Best book about understanding economics?

[Celeborn Skywalker]

I am very uninformed in matters relating to the economy, money, and the financial system in general.

I would like someone to recommend to me a comprehensive book on these matters (not biased towards Republicans).

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. "Econ 101 1/2" is pretty informative:

http://www.textbookx.com/product_detail.php?upc=9780380775323&type=book&affiliate=froogle

[Celeborn Skywalker]

3. Thanks.

I never took economics in high school or college. I feel lke an idiot when I turn on the news and have no idea what they're talking about.

[billyoc]

2. Doug Henwood's "Wall Street"

http://www.wallstreetthebook.com/

[Celeborn Skywalker]

10. Thanks.

That seems like a good resource.

[Renew Deal]

4. The Bible

It's the best book on all matters.

[Oregone]

8. Good, but I prefer the Communist Manifesto for economics, and the Bible for everything scientific

Im partially being facetious.

Then again...read it. Look around. Maybe those guys were spot on. :)

What would Marx do?

[Aqaba]

5. Here's a great crash course - online videos

This is really great. Its in 20 sections, the sections range from like 3 minutes to about 18 minutes, so far about 3 hours total.

This makes it easy and convenient - watch a section or two, come back the next day and watch some more.

The course isn't actually finished yet though, he still has the final two sections to post, which I think will be coming in the next week or two.

Highly recommended. It also covers how declining energy resources will impact the economy.

http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse">Chris Martenson's Crash Course

Good luck!

[Celeborn Skywalker]

6. Wow, that's great!

Thanks.

[Aqaba]

9. I think the best part about those videos...

...is it gives an overview of just what money is, where it comes from, how our banking structure is setup and the history of it all in America.

Very easy to follow, except, as Chris mentions, the creation of money, and what exactly money is, are two concepts that are initially quite baffling.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

21. Yikes.

I just got finished watching the "Creation of Money" section and all I can say is, wow. It looks like we may be in some deep shit soon if we don't do something.

[lastliberalintexas]

7. Wealth and Democracy by Kevin Phillips

Not about econ theory per se, but still quite interesting.

[PA Democrat]

14. Phillips predicted where the US is heading pretty well.

Sad that some people do not learn from history.

[1]

11. understanding economics? that would be right next to the book called "the meaning of life!"...

because it is far easier to explain our existence on this planet than it is to explain economics.



heh!

[Celeborn Skywalker]

12. Ha, that seems about right.

I don't remember where I heard this, but it's said that only 100 people in the USA truly understand money.

[Davis_X_Machina]

13. Two classics...

...Heilbronner's The Worldly Philosophers and Burton Malkiel's A Random Walk Down Wall Street.

[GumboYaYa]

15. I like Lester Thurow. He has several great econ books out there.

one of my favorite by him and one of the most fundamental for basic econ is "The Zero Sum Game".

[mikeytherat]

16. "Oliver Twist," "A Tale of Two Cities," "The Little Prince."

That's a good start.

mikey_the_rat

[JSK]

17. Website

www.economyincrisis.org

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Read Henry Hazlett

Then, everything that's in there will be the opposite of what really happens. You will gain tremendous understanding by reading what's completely wrong.
The Professor

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

19. Creature from Jeckyll Island

To understand the Federal Reserve - what it is and how it was created.

[harun]

20. Das Kapital

[appal_jack]

22. When Corporations Rule the World by David Korten

When Corporations Rule the World was written by David Korten more than ten years ago. Many of the predictions he made then are coming to pass right now. Still very worth a read. This is not a book about 'the free market' or other such fairytale nonsense, but rather an incisive analysis of the American system as it actually (dys)functions in the late 20th/early 21st centuries. Highly recommended.

-app

[Naturyl]

23. Probably something from a Marxist writer

Marx wasn't right about everything, but he was right about enough to give a person an insight into economics they really can't get elsewhere, especially in America.