A little history of economics Revised version

In 40 short (five-seven pages), easily digestible bites, Kishtainy leads readers through a history of how people have thought about and tried to understand how economic systems work. Beginning with the Greeks, introducing Adam Smith, and ending with recent thinking about the causes and consequences of growing inequality on wealth and income, the author tries to take readers inside the ways in which economists have approached this job. Descriptions of developments in economic theory are necessarily very brief and lack depth and nuance. The writing is pleasant and unchallenging, and the depth of the discussions is suitable for people with no background in economics. The downside of the approach is that readers are left with little basis for determining which approach--or approaches--are appropriate for thinking about and developing policies to deal with the problems of national and, increasingly, interconnected economies. If readers are encouraged to undertake a more in-depth study of economics, then this book may have served a purpose. But if they read it and take it as providing adequate understanding of the development of economic thinking, then it will have done more harm than good. Summing Up: Optional. General readers. --Donald A. Coffin, Indiana University Northwest