When most students think of “principles of economics” textbooks, they think, “long, boring, and expensive.” Economic Principles: Seven Ideas for Thinking... About Almost Anything is designed to be none of those things. Instead, the book is relatively short, and focuses on the essential ideas in microeconomics; it is not encyclopedic, and doesn't read like an encyclopedia.

Appropriate for a Principles of Microeconomics course, the book’s main emphasis is on explaining economic behavior, rather than crunching numbers. It is full of interesting real-life examples, applications, and humorous stories—and no mention of “widgets”! There are several end-of-chapter appendices to for those who want to better understand the mathematical models; however, the entire book can be read and understood without them.

The overriding emphasis of Economic Principles is on explanation. Repetitive curve shifting and theoretical policy discussions are not to be found, as the most important aspect of a principles course is to teach students how to think like an economist, and this begins with explaining behavior. Economic Principles will engage students in this way, without overburdening their wallets or their backpacks.

Douglas Allen is the Burnaby Mountain Professor of economics at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., where he earned his undergraduate degree. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Washington, and is the author of four books and numerous articles.