Naked Economics
by Charles J. Wheelan · first published 2002
88% recommend12% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An entertaining, intuitive overview of mainstream economics that explains core concepts without textbook dryness. Suits newcomers and technologists wanting an example-driven grounding, including regulation.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"At last! A new edition of the economics book that won’t put you to sleep. In fact, you won’t be able to put this bestseller down. In our challenging economic climate, this perennial favorite of students and general readers is more than a good read, it’s a necessary investment—with a blessedly sure rate of return. This revised and updated edition includes commentary on hot topics such as automation, trade, income inequality, and America’s rising debt. Ten years after the financial crisis, Naked Economics examines how policymakers managed the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."--
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
Corporate Finance
Stephen Ross, Randolph Westerfield, Jeffrey Jaffe, Bradford Jordan
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 21 recommend · 2 mention1 recommend · 21 recommend
2016–2025Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings
Philip A. Fisher
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 33 recommend · 3 mention3 recommend · 33 recommend
2010–2022Applied Economics
Thomas Sowell
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 65 recommend · 6 mention5 recommend · 65 recommend
2016–2026The long twentieth century
Giovanni Arrighi
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 32 recommend · 3 mention2 recommend · 32 recommend
2010–2020How to read the financial pages
Peter Passell
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2008–2026Principles of Economics
N. Gregory Mankiw
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 2511 recommend · 25 mention11 recommend · 2511 recommend
2010–2025Money, whence it came, where it went
John Kenneth Galbraith
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 105 recommend · 10 mention5 recommend · 105 recommend
2011–2025Value investing
Bruce C. N. Greenwald
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 55 recommend · 5 mention5 recommend · 55 recommend
Naked Economics by Wheelan http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Economics-Undressing-Dismal-Scie...
on “Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?” ↗Naked Economics[1] is a good basic introduction. Hayek's Road to Serfdom[2] is also a key text if you want a historically embedded one. An interesting point about it is that Orwell reviewed it, with qualified praise,…
on “The 2 Simple Reasons the Soviet Union Was Doomed to Fail” ↗It's a tie between Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan and Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Naked Economics was a brilliant overview of economics in that it explains all the concepts behind economics without being utterly boring (like…
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why” ↗It depends how far into economics you want to get (and remember, I am not at all an economist, just an interested layperson). A good book for getting started, IMO, is Charles Wheelan's "Naked Economics". The first thing that I read was "Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell, which I liked a lot and highly recommend - however, keep in mind that Thomas Sowell is very capitalist/right leaning, and the book…
on “Why Aren’t Rich People Happy With the Money They Have?” ↗I recommend a book titled "naked economics" for all. It is a great book and a must read for a technologist to see "macro vectors" alongside the "technical vectors" that help for a sounder prediction of the future. http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Economics-Undressing-Dismal-Scie...
on “How Soros Broke the Pound” ↗For an overview of mainstream modern econ, if you read nothing else, read Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan. For a good introduction to the major economic schools of thought check out Economics as Religion by Robert Nelson (he has written a new one on the same subject that I haven't yet read).…
on “Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?” ↗Bookwise, some places to start for general overviews of economics are: "New Ideas from Dead Economists" by Todd Buchholtz "Naked Economics" by Charles Wheelan Blogwise: http://www.marginalrevolution.com/ is entertaining and filled with good insights from a libertarian point of view. http://economistsview.typepad.com/ has more centrist/liberal…
on “Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?” ↗http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Economics-Undressing-Dismal-Scie... This might be it for economics. My understanding of how markets work has been growing exponentially bedtime to bedtime.
on “Terrence Tao: The Cosmic Distance Ladder” ↗Naked Economics - A great book on understanding how the world works in simple economic terms
on “If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?” ↗Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Wheelan, Charles Economics explained in the most intuitive way. On a related note I started an account at goodreads.com at the start of this year. It is great for keeping…
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗…Economics - Thomas Sowell. Brilliant book, was my first introduction to real economics. Most people will say it's heavily biased to the "right", so could be good for your usecase, but keep it in mind. 2. Naked Economics - Charled Wheelan. A bit shorter and lighter than Sowell, but a great book. I think it's a lot more balanced. 3. Great Courses courses on economics (audiobooks). A good one to start with is "Economics"…
on “Richest 1% will own more than all the rest by 2016” ↗For what it's worth, I really enjoyed Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan, even though it may be considered a popular economics best seller. I though it offered a great introduction to a field I knew very little about.
on “Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?” ↗Try "Naked Economics" by Charles Wheelan [1]. In my opinion, he does a good job of providing examples both of failed regulation and also situations where regulation is necessary and beneficial. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Economics-Undressing-Dismal-Sci...
on “Thomas Sowell interview” ↗…the author's own research which is hardly a good start. That said, they are still entertaining to read. So, you may like to look at the following ones: * "The Undercover Economist" by Tim Harford * "Naked Economics" by Charles Wheelan I've read the first one and he covers a rather broad selection of topics. I didn't read the second one but the reviews at Amazon made me put it on my wish-list. So, Henry Hazlitt's…
on “Economics in One lesson - Henry Hazlitt” ↗Highly recommend Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan.
on “Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?” ↗