Basic Economics (with InfoTrac and Economic Applications Printed Access Card) (Paperback)

by Frank V. Mastrianna (Author), Thomas J. Hailstones (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I adopted this text because it is one of the best that I have found for this class. It expresses the basic concepts of both microeconomics and macroeconomics in simple concise terms.

I find this text to be very useful and would recommend it to other faculty. After 27 years of using this text, I find it to be very fair in covering the material; the instructor’s manual/ test bank, study guide, and computerized test bank prove very helpful to me and my adjunct faculty.

I enjoyed the writing style. The presentation is clear, accurate, without being too dry, wordy or "overdone." It is suitable for students at all levels, ages, and from various disciplines.

Product Description
This very successful thirteenth edition text provides a streamlined, straightforward introduction to basic macro and microeconomic topics. Its concise 19-chapter format can easily be covered in one quarter or one semester, and is ideal for instructors who wish to supplement the core textbook with additional reading materials.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: South-Western College Pub; 13 edition (May 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0324164807
• ISBN-13: 978-0324164800
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #237,400 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A dry, technical analysis of economics; with errors, May 22, 2008

By	Ted Schaefer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Economics (with InfoTrac 1-Semester, Economic Applications Online Printed Access Card) (Paperback)

This textbook is the most bland and uninteresting of every textbook I have ever read. The content is generally written out in an extended technical format with virtually every chapter packed full of formulas, graphs, and tables without nearly enough descriptive information to make sense of it all. So much material is glossed over in each of the 19 chapters, it is difficult to digest most of it especially in a distant learning 1-semester college course (without having in-class lectures).

I have to say, for a "basic economics" book, this is anything but. In fact, the material written about is so complex and the quizzes and tests so challenging that, for an added fee, you are encouraged to purchase an additional "study book" to accompany the main book! The author clearly knows a lot about economics, but not a lot about making the material interesting nor digestible. I read each chapter twice, studied the review notes and chapter summaries, and still struggled to grasp many of the economic concepts. The quizzes and tests released by the publisher are likewise so challenging that it is terribly daunting to take them, even with an open-book policy.

Finally, for being a 14th edition the book and its accompanying material surely isn't devoid of any errors! Some portions of this book are updated to reflect 2005 and even 2006 information, while other parts have been carelessly neglected and still contain conflicting information from earlier editions. The PowerPoint summaries provided by the company are riddled with typos and technical/formatting issues; some even have "editor comment" notes still stuck to various slides. Finally, both the quizzes and tests have multiple blatant ERRORS in them, so answers which are factually correct based on the book's own material were scored as incorrect on more than a few occasions. I can't believe that such an expensive book, at its 14th edition, would still have such errors within its materials. Apparently the author doesn't believe in proofreading or just dreads reading over his own sandpaper-dry material. This book has left a bitter taste in my mouth and was anything but enjoyable to read. Based primarily on the errors encountered in the book and related materials, I have recommended that the professors at my college explore other alternatives, and they agree.

5.0 out of 5 stars Basic Economics Text Review, May 5, 2009

By	Nikki Hamilton "Jessica" (Davisboro, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Economics (with InfoTrac 1-Semester, Economic Applications Online Printed Access Card) (Paperback)

I was very pleased with this product. I ordered it on a Friday a received it the following Monday. Extremely fast shipping! The product was just as described. Excellent!

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic Econ book review, August 17, 2008

By	R. Evers - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Book has alot of highlighting and written notes on several pages in the book and is very distracting especially when learning a new subject for the first time.