An Outline of the History of Economic Thought

As an economist my own interpretation for the expression "the dismal science" is not so much that Economics has a grim world view, but that it has a dismal record in explaining human reality - even a disdain for it. In the market for this knowledge it should be clear what reality thinks of Economics, as none of the people calling the shots in corporations, banking or government are trained economists. Even such a "luminary" as Alan Greenspan has now been revealed as the poor sap who couldn't believe greedy bankers behaved like... greedy bankers. As a non-economist you might be drawn to the subject, particularly in these times of recession and crisis, but for over three hundred years Economics has produced a mountain of books, journals and articles brimming with gobbledeegook; where to begin? This is one of the few books that can be used as a map to navigate the dozens of different subjects, and takes the approach "so and so said this, but then this other guy said that", so you can then dive into more specialized books. After you've read this I would suggest searching for history books which deal with whatever catches your fancy, and center on the individuals who shaped the story, so you can connect psychology, sociology, politics and other fields - what Economics should be instead of the useless pig with mathematical lipstick it actually is.

I've used the book for the Hist of Econ Thought course I teach, and it has proved very useful. The authors explore the historical context as well as the theories of the economists in a clear and easily accessibly manner. The only critique I have is their apparent sympathy to a school of thought I disagree with, but that does not detract from the overview they provide.