Basic Economics
by Thomas Sowell
★ Top 25 book of 2000 · #16 on Best Books of 2000
Thomas Sowell explains economics in plain English, with no graphs, equations, or jargon. Using examples from around the world and across centuries, he shows how whole societies create prosperity or poverty.
Best for: General readers wanting an easy, jargon-free introduction to how economies work
Basic Economics is #16 on BookWard's Best Books of 2000, out of 45 2000 books that cleared our data bar.
What Basic Economics is about
Thomas Sowell argues that much of the answer to why societies create prosperity or poverty lies in how a society organizes its economy, and he sets out to explain the workings in language anyone can follow. There are no charts, graphs or equations, and he avoids jargon.
The book starts from scarcity and trade-offs, then moves through prices and markets, industry, wages and work, time and risk, the national economy and international trade. A later edition adds a section on special issues. Along the way Sowell takes up price controls, taxes, subsidies, monopoly, regulation, minimum wages and the contest between free markets and central planning, with examples from many countries and centuries. His tone is plainspoken and firmly opinionated. It will help students, voters and curious readers who want a clear footing in economics before they argue about it.
Basic Economics on the Best Books of 2000
Basic Economics came out in 2000. Of the 45 books first published in 2000 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #16 on our Best Books of 2000 list.
Why it made the list: 315 readers have shelved it on Open Library. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2000 list
- Gathering Blue Lois Lowry, #14
- The Wide Window Lemony Snicket, #15
- The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot, #17
- Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris, #18
See all Best Books of 2000 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1999 Best Books of 2001.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 283 want to read it, 18 are reading it now and 14 have read it, according to Open Library.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 69 | 55% |
| Reader love | 20 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 64 | 20% |
Questions about Basic Economics
When was Basic Economics published?
Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell was first published in 2000.
Was Basic Economics one of the best books of 2000?
Basic Economics is #16 on BookWard's Best Books of 2000, out of 45 2000 books that cleared our data bar. 315 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
Why is Basic Economics on the Best Books of 2000 list?
315 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
More of the best books of 2000
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J. K. Rowling, #1
- The 48 Laws of Power Robert Greene, #2
- Because of Winn-Dixie Kate DiCamillo, #3
- The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson, #4
- Life of Pi Yann Martel, #5
- Esperanza Rising Pam MunĚoz Ryan, #6
See the full Best Books of 2000, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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