Principles of Macroeconomics (with Xtra!) [Paperback]

N. Gregory Mankiw (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0324171897 | ISBN-13: 978-0324171891 | Publication Date: February 26, 2003 | Edition: 3

In writing this textbook, Mankiw has tried to put himself in the position of someone seeing economics for the first time. The author's conversational writing style is superb for presenting the politics and science of economic theories to tomorrow's decision-makers. Because Mankiw wrote it for the students, the book stands out among all other principles texts by intriguing students to apply an economic way of thinking in their daily lives. Receiving such a praise as "perhaps the best ever" textbook in economic principles, it's no wonder Mankiw's prize project has quickly become one of the most successful books ever to be published in the college marketplace.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

N. Gregory Mankiw is Professor of Economics at Harvard University. As a student, he studied economics at Princeton University and MIT. As a teacher, he has taught macroeconomics, microeconomics, statistics, and principles of economics. He even spent one summer long ago as a sailing instructor on Long Beach Island. Professor Mankiw is a prolific writer and a regular participant in academic and policy debates. His research includes work on price adjustment, consumer behavior, financial markets, monetary and fiscal policy, and economic growth. His published articles have appeared in academic journals, such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, and Quarterly Journal of Economics, and in more widely accessible forums, such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune. He has written two popular textbooks--the intermediate-level textbook "Macroeconomics" (Worth Publishers) and the introductory textbook "Principles of Economics" (South-Western/Thomson). Together, these two books have sold about a million copies and have been translated into seventeen languages. In addition to his writing, he is Director of the Monetary Economics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit think tank in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is an advisor to the Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Greg is also on the ETS Test Development committee for the Advanced Placement exam in Economics, as well as the NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 546 pages
• Publisher: South-Western College Pub; 3 edition (February 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0324171897
• ISBN-13: 978-0324171891
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's "all that and a bag of chips", June 2, 2005

By 

Caraculiambro (La Mancha and environs) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Principles of Macroeconomics (with Xtra!) (Paperback)

This is a demanding high school (or undemanding college) introductory textbook on the subject. Only the most rudimentary algebra is required, and honestly one could easily get through the book without even that.

The edition is handsomely printed, with a font that's easy on the eye and plenty of colorful and helpfully-glossed graphs. The chapters themselves are not too long, which helps with a student's morale, believe me.

Recently I was put into a situation where I had to go, in the space of about 4 months, from knowing jack-squat about economics to being able to teach college-level macroeconomics!

Well, I frantically collected a ton of textbooks and articles about macroeconomics, ranging from the elementary to the abstruse and got to work.

And I gotta say: when something befuddled me and I found myself threshing about from text to text for the best explanation, it was nearly always Mankiw who came through with the critical phrasing that made the idea click and got me saying: "Ohhhhhh! I get it!" most often.

Not that this was always the case. There were times when I found better explanations elsewhere (e.g., Chapter 19, on the foreign currency market, is exasperatingly elliptical and could use a major dummying-down), but more often than not, Mr. Mankiw had the goods: the clearest and most easy-to-follow way of wording or graphing a slippery or counter-intuitive concept.

Of course, it's easy to hate Mr. Mankiw: he's young, he's handsome, he's brilliant (one of the youngest full professors ever at Harvard), and he's rich (his textbooks are now standard in AP courses nationwide). Jerk!

Because of these reasons, I would love to trash his book, showing how it "ain't all that."

Well, it is. Gulp.

Only one note: If you're planning on getting this book to study macroeconomics independently, you will find one irritating drawback: there are exercises at the end of each chapter, but no answers in the back. Essentially, therefore, it's a book for schoolchildren, not mature learners.

But its explanations -- believe me -- can't be beat.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great, November 8, 2009

By 

Evan Vy Pham - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Principles of Macroeconomics (with Xtra!) (Paperback)

I needed this book for my macroeconomics class at UCLA.

great condition, a lot cheaper than the current edition sold at the store.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Principle of Macroeconomics, February 9, 2009

By 

J. Allen (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Principles of Macroeconomics (with Xtra!) (Paperback)

The book arrived quickly and in great shape. I was pleased with everything. Great seller