An Undismal Comic
Most people don't know anything about economics. Motivated by his own ignorance, Michael Goodwin decided to find out more about "the dismal science." The result is Economix (Abrams ComicArts), a surprisingly entertaining use of the graphic novel format for education in a sometimes tricky but always important field.
Goodwin begins with Adam Smith, explaining the fundamentals of free trade while putting Smith's ideas into historical context. The book goes on to discuss David Ricardo, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Thomas Malthus, F.A. Hayek and others with surprising fairness.
The book's accounts of the Great Depression and the recent financial crash will frustrate those of the Austrian persuasion (who think governments, not markets, are largely to blame). But Goodwin skillfully explains some of the more subtle and unfamiliar economic concepts that frequently fly over the heads of laymen, while Dan E. Burr's informative and engaging illustrations keep the reader grounded.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?