Do you think he should have recommended a book that was otherwise hard to get? I think people here, after reading this article, would have thought it ridiculous that the book wasn't available on Amazon.
My guess is that it is legitimately was his favorite book (he's known for his voracious reading and recommendations) and he wanted it to be read by a lot of people. So he pitched it to the publisher and the WSJ to get it done. I don't see what's so bad about that. I hardly think he's motivated by money or fame right now.
Indeed, if I got FU money there's a bunch of books I'd release as cheap sets, with corrections and updates, in multiple languages. (Around stats and science, mostly.)
My guess is that it is legitimately was his favorite book (he's known for his voracious reading and recommendations) and he wanted it to be read by a lot of people. So he pitched it to the publisher and the WSJ to get it done. I don't see what's so bad about that. I hardly think he's motivated by money or fame right now.