The Economics Book Hardcover – 3 Sept. 2012

Presented in broadly chronological order, this is a terrifically readable encyclopedia-like introduction to a very wide range of ideas and concepts in economics, from the emergence of basic classical economic ideas right up to date including the credit crunch causes and the more recent research in behavioural economics. The style is simple and well laid out and crucially the book managed to neither over-estimate nor under-estimate the intelligence of the readers. It uses simple language but is never patronizing.It certainly isn't a text book per se - and the mechanics of, say microeconomics, is missing but it is a terrifically useful introduction to the key ideas and you get a real sense of how thought progresses over time.The only thing that I would change would be to add to the indexing. Each "article" or chapter is placed within a time period and then split into areas of "focus" - eg Growth and Development or Welfare Economics. It would have been helpful to have a page listing all chapters on Growth and Development in this example. But that's a minor quibble and each chapter does note where other areas of interest can be located in the book.Each chapter puts the idea into "context" (focus, key thinker, thought before and after), had a clear flow diagram to explain the logic of the ideas and a solid introduction to the idea, often including a brief precis of the main economist and his/her works. It's beautifully laid out and really a very useful reference book.Ideal for those with a casual interest as well as students. GCSE students and AS / A level students in particular will find really good stuff here, but undergraduates too will probably learn something and if nothing else it will direct them to the works that they should be reading. Highly recommended.

A great series of books. I have a few subjects now. They offer a nice overview of the subject and introduce key people in the field with a list of their main works which is useful for further reading. The books are very colourful, well presented and have interesting quotes from the subject area. The books are a cross between a brief history of the subject and a simple introduction to the various ideas/scholars.

It is good for consolidating for a level economics as it explains policies, economic thinkers and major events that accrued in economy with great detail for a good understanding. With diagrams and pictures the rating was a 4 as it was a good read.This is my first year of economics at my sixth form school and so I am new to economics and this helped me understand economics not for school but in general.

Awesome book, very informative. I love this entire series. It's laid out chronologically from the "beginning of economics" to modern day concepts, and so paints a very interesting story via the historical context. Topics are grouped into 1-4 pages and clear flow charts and diagrams are used to simplify difficult ideas down to their bare bones. Really useful and engaging book. It also describes interesting stories about the lives of the famous people who came up with the theories, giving an insight into what the world was like then.

Excellent book that explains the concept of economics simple enough for the everyday person to digest, but informative and detailed to give the reader an in-depth look into the subject. In fact, by studying the book i've come to realise it's pointless highlighting the informative/important parts because if I was to do so, i'd turn the whole thing into a colouring book! Not sure if you'll find a better book to start with than this one. 5/5 stars for me.

good introduction to basics and background but quite shallow for anyone how has read similar starter books

This is, quite simply, an outstanding book.Fascinating ideas are explained clearly and there are interesting biographies of a wide range of original thinkers.As a teacher of Economics I have sampled lots of 'all encompassing' or 'introductory' Economics books which frequently offer unsatisfactory and rather dumbed down information.The Economics Book, however, makes complex theories accessible - which is a rather different thing!In my opinion this book is a must for every student, whether at GCSE, A-level or degree.It is also ideal for the armchair enthusiast who may especially enjoy the chapters on Game Theory.

Having studied Economics at A Level a few years ago, I've always had an interest in the Economy and how it works. However over the past few years work commitments have meant I've not kept up with my reading other than what's in the news. Therefore I decided to buy this book to refresh my knowledge and I find it perfect for explaining both macro and micro principles in a short and distinct way. Admittedly the book doesn't go in to mass amounts of detail, but I don't think it's meant to do so and so I don't think it can be marked down for that. Overall I'm very happy with my purchase and love dipping back into this book to keep my knowledge refreshed and up to date.