First Contract, by Greg Costikyan

First Contract is a novel about mankind's first encounter with aliens.

In this book the aliens come to Earth in peace, and give mankind much of their advanced technology, creating chaos in national economies and businesses. Why spend time making an automobile when you can buy a hover car from the aliens for the same price?

The main character starts out as the head of a multimillion dollar high tech company, only to end up on the streets, penniless, after alien technology hits the market. Luckily, he bounces back and finds something the aliens want to buy from him. I'll leave the details for you to discover while reading the book.

The book is well written, and funny. I found myself cringing when the main character booked a one-way ticket to a galactic trade-show, relying on sales there to furnish enough money for the trip back (this is a sales-show where they turn off the oxygen when the show's over).

You won't find action or adventure in here, but you will find a well-told story about how one businessman beats the aliens at their own game.

Highly recommended!