A Little History of Economics (Little Histories)

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Solid state physics Quantum theory Chemical bonds SCIENCE Physics Condensed Matter Física do estado sólido Mecânica quântica A whistle-stop introduction to the great works and thinkers of each age, this is a clear and accessible primer.”―Laura Garmeson, Financial Times A lively, inviting account of the history of economics, told through events from ancient to modern times and through the ideas of great thinkers in the field The key message here is: The first question for early economists was the role of money and merchants.

A few centuries later, as European ships began exploring the world, they came upon civilizations rich in silver and gold. European merchant-explorers looted them, delivering vast wealth to European rulers who bought ever-fancier castles and outfits, among other things. So began mercantilism: the alliance between merchants and European rulers. Kishtainy is rather balanced and unbiased in his history, presenting the ideas of key figures like Keynes and Friedman while showing opposing points of view or theories to demonstrate how complex the field is and how many different ways there are of understanding economics. Some figures he covers are really neat, like the Indian economist-philosopher Amartya Sen, who started looking at different ways to be poor or wealthy than traditional money/food ones, focused on “capabilities” rather than on mere freedoms, and also cast a light on gender inequality. If you want a book that is a history the different ways economists have understood markets and capitalism over the last 250 years, then this book is for you. There are a few detours here and there away from Capitalism, but capitalism makes up about 75% of this book. Enters this book and it has such a great structure to start an economics journey. Each chapter has a very narrative, intriguing name, a couple of interesting characters who lead the topic and ALWAYS a narrative introduction. Outstanding. Indeed a little history/story of Economics. The title is misleading. If you are looking for a book about the history of economic systems, from the command economies of the Bronze Age to how the pursuit of Spice drove how the Persian, Ottoman, and Portuguese managed their economies throughout the centuries, then this book is NOT for you.why the renegotiated relationship between the Soviet government and economy led to the death of millions; and But if we are to judge the book only on its attempt to cover Western economic thought, the more pressing question becomes: where are all the women? But Kishtainy does not begin with Riccardo or his more famous contemporary, Adam Smith—‘the father of modern economics’. Instead, he starts much earlier. Taking readers into the heart of ancient Greece, Kishtainy places the origins of economic thought on the shoulders of the ancient Greek philosophers, whom he calls the world’s ‘first economic thinkers’ (7). Plato envisioned a world where no one owned property or pursued wealth. Aristotle argued for the even and honest exchange of goods. Both warned against the love of money. This book is an intellectual treasure trove for anyone interested in history, big ideas, and the role that economic thinking has played in both for more than 2000 years."—Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics The intended audience seems to be high school students in advanced-placement courses or undergraduates in introductory economics or history-of-ideas courses. Perhaps elders, reading for enrichment, would also like this book. Kishtainy does an excellent job for this audience. The writing is crisp, to the point, and almost journalistic. Although brevity and simplicity risk omission or oversimplification, there seem to be no blatant errors.

A pleasurable and easy way to become familiar with important economic ideas such as comparative advantage, unemployment, aggregate demand, inflation, and income inequality."—Foreign Affairs What causes poverty? Are economic crises inevitable under capitalism? Is government intervention in an economy a helpful approach or a disastrous idea? The answers to such basic economic questions matter to everyone, yet the unfamiliar jargon and math of economics can seem daunting. This clear, accessible, and even humorous book is ideal for young listeners new to economics and to all listeners who seek a better understanding of the full sweep of economic history and ideas. The biggest problem I have with this book is that he goes over all economics theories from the past few centuries, and does a very poor job telling the reader how some theories aged well and some we're completely detached from reality. This leads the reader to have no idea which ideas they heard about are good and which ones they heard about just for historical context.

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Aristotle’s grumbling didn’t have much of an impact on the development of an economy, though. Commerce, once it had begun, was here to stay. What causes poverty? Are economic crises inevitable under capitalism? Is government intervention in an economy a helpful approach or a disastrous idea? The answers to such basic economic questions matter to everyone, yet the unfamiliar jargon and math of economics can seem daunting. This clear, accessible, and even humorous book is ideal for young readers new to economics and for all readers who seek a better understanding of the full sweep of economic history and ideas. Economic historian Niall Kishtainy organizes short, chronological chapters that center on big ideas and events. He recounts the contributions of key thinkers including Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and others, while examining topics ranging from the invention of money and the rise of agrarianism to the Great Depression, entrepreneurship, environmental destruction, inequality, and behavioral economics. The result is a uniquely enjoyable volume that succeeds in illuminating the economic ideas and forces that shape our world

In England, economists such as Thomas Mun began thinking about how their country could become richer than its rivals. He believed that what was good for merchants was good for the nation. Countries set up special companies allowing investors to pool their money and share in the profits, like the East India Company, in which Mun was an official. It doesn’t presume any knowledge. Most adults don’t know anything about economics and find it a daunting field to get into, so they find it a really useful book to read. It’s completely free of jargon and free of any assumption that people will know anything about the topic. That was the idea of the book—and obviously to put it in a historical context. There are a lot of introductory economics books, but most of them don’t take an historical approach.A lively, inviting account of the history of economics, told through events from ancient to modern times and the ideas of great thinkers in the field The history of the book is that it was inspired by A Little History of the World, by E H Gombrich, which you may know. It’s a very famous book that was written in the 1930s and aimed at a young readership and then translated into English more recently. Yale University Press have now done a number of books which take that format. There was a similar book by Nigel Warburton, A Little History of Philosophy, which tried to do the same thing for philosophy. This book spends about 20% of it's time on economics theories before the 1800's and follows that with 7.5 hours of explaining economists from the industrial age and their theories.