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The Worldly Philosophers

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"Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and with each edition he's further refined and polished it and in the process it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.

I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.

"Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and with each edition he's further refined and polished it and in the process it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.

I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.

"Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and with each edition he's further refined and polished it and in the process it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.

I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.