|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
- Jane M. Kathman, Coll. of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Most of economics can be summarized in four words: "People respond to incentives." Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, yet mean spirited and disorganized,
By sporkdude "sporkdude" (San Jose, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Armchair Economist: Economics & Everyday Life (Paperback)
This book is a good read; it's fun, entertaining, and factual correct. Landsburg explains simple concepts through the eyes of an economist with blinders on. It's an interesting read where pages seem to fly by. For an educational book, it flows as freely as a novel, and is incredibly gripping for something about economics. He presents different scenarios, from the price of popcorn to government debt, and shows how a true economist would view each situation in small bite sized chapters. It's both refreshing, and at some points, eye-opening.One problem is that he tends to simplify everything way too much. It's hard to relate what he says to the real world when many of the details are gone. For example, when explaining national debt, he talks about the lending rate, and the rate of return to being exactly the same. He doesn't explain what would happen if they were different. Another problem I had is the lack of continuity. He seems to switch from one topic to another without any direction. Sometimes, the types of arguments were repeated from one hundred pages ago, while the previous page had nothing to do with the current page. With about 30 or so seemingly random arguments and situations present, it's hard to place it all into any lesson or theme. Finally, and most importantly, Landsburg seems to take out his aggressions and displays some mean spirited rants in the latter part of the book. I felt that it incredibly hurt his credibility. When someone starts debasing someone else's opinion vehemently and atrociously, it gives the impressions of fanaticism rather than cool-headed thinking. He seems to enjoy criticizing every line of particular papers and making the writer feel like an idiot. He even goes so far as to reprinting a letter he wrote to his daughter's kindergarten teacher espousing the horrors of environmentalism and how the teacher is indoctrinating his daughter into it. I would recommend this book as good, fun, quick read. As an educational piece, it needs to be more organized and more levelheaded.
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Economic Nich,
By
This review is from: Armchair Economist: Economics & Everyday Life (Paperback)
This book is not meant as a grand overview of economics. Landsburg has considered the big picture, but the books focus is on smaller areas. He lists all sorts of interesting examples. Why do CEOs receive such high salaries? Why does popcorn have such a high price at the movie theatre? Then he spins out his answers to these economic puzzles. Landsburg also employs a dry wit, when discussing his ideas. You will either like his sense of humour or consider him rather smug.Landsburg also runs down the current environmental movement, as a new coercive religious movement. Once again, you will either be offended, or laugh out loud. In terms of economic books, this is a fun read. There are also some interesting twists on everyday transactions.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting thoughts; shame about the attitude,
By
This review is from: Armchair Economist: Economics & Everyday Life (Paperback)
This is the first book that has moved me sufficiently to write a review on Amazon.I found it an entertaining read, with some though-provoking ideas often wittily written up. It is such a shame, though (and I read a review here from someone else with similar views) that the text is threaded so liberally with the author's private conceits. What a very smug and self-satisfied man. Again agreeing with a previous review here, in the end the sheer arrogance becomes offensive and begins to overshadow the arguments being put forward. I'm glad I read the book. I'm also glad, however, that I shall likely never meet Steven E Landsburg.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Business & Investing > Economics
- Books > Business & Investing > Popular Economics
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Business & Finance > Economics
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Social Sciences > Anthropology
- Books > Nonfiction > Economics
- Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural
- Books > Professional & Technical > Accounting & Finance > Economics
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
|
