Customer Reviews

Microeconomics: Theory and Applications with Calculus

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I am a student at the University of Michigan and this is the book we use for our intermediate microeconomics theory class. To start, this is NOT the book for you if you are weak in math (ie. can't stand calculus) and lack a solid understanding of basic microeconomics. If you are only trying to get the fundamentals, like say, how monopolies behave in a market economy or what a supply and demand curve looks like then go for the one by Pindyck. This book is for those who want to gain a DEEPER understanding of micro. Like given a trade between two individuals, what would be the equilibrium bundle reached by both parties considering their unique indifference curves. And how much would a consumer demand given a budget constraint. These are some of the topics covered in this book and Perloff has done a superb job showing the concepts.

The math in this textbook is somewhat advanced for the average undergraduate. if you don't know what a partial derivative is, then you will be lost. There are some first order differential equations and Lagrangians in there as well. In order to get the most out of this book I would say you need to have a solid understanding of calculus I and II, and a basic knowledge of III and IV. The concepts themselves aren't that complicated it's just that Perloff uses a lot of calculus to show them. But like I said, if you ARE good at math then this book will tell you more about intermediate micro and leave you with a far better theoretical background than any other.

Indeed, this is arguably the BEST undergraduate textbook for intermediate microeconomics. It's written like how a true microeconomics theorist would write it, and it is way better than the classic by Varian. The book actually shows you the mathematical derivations behind the concepts and Perloff always cut to the heart of the issue and explain things in the most succinct manner. Plus there's also a ton of problems after each chapter with solutions in the back. Given the fact that microeconomics theory is essentially a physics or a math class, Perloff's book gets an A+ for giving students lots of problems to work on. Without which anyone would be lost on a quantitative based exam.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book for anyone with a serious interest in microeconomics and/or a desire to pursue micro theory at a graduate level later on.

I think that this book is the best among many other I have read so far in Microeconomics. At the same time it includes the foundations of microeconomics, it brings you and raise you to the pragmatic world of how, why precision.

If you like precision, this is the tool for its in Microeconomics.

This is, without a doubt, the least comprehensible textbook I've ever come across. None of the examples are the slightest bit helpful.

I am rating this book 1 star because I don't have the option of rating it a 0. 0 is what it actually deserves. I was required to buy this book when I took a course taught by the author, Jeff Perloff, at UC Berkeley. This book is the absolute worst micro text I've ever come across. It's confusing and unorganized, much like the author himself. If you're looking for a good intro micro text, I suggest you look elsewhere. I highly recommend Walter Nicholson's Microeconomic Theory.

I'm a econ major at unc and this is by far the most ridiculous text book i have ever used. Microeconomics at this level should require a very basic understanding of derivatives but this book is written like a grad level text. Its filled with proofs and horrendous examples. I hope you have a good teacher if you have to learn from this text.

This book is very in depth into what it covers. Mostly it goes through mathematical proofs that are rather extensive. Mostly, I can follow the book but as my professor stated, "we will never be able to get through this book this semester"

I am a freshman at the University of Michigan, and this is the textbook that we used for our intermediate micro course (econ 401). First of all, I should note that this book is very advanced from a mathematical perspective. Concepts from calc 3, such as partial derivatives and Lagrange maximization are used freely. I took calc 3 concurrently with 401, and did sufficiently well in understanding the mathematical concepts in this book (and a very large part of that is due to a good GSI). This book assumes that you already have a fundamental understanding of economics. Do not confuse this for an introductory micro text. You will be sorely disappointed.

Regarding the writing style of the textbook, everything is more or less satisfactory. Everything is sufficiently explained, though the writing gets to be a bit dry at times. Once again, many of the explanations are math based, and you will be transitioning between math and text a LOT.

I've also taken a look at the classic Varian text, and my opinion is that Varian probably explains the theoretical concepts a bit better. However, this book is by far better if you want to gain a mathematical perspective of microeconomics.

great transaction. I thought everything went smoothly and I got the package in a timely manner. In the future, if I need books I will look here.

Awfully composed textbook. I understand microeconomics is no easy field and its no easy task to write a whole book on it...but the way the author disseminates the information in this book is just FRUSTRATING. The word problems have typos in them and are VERY difficult to solve. You have to be a math major or econ grad student to do most of them. Only get this book if you have a doctorate...very theoretical....not for someone who wants to learn practical applications of microeconomics.

The biggest problems: Lacks detail and when Perloff does give examples, he does it in the most complex way.

This is literally one the most despicable books ever written. Out of all the courses I've taken, I wanted to jump of the bridge after reading this book and everyone in my class that I've spoken to also felt the same way. The book is lacks descriptions and is not written to its audience. The professor who wrote this book teaches at UC Berkeley. The GIS at UCB told my friend he was lucky that Perloff wasn't teaching Int. Micro when he took the class. Perloff teaches exactly the same way he writes in his books.