The Best Introductory Economics Books

Murray Rothbard

I see various books recommended as great introductory books for the general public to sound economics.

As far as I am concerned the best two books are
Making Economic Sense by Murray Rothbard and Economic Controversies also by Rothbard.

In full the two books are collections of essays written by Rothbard, spanning three decades (the 1960s to his passing in the 1990s) on topics that are as relevant today as they were when he first wrote them. And Rothbard was a master at writing clearly and knowing how to get to the point. And no one presents sound economics for the layman better than Rothbard.

I always recommend that Making Economic Sense be read first then Controversies, the essays in Economic Sense are shorter and easier to follow but they are both great introductions.

I tell people to read one essay a day as if reading a blog post. I consistently get positive feedback on the readings. Once you get hooked on Rothbard, you can't stop.

I tell people that once they make it through the two books they will know more economics than 99% of the people in the United States (economists included).

   

-RW