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109 of 117 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lighter side of economics?, 6 April 2006
It is because of the success of Amazon that high street booksellers need to provide that little bit more to entice their customers. So we now have bookshops full of stationary, furniture and coffee. When you're next out shopping and want to grab a coffee, head over to the bookshop. Whilst you are there with your Lotsamoccacaféchino, take this book from the shelf and begin to read it. You will find it connects with you immediately. I don't know much about economics, at least I didn't when I picked this up. But I have wondered what all the fuss is about, especially when I try to keep up with the Budget, camapigns against poverty, and what's happeneing to my pension. The Undercover Economist not only makes economics easier to understand but it is doesn't clutter my mind with macroeconomic theory, fiscal rules and all that stuff. So as you read the book, soon you will find yourself ordering more coffee, but you'll have a much better understanding of the sophisticated system that you are engaging in, and how you're being ripped off. The book covers economics in ten interesting chapters - each with a different theme through which it introduces the reader to new understandings of the world of economics. This book will unveil to you a host of neat little theories that explain how every day life works, from why bookshops sell coffee, to world poverty with plenty in between. What really marks this book from the rest is its humour. There are very few funny economic books and the Undercover Economist is one of them. It reveals that the grey subject matter, so long understood as the dismal science, can really be a lot of fun - if only economics lecturers would be a little less serious about it.
So read this book whilst you enjoy your second coffee: this is OK for Amazon because you can still order the book online. It's a book you'll want to keep. Is there a sequel on the way? Because whilst I learnt alot, and was pleasently surprised at times when I laughed out loud, it didn't cover pensions.
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by Tim Harford
by Steven E. Landsburg
