A Brief History of Economic Genius

by Paul Strathern

Strathern brings the reader along in a lively, breezy and elegant manner, through Adam Smith and Hume; the French Optimists and British Pessimists: Saint-Simon and Owen; Marx and Hegel; Pareto; Veblen; Schumpeter, Keynes, John Nash and finally fullcircle back to von Neumann. Strathern uncovers the genuine progression of the development of mathematics and economic theory, from double-entry booking keeping to the discovery of standard deviation and the various applications of probability theory. These brilliant economists and mathematicians often were aware of each other, had met each other or read each other's work thereby influencing and building upon one another's conclusions. Strathern manages his broad swath of historical information and condenses it into a very usable, readable and informative format.

Genres: Business, History, Economics, Finance, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Paul Strathern (born 1940) is a English writer and academic. He was born in London, and studied at Trinity College, Dublin, after which he served in the Merchant Navy over a period of two years. He then lived on a Greek island. In 1966 he travelled overland to India and the Himalayas. His novel A Season in Abyssinia won a Somerset Maugham Award in 1972.

Besides five novels, he has also written numerous books on science, philosophy, history, literature, medicine and economics.

Reviews

[Georges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice way to present the economic history. I like it very much.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, yet too obviously slapdash in its explanations of economic theories. Would love to call and scold the editor for the butchered job, ignoring countless extra spaces in the middle of words. Nevertheless, a fun read as a beginner's overview of big economic thinkers and their eccentric lives.

[Luis]

I found this book in the break room at work. I read it off and on during lunch breaks and I have to say it's pretty good. A good balance between depth of coverage and readability. Will definitely finish but probably not for another 3-4 months! Ha!

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snarky good times. Pair with: gin & tonic, salt & pepper chips.

[Joseph Ebb · Rating 4 out of 5]

It turns out I still like econ! Now, if only I could bring myself to read Piketty's book.