The Applied Theory of Price

...I agree...that this is the best introductory/intermediate text on microeconomics available. Students do learn how (and to be fair, perhaps even vaguely why) to take the second derivative of a demand curve before they learn to reason economically; refreshingly, Ms. McCloskey's textbook can teach you the bread and butter of economic theory before you get bogged down in the (useful) mathematics. Though higher-level mathematics is essential in economics; it should come later in the game. For graduate and MBA students, the book is a very useful re-introduction to the subject

This book is unfortunately out of print. However, McCloskey's brilliant exposition of applied price theory is not only more intellectually challenging than ordinary text books (e.g. Varian), but also a lot more fun. The writing is witty and the examples relevant. This is economics as it should be - with relevance to practical problems and not only sterile exercises in math.

This is the best university text on traditional microeconomics in the English language. Its only rival is George Stigler's "Price Theory". Written with wit and humor by a masterful writer. McCloskey is not a theorist or a failed mathematician; he is a historian and a student of human beings.