This brief paperback is perfect for anyone who wants a quick introduction to microeconomic principles as well as a concise overview of American economic history and current social and economic issues. The authors explain both "the economic way of thinking" -- the common threads, such as the power of choice, that tie our many disparate views together -- and why the economist's way of looking at things is so important today.

This publication introduces students in grades 48 to an economic way of thinking through exploring the mysteries of everyday life. Students solve each mystery by responding to hints provided by simple true/false questions and by reference to a logical system of reasoning that applies basic economic principles.

Choices matter. And in your teens and twenties, some of the biggest life decisions come about when you feel the least prepared to tackle them. Economist Robert T. Michael won’t tell you what to choose. Instead, he’ll show you how to make smarter choices. Michael focuses on five critical decisions we all face about college, career, partners, health, and parenting. He uses these to demonstrate how the science of scarcity and choice—concepts used to guide major business decisions and shape national legislation—can offer a solid foundation for our own lives. Employing comparative advantage can have a big payoff when picking a job. Knowing how to work the marketplace can minimize uncertainty when choosing a partner. And understanding externalities—the ripple of results from our actions—can clarify the if and when of having children. Michael also brings in data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a scientific sample of 18 million millennials in the United States that tracks more than a decade of young adult choices and consequences. As the survey’s longtime principal investigator and project director, Michael shows that the aggregate decisions can help us understand what might lie ahead along many possible paths—offering readers insights about how their own choices may turn out. There’s no singular formula for always making the right choice. But the adaptable framework and rich data at the heart of The Five Life Decisions will help you feel confident in whatever you decide.

Clear. Concise. The Guide to Critical Thinking in Economics is a summary and guide to the art of reasoning well in economics and in everyday life. Basic Skills of Critical Thinking The text provides a clear-introduction to claims, arguments, analogies, models, experiments, generalizing, and cause and effect reasoning using examples geared to economics students. Mastering Basic Skills Hundreds of examples are included, three-fourths of which are derived from real-life economics applications or are adapted from economics textbooks and journals. Economic Modeling This unique section explores the way models are created in economics. By looking at the process of creating models, students learn how abstraction from data benefits economic analysis. Self-Paced Presentation The text is designed to be used by students without taking class time away from economics studies. Richard L. Epstein received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley and has written numerous books on logic, critical thinking, and mathematics. He has been a National Academy of Sciences Scholar and a Fulbright Fellow and is currently head of the Advanced Reasoning Forum. Carolyn Kernberger received her B.G.S. cum laude from New Mexico Tech and her M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of New Mexico. She has taught in the United States, Japan, and at the College of Micronesia FSM, where she was also the Accreditation Officer.

In a series of conversational essays, this textbook discusses the manner in which economic thought addresses a broad array of everyday issues beyond classical textbook treatments. In the spirit of popular economics books, the author uncovers economic issues and solutions from individuals, businesses, society, and the country as a whole in a decidedly non-technical and relatable manner. Should the federal government mandate use of child safety seats on commercial airlines? Can genetic information substitute for a college degree? The contents of this book touch on many of these contemporary topics in an accessible way. Addressing undergraduate and graduate students, as well as scholars in different fields of economics, this book is a must-read for everybody interested in a better understanding of economic thought.

A hilariously funny cookbook–cum–how–I–did–it memoir by the chef/restaurateur who created New York's dazzling Ápizz restaurant. At the age of thirty–seven, John LaFemina left a lucrative career as a jeweler to become a chef. Instead of going back to school, or getting on–the–job training, he did it the hard way: he bought the restaurant and then taught himself to cook. Today he owns two of New York's great Italian restaurants–Ápizz and Peasant–and is one of the city's most–talked–about chefs, earning rave reviews from fans and critics. In this gorgeous cookbook, he not only shares scores of recipes, but describes his life as a Canarsie boy learning about meatballs and macaroni in his mother's kitchen–and reveals how he drew on a lifetime of Italian cooking, and his own hard work and exquisite taste to create his dream restaurant from scratch. LaFemina takes us step–by–step through the process of finding the perfect location (and figuring out how many meatballs you have to sell to pay the rent), designing a restaurant, procuring all the necessary permits and licenses, and creating the menu. And this is just the first part of running a restaurant. He shares his experiences in dealing with the public and the press, unexpected disasters, and finally, basking in the glory of a popular restaurant. Along with his inspiring story, John LaFemina also shares 100 mouthwatering recipes, including: Lasagna with Braised Wild Boar Mushroom Risotto Veal, Beef, and Pork Meatballs with Ricotta Filling Open Ravioli with Roasted Butternut Squash Creamsicle Panna Cotta Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

To understand economics is to understand the practical case for freedom. The great merit of this book is to bring out the connection in the clearest and shortest possible way. The Concise Guide To Economicsis a handy, quick reference guide for those already familiar with basic economics, and a brief, compelling primer for everyone else. Professor Jim Cox introduces topics ranging from entrepreneurship, wages, money, trade, and inflation to the consequences of price controls and anti-price gouging laws. If it were read alongside the daily newspaper, it would undermine most all the fallacies that appear nearly every day. Along the way, he defends the crucial role of advertising, speculators, and heroic insider traders. Thus does the book combines straightforward, common sense analysis with hard-core dedication to principle, using the fewest words possible to explain the topic clearly. And each brief chapter includes references to further reading so those who are curious to dig deeper will know where to look next. The popularity of this book has been growing for several years. A website dedicated to itis already very popular. One organization dedicated to public activism buys it by the hundreds, viewing it as the shortest and best way to counter economic fallacy. The Concise Guide makes a great gift to those who have never thought about the workings of economic logic, and thereby misunderstand the case for free-market capitalism. From the Introduction by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.: "The beauty of Cox's book comes from both its clear exposition and its brevity. He offers only a few paragraphs on each topic but that is enough for people see both error and truth. Sometimes just mapping out the logic beyond the gut reaction is enough to highlight an economic truth. He does this for nearly all the topics that confront us daily. "Many people only have a moment. That's why the guide is essential. It is probably the shortest and soundest guide to economic logic in print. May it be burned into the consciousness of every citizen now and in the future."