Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

This new edition is about these disturbing things: a trend toward inequality of incomes, the appearance of a new "globalized" capitalism, the "specter" of inflation. As before, Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow treat these problems in language that seeks to make clear their causes and treatments. In this straightforward, highly accessible reference, Heilbroner and Thurow -- two of America's most respected and articulate economists -- offer all the economics essential for becoming an effective investor, a savvy business decision maker, or simply an informed member of society.

Average Customer Rating:

A fair and comprehensive overview of macroeconomic principals

Customer Rating:

Successfully accomplishing what it set out to achieve, I must conclude this book is a triumph. It is no secret the book is intended only as an introduction to basic economics, and thus accordingly the book goes no further than what is covered among preliminary collegiate level macroeconomic courses. The authors provide an ample collection of clear and tidy explanations supported with examples presenting a complete comprehensive overview of economic concepts that are at the core of macroeconomics. You can almost feel the strain of the writers trying to refrain from providing any political slant, and to a degree they accomplish this quite well. I applaud the effort because when encountering the political aspects of economics, it is typically rare to find an engaging discussion or explanation without a large degree of bias. However, they do not accomplish it entirely, and this will be evident. I felt they properly defused this by being up front about their bias as well as giving equal time to opposing views. I completed this book with a sincere belief that a fair assessment of all views was provided when relevant. I would recommend this book to anyone needing either a refresher in basic economics or one looking to obtain a comprehensive understanding to build an economic foundation.

Helpful primer on economics

Customer Rating:

The authors achieve their goal in this short, concise book which seeks to explain basic economics to the layperson. They do a very good job of explaining economic terminology and giving examples to explain various concepts. This is a worthwhile start for someone who wants to learn more about economics. The authors admit from the beginning that they personally have a liberal bias. I think that admission is admirable. Honestly they do a good job of trying to argue for both sides of the issue. However, their personal liberal views do come out at times. This book should probably be accompanied by one from either Thomas Sowell or Milton Friedman.

economics explained	Customer Rating:
I ordered the wrong book so I never used this book. However, the supplier was very easy to work with.

the hobo philosopher

Customer Rating:

This is an excellent introduction to today's economics. It covers the basics like supply and demand, inflation, savings and investment, but also covers more modern concepts like privatization and the public sector, globalization and money and banking. It touches on a few traditional economic personalities - Smith, Marx and Keynes. It discusses the national debt and deficit spending and all the major things most people are talking about in today's average world. If you know nothing about economics but want to learn, this is the book for you. If you know all about economics but want to review the basics this book is for you. This book even discusses the ethics and morality of our modern day capitalism which I thought was rather refreshing.

not so great

Customer Rating:

I'll tell you what this book is: it's a primer on financial markets for people who already have a strong background in economics (say, college courses in micro and macro) and are looking to transmute that knowledge into the kind of practical know-how that will help them make money with their investments. The authors do not specifically recommend specific investments or brokerage houses, no; it's more of a general review of economics, though with a constant view towards putting that knowledge into practical and profitable use in a variety of situations. Well, once you understand that, the book isn't so great, despite one of the authors (Heilbroner) being just famous for his excellent "The Worldly Philosophers." Plus the thing's out of date, being (among other things) pre-tech bubble burst. However, I can help you: if you need a book that does what this book is trying to do, perhaps the best one I know of is "How the Economy Works," by Edmund A. Mennis. Also immensely useful is the "Guide to Economic Indicators" by the editors of the British magazine, the Economist (also useful for Americans). Both are available on Amazon. If, however, you are merely looking for an entertaining and informative precis of contemporary economic issues and aren't planning on doing anything knowledge-requiring with your money, this book simply will not do. The writing is stuffy, the coverage is incomplete, and the explanations are way too elliptical for a novice. For this last purpose, seek out instead Charles Wheelan's "Naked Economics."