Samuelsons text was first published in 1948, and it immediately became the authority for the principles of economics courses. The book continues to be the standard-bearer for principles courses, and this revision continues to be a clear, accurate, and interesting introduction to modern economics principles. Bill Nordhaus is now the primary author of this text, and he has revised the book to be as current and relevant as ever.
In comparison with my mother's 7th ed. copy of the Samuelson textbook, this edition sucks. They've replaced using many interesting examples with an in depth discussion of how to do basic math. I'd rather learn the concepts using out of date examples (for instance, projecting the size of the USSR's economy versus the US's through the year 2000) than read this PC, simplified drivel.