Basic Economics cover art

Basic Economics

A Citizen's Guide to the Economy

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Basic Economics

By: Thomas Sowell
Narrated by: Brian Emerson
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 Basic Economics has been written with the thought that learning economics should be not only a relaxed experience but also an enjoyable one.

This is the revised and expanded edition of a new kind of introduction to economics for the general public, without graphs, statistics, or jargon. However, the enlargement of this edition is not just more of the same. In addition to being updated, Basic Economics has also become more international, with the inclusion of economic problems from more countries around the world, because the basic principles of economics are not confined by national borders. Each chapter reflects the experiences of many different peoples and cultures.

©2004 Thomas Sowell (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks Economics

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Social Justice Fallacies cover art
The Housing Boom and Bust cover art
Controversial Essays cover art
The Vision of the Anointed cover art
Knowledge and Decisions cover art
Intellectuals and Society cover art
Applied Economics cover art
Wealth, Poverty, and Politics cover art
Basic Economics, Fourth Edition cover art
The Thomas Sowell Reader cover art
Human Action cover art
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism cover art
Why Nations Fail cover art
FDR's Folly cover art
Principles cover art
The Wealth of Nations cover art

Critic reviews

"Clear and concise....Among economists of the past 30 years, [Sowell] stands very proud indeed." ( The Wall Street Journal)
" Basic Economics is not only valuable for a general lay-person audience, it would also benefit lawyers, politicians, and, yes, economists, as well." ( Washington Times)
All stars
Most relevant
As an Economics Lecturer I am very happy to recommend this book. It has an American flavor but the principles apply equally across the pond. The listening is easy and interesting and I recommend this book to all of my classes. For Economic analysis and formula you need to look elsewhere though. Happy listening.

Reveals the hidden truths of the world

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I haven't read the Wealth of Nations - but this book has reminded me i must.

I have listened 3 times and will review until i can remember it all.

Unfortunately I would like to hear more balance on the Theory. The book gives all the upsides of free market theory, but doesn't deal with the problems - war, fraud addiction, pity and abuse.

These fundamentals which create many of the 'Problem' policies, which the book discredits need not be so easily dismissed.

Adam Smith economic fundamentals

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As an Economics Lecturer I am very happy to recommend this book. It has an American flavor but the principles apply equally across the pond. The listening is easy and interesting and I recommend this book to all of my classes. For Economic analysis and formula you need to look elsewhere though. Happy listening.

Reveals the hidden truths of the world

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I expected this to give a broad overview of general economic theories such as Keynesian and Monetarist ideas, perhaps the role of interest rates and so on. Instead you get an extremely dull US/USSR focussed book with startling insights such as not only do businesses have to watch their income, they must also watch their expenditure. Also, I have never known a book labour simple points so much - 15 minutes talking about New York rent controls to illustrate the role of prices and then another 10 making the same point with other equally banal examples. Avoid.

Avoid

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I found the narrator boring and irritating at times. The content was reasonably good but I feel that it was poorly structured.

Disappointing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews