In its fourth edition, "Economics Explained" continues its announced purpose -- to explain that mysterious thing called economics. But there is a new urgency to the book. It is announced in the first sentence of the introduction: "Just in case the reader-to-be hasn't noticed, disturbing things are going on in the American economy these days."This new edition is about these disturbing things: a trend toward inequality of incomes, the appearance of a new "globalized" capitalism, the "specter" of inflation. As before, Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow treat these problems in language that seeks to make clear their causes and treatments. In this straightforward, highly accessible reference, Heilbroner and Thurow -- two of America's most respected and articulate economists -- offer all the economics essential for becoming an effective investor, a savvy business decision maker, or simply an informed member of society.

Heilbroner and Thurow are two of today's better-known economists, their commentary more likely to appear in the New Yorker or Newsweek than as a piece in the American Economic Review. This is the substantially revised and updated third edition of their primer on economics. Well written and readable, it successfully targets those with little or no background in the subject, clearly explaining concepts such as the GNP, deficit spending, and price systems. It also provides an overview of the history of economic thought by contrasting the theories of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes. While economic theories are often likely to be colored by political or moral values, the authors readily identify opinions or statements that may be controversial. David Rouse

莱斯特•瑟罗

哈佛大学经济学博士。曾在约翰逊总统经济顾问委员会工作11年，但绝大部分时间都是在哈佛大学、麻省理工学院等院校任教。知名经济学家保罗•克鲁格曼（Paul Krugman）称颂瑟罗是“将经济观念诠释得简单清楚的经济学家”。

瑟罗教授的主要作品包括：《知识经济时代》《危险的趋势：经济学的现状》《零和社会解决方案：建设国际水平的美国经济》《资本主义的未来》等。

罗伯特•海尔布罗纳

美国制度经济学的杰出代表人物之一。毕业于哈佛大学，先后任教于耶鲁大学、哈佛大学、普林斯顿大学、芝加哥大学、宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院等名校。

海尔布罗纳在其职业生涯中，先后出版了20余本著作，包括：《世俗哲人——几位著名经济思想家的生平、时代和思想》（1953，再版6次，被转译为24种文字，发行量达300万册）、《作为历史的未来》（1960，被转译为5种文字）、《看得懂的经济学》（1982，已出第4版）等。