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Dr. Strangelove's Game: A Brief History of Economic Genius

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This was a great book for me. I'm a Management major and it was interesting to find out where certain ideas and methods that we just take for granted came from. Things like double entry accounting or paper money, things they talk about in school but rarely discuss the history of. The book is somewhat informal in that it doesn't reference at the end of each chapter with footnotes but it does provide a quick pace and makes for a more enjoyable leisurely read. Paul Strathern has an incredible grasp of the subject, covering a broad period of history, and is a vast fountain of knowledge. I especially appreciated some of his personal insights. I suspect that I will want to learn more about some of the great economic thinkers of the past, this book certainly has wet my appetite. However I thought that there could be more on game theory since the title would kind of suggest that, don't expect an indepth explanation of various theories or techniques, but do expect to find out who, where and when they came from.

This is an entertaining book with lots of stories, history and general interest. It's a weekend read, with a good story type pace. If you enjoy it, also try Butterfly Economics by Paul Ormerod that really picks-up where this book ends.