Customer Reviews

Booms and Busts: An Encyclopedia of Economic History from Tulipmania of the 1630's to the Global Financial Crisis of the 21 st Century

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A three-volume set focusing on a narrow niche of economic history -- the economic cycle. Opens with three introductory essays on the history of economic booms and busts, then offers 361 entries written by 96 different contributors.

Entries are well-written and should be easily understood by undergraduate students. Ranging from one to ten pages, they cover profiles of banks and other financial institutions, biographies of noted bankers and economists, and offer detailed discussions of business cycle theory.

The set will be especially helpful for those seeking an understanding of the financial crisis and housing market meltdown of the last two decades of the 20th century in the United States. The narrative text is supplemented by a historical chronology, a glossary, an extensive bibliography of books sand websites and a detailed 59-page cumulative index.

"Booms and Busts" should prove to be a relatively inexpensive set that will see much use alongside the expensive new second edition set of "The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics" (2008) and the now-dated, but widely held "Business Cycles and Depressions: An Encyclopedia" (1997).

R. Neil Scott, MBA/MSLS

Middle Tennessee State University