a dark side to Schwartz's life, too, including an unhappy affair with a married woman, alcoholism and consideration of suicide. His simple writing style is engaging. — Dennis Lythgoe

'Bewitched Forever'