Now that Amazon has finally gotten their act together on making the Kindle edition available and getting the price right, it appears that RGD is an even better bargain on Kindle than I had hoped. While the retail price is $1.99, Amazon is selling it for only $1.59 in the USA; the international price is $3.59. It will be interesting to see if more people give it a shot than they would have at the usual $9.99 price. Personally, I don’t think any ebook should be sold for more than $4.99; higher prices are merely an artifact of old pricing patterns that should soon disappear. If you have a Kindle, why not go ahead and give it a shot… it’s less than a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck!
In the meantime, Clint has posted a review there which should suffice to answer the frequently asked question of whether the book is suitable for non-economists or not:
I am not an economist. I do have a basic understanding of economic principles, but tend to glaze over when I start looking at economic charts and in depth analysis. In this book, there are various explanations and scenarios that are presented. I was able to follow each and every one of them. Not only that, but there was an appropriate amount of humor injected into the text to keep a non-economist entertained.
Here are the strong points from my vantage point: The highlights of various schools of economic thought were covered in an effective and fair manner. Potential outcomes for our current economic crisis are presented, with a “Vox-style” handicapping of each scenario presented. Historical data from not only the Depression of the 1930s, but similarities with the Japanese economic condition of 20 years ago and even other comparable situations were presented and explained in a way that helps to see why he draws the conclusions that he does. I know more about economics now than ever before because he does not rely upon any one economic school (Keynes, Austrian, etc) to dominate the conversation, but draws upon them all….
Conclusion: I highly recommend the book.
I know how it can be difficult to write an intelligent and meaningful review of a book, so I very much appreciate the time and effort spent writing them. If you have one, don’t forget to send the link to me so I can post it here, and sooner rather than later, at the RGD book site as well.
UPDATE: RGD is now the 6th best-selling economics book on Kindle. Chalk up another one for price elasticity and the law of supply and demand.