The Academic Scribblers

Rating:
Summary: Worth the weight to tote to class
Review: For any undergraduate or layperson, the Academic Scribblers is the most lucid uncomplicated look at the work of 12 key economists. If you ever need a good guide to the subject of economics this is it.

Rating:
Summary: Makes complex theory understandable
Review: I had the privilege of studying under Dr William Breit at Trinity University in San Antonio, and can attest to his skill in (and dedication to) taking abstruse economic thought and making it comprehensible to -- if not the layman -- at least the student with some grounding in economic principles.

(Dr Breit and his partner in crime Dr Kenneth Elzinga perform a similar service in the series of murder mysteries they penned under the name Marshall Jevons -- a pseudonym derived from the names of two of the economists profiled in 'The Academic Scribblers.')

Condensing the life work of major economists into articles of a few pages long necessarily involves leaving some things out and seriously compressing others. In spite of this, though, Breit and Ransom give us a comprehensive look at these men and their work -- enough to understand their place in the pantheon of economic thought. They also show how that thought has stood the test of time and the assaults of competing theories. And while the authors' editorializing is light, they are also willing to point out how these economic ideas have been employed in the political arena.

In all, a great textbook for an Intro to Economic Thought class, and a valuable tool for someone wishing to understand the paths the 'dismal science' has traveled over time.