Recently I picked up Sam Walton's autobiography "Made in America".  Can't really recommend it.  Gave a little bit of useful information, but was really pretty dry.  Sam Walton comes across as a pretty corny redneck... though I do admire his fanatical values of thrift, which he apparently carried into his personal life.

It did occur to me though, that perhaps Walmart really is the greatest corporation in the history of the world.  Granted, there is no objectivity in a judgment like this.  Apple is cool. Microsoft is incredibly formidable.  There are a lot of good choices out there.

The reason I find Walmart so inspiring is because no other company is so closely associated with the economic doctrine of comparative advantage.  Through the products it retails, Walmart has indirectly transformed the world economy. They have brought thousands and thousands of jobs to foreign nations, nations that would be far worse off without them. They've also dramatically improved the standard of living for poor and working class Americans by slashing prices.

I don't think any book or article has really captured the magic of this company.    I've heard there is a Penn and Teller skit defending Walmart, I'd love to see it.

This is also a good article:  here.

Walking into a Walmart can be a near religious experience.  You see ethnic diversity, you see the future of America, the vibrant America that has lots of children and will someday inherit the nation.  But the experience becomes even more awe inspiring when one considers the experience of the workers who created shirts, shoes and radios being sold here. What must it be like for a Chinese villager, willing to travel thousands of miles for the chance to work in a factory to make products to be sold in Walmart? Perhaps the adventure of a lifetime. They certainly wouldn't be so eager to go if it wasn't  an amazing opportunity.

In short, Walmart is a wonder of the world. Unlike the pyramids, no one had to lose their rights for it to for it be created.