Product Description

A guide for newcomers to the world of economics introduces such basics as trade deficits, recessions, and bull markets, offering a humorous approach to understanding everyday concepts. 20,000 first printing. Tour. Fortune Bk Club.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #488365 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
"You would probably do just as well choosing a stock by throwing a stockbroker at a dartboard as listening to his advice?and you would save money," opines Buchholz (New Ideas from Dead Economists) in this humorous version of Econ 101. Here he demystifies such terms as inflation, monetary policy, exchange rates and corporate financing and provides a concise history of economic thought from Adam Smith to contemporary supply-side economics. Formerly associate director of economic policy on President Bush's Economic Policy Council and now president of an international consulting firm, Buchholz argues against adopting a Canadian-style national health plan or forcing employers to provide medical coverage. Instead, he says, individuals should be required to obtain their own, to discourage frivolous expenditures. Fortune Book Club selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The news contains major stories about various aspects of the economy, from the stock market to inflation to GATT. For the nonspecialist, the economic concepts involved may be daunting. According to Buchholz, "most people have found economics to be like a bad steak: dry, tough, and tasteless." Buchholz, who has served as associate director of economic policy and deputy executive secretary of the White House Economic Policy Council, here aims to demystify economics. Using contemporary examples to explain key economic principles, he presents an uncomplicated and clear analysis. The book is divided into five parts: macroeconomics, microeconomics, international economics, business and individual investment, and history of economic thought. The appendix lists "Greatest Hits of Economics," including the five top economists; a helpful list of suggested readings is included. Recommended for public libraries as a complement to the author's previous New Ideas from Dead Economists: An Introduction to Modern Economic Thought (NAL, 1989).
Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, N. Y.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Economics is anything but dismal in the hands of Buchholz, a former professor and regular contributor to Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. His New Ideas from Dead Economists (1989) was a lively, entertaining introduction to economic theory that effectively explained various economic schools of thought--even for those whose eyes glaze over after reading the second page of the newspaper's business section. He continues here where the previous book left off, demonstrating how "economics" determines everything from the advertising we watch to the health care we receive. With four broad sections covering macroeconomics, microeconomics, international trade and finance, and investing, Buchholz offers up everyday, real-life examples that vividly and clearly illustrate the basic principles of economics. Highly recommended for all public libraries, but especially for smaller libraries with limited business collections. David Rouse

Customer Reviews

For people interested in learning more about economics.
"From Here to Economy: A Shortcut to Economic Literacy" by Todd Buchholz, presents a broad overview of contemporary (as of 1995) economic theory. It explains in simple terms the basic principles of contemporary macroeconomics, microeconomics, international economics, investment, and the history of economic philosophy. The target audience for this book is a specific demographic - people who are interested in understanding how the economy works in all respects, but are only really interested in a surface-level understanding of the central issues. This book is not appropriate reading material for economists or students of economics who wish to gain real insight into the nitty-gritty reality of economic theory. If you want to learn about economics, but don't want to spend more than six hours doing so, this is a great book for you to read. The tone of the book is largely informal, frank, and occasionally somewhat humorous. This is not your typically dry economics textbook.

A fine introduction, though now somewhat dated.
*From Here to Economy* is a concise and entertaining (if you like the author's sense of humor) introduction to economics. Since the book is only about 250 pages long, the coverage of any given topic is not deep, but the author does touch on the key concepts and explain them at a level appropriate for the literate novice. The book divides the subject into 5 sections: macroeconomics, microeconomics, international trade and finance, personal finance and investing, and schools of economic thought. The section on personal finance and investing will, I think, be particularly useful to the average reader, since it ties the broader economic concepts discussed in the rest of the book into the economic questions that most of us face every day. This section is also the one that struck me as dated, in that it does not mention all the investment information (both good and bad) that is now readily available on the Internet. However, that's a minor flaw in an otherwise very useful work. Readers may also want to look at Sowell's *Basic Economics* -- Sowell gives a fuller discussion of microeconomics, but he's also much more tendentious than Buchholz, is not so good on international topics, and does not discuss personal finance or the history of economic theory.

Great Introduction to Economics!
Before reading this book, I had so many basic questions about economics. This book has given me a satisfying level of insight and intuition about economics in general. The style is extrememly digestable. Each section is only a couple of pages, and if I ever forget what "Monetary Policy" is, I just have to look it up and read those two pages. It seems to flow very well, and yet the sections can also be read independently. I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in developing a basic "feel" for economics.