A Student's Guide to Economics: Economics Guide (Guides to Major Disciplines)

"A Student's Guide to Economics" by Paul Heyne is the first book in the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) series that I have encountered. On the basis of this one slim volume (64 pages total) I have just ordered the guides for several other subjects, because this one is impressive, and well worth the cost. Heyne's eloquent summary of the people, basic concepts, and some main ideas that make up the historical and current body of economics is remarkable for being masterfully (yet conversationally) written, and artfully distilled. I will keep re-reading this book over and over because it bears very careful reading, though it is deceptively simple prose (and thankfully contains no mathematical formulas to wrestle with). The "big" ideas he presents as questions to be asked and problems to be solved in a market economy are thought-provoking, long after the book is put down. As an introduction to economics this book would be a great (or even an essential) gift for a high school student or college freshman who truly wants to receive a modern education. But any adult who knows little about economics or economists and reads this book will be in a better position to understand more and ask more questions about what our teachers, media, and government are telling us (and what they're not). So I am also buying additional copies to give to my friends who wonder, "What IS the 'economic way of thinking' about current policies and events and why should we care?" The book includes a bibliography for additional reading that would keep me busy for a year or more. A serious student interested in economics would salivate. Thanks to Paul Heyne, this book is definitely a winner. The ISI Guides to the Major Disciplines are reader-friendly introductions to the most important fields of knowledge in the liberal arts. Written by leading scholars for both students and the general public, they will be appreciated by anyone desiring a reliable and informative tour of important subject matter. Each title offers an historical overview of a particular discipline, explains the central ideas of each subject, and evaluates the works of thinkers whose ideas have shaped our world. They will aid students seeking to make better decisions about their course of study as well as general readers who wish to supplement their education. All who treasure the world of ideas and liberal learning will be motivated by these original and stimulating What makes economies work—or not work? This concise overview of the field's great thinkers offers a wealth of information. Paul Heyne, one of the nation's best-selling economists, provides an accessible overview of the discipline of economics. Economic knowledge, he contends, is not complete without reference to the totality of human society—a realization essential to a proper understanding of the fundamental principles of economics. The sweep of economic thinking is presented here with reference to the great economists and important schools of thought. What is economics and what can you expect to learn from studying it? In this guide, Paul Heyne, for many years one of Americas most respected free-market economists, takes this question as his guiding principle. The story of the progress of economic thoughtas embodied in the methods and theories of Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich von Hayek, James Buchanan, and other influential scholarsprovides Heyne with the material for an effective demonstration of the power and promise of the economic way of thinking. Paul Heyne, one of the nation's best-selling economists, provides an accessible overview of the discipline of economics. Economic knowledge, he contends, is not complete without reference to the totality of human society -- a realization essential to a proper understanding of the fundamental principles of economics. The sweep of economic thinking is presented here with reference to the great economists and important schools of thought. - Publisher. Provides an accessible overview of the discipline of economics. It contends that economic knowledge is not complete without reference to the totality of human society-a realization essential to a proper understanding of the fundamental principles of economics. The sweep of economic thinking is presented here with reference to the great economists and important schools of thought.