Textbook Recommendation — Economics 3rd Edition by Timothy Taylor
Part of the Great Courses Collection, this is an excellent book for a general introduction to economics and microeconomics and macroeconomics plus internation trade.
The thing about Economics is that it is a very old subject, and there is no shortage of books that a student can buy and read. There are of course, plenty of free books available as well. Like the Wealth of Nations book that I wrote about in an earlier post.
After much searching, I narrowed myself down to the audible edition of the 3rd Edition of Economics by Professor Timothy Taylor.
The original video course is available here. note: It’s too expensive for any Indian student, even someone like me who buys a lot of goods from US in dollar currency. Still, I will link it here.
Economics, 3rd Edition Prof. Taylor-Business & Economics (thegreatcourses.com)
Now, the version I used, is the one from audible, which is far more reasonably priced at about a 1000 INR.
The links have detailed chapter wise breakdown, but, for me, it covered everything I could think of. From here on, I have an idea what I personally like to specialize (as of now, my mind is thinking social mobility plus inequality, behavioral economics plus psychology).
Now, the book was recorded somewhere around 2004, I think. So, much of the current event stuff is outdated. Still, I am the guy who loves reading and learning from something as ancient as Wealth of Nations. I don’t mind some of the content being outdated.
Also, the professor is a good mix of high energy, some jokes, and occasionally pragmatic. There is no bias, which reminds me of the content I get from The Economist. I am a centrist, so, this specific style of teaching makes sense to me.
Now, unlike other books, there is no ‘textbook’ that you can buy. You either get the audio version or the super ultra expensive video version. It’s more like a lecture. The book is part of the “Great Courses” brand which provides video or audio lectures on a variety of topics.
Well, anyway, that’s my recommendation as a first time Economics student. Happy Learning.
