Rating: 
Summary: Excellent casual explanations, but I want the math.
Review: The Armchair Economist does an excellent job of explaining why the obvious answer is the wrong answer to many questions about the marketplace. It's a good read; some economics popularizations fail to couple examples to the real world, and this volume explains a lot of commenplace situations in a small space.I would have appreciated more of the math. I realize that mine is a minority preference, so I suggest to the author that he produce a companion volume with the same sequence of chapters as The Armchair Economist. Each chapter of the proposed companion volume would give the math that underlies the corresponding chapter of The Armchair Economist.
Rating: 
Summary: An Arrogant Defense of Greed
Review: The author of this book finds himself highly clever and amusing. I find him highly smug and pompous. His claim that increased deforestation is good for the tree population is a prime example of the twisted logic of an urban capitalist who simply cannot admit that his comfort comes at a high price. What a load of beans. Recycle at once!
Rating:
Summary: politicization is in the beholder's eye
Review: The criticism of this book seems to be largely based on the feeling that rational economics leads to unsatisfactory political conclusions and even possibly that rational economics is itself a suspect theory. My take is that this is a pretty fun read that illustrates some basic economic concepts via common examples. True, it is not comprehensive and the arguments presented are neither completely thorough or precise. But then again, that's not what I'm looking for from a book about economics with the word "armchair" in the title. Anwyway, if rational economics isn't a good model, what is? Central planning? Keynesian economics? European socialism? The criticism here is of a worldview, not this book. It should come as no surprise that to those whose political views tend to conflict with rational economics, this book is threatening and must indeed seem highly political. But imho, the political agenda is in the eye of the beholder. When you point a finger, there are 3 pointing back at you. Quit picking a fight about epistemology with a country pastor.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging and Delightful! Simplistic and Naive!
Review: The first time I read this book I enjoyed it. I liked its flowing prose and delighted in its plausible explanations of puzzling economic phenomena. The second time I read it I found it almost infuriating in its naivete. His focus on individual consumer preference and dismissal of other factors result in a dismal science indeed. Applying Landsburg's framework to an extreme example, we might find slavery to make perfect economic sense. The buyers and sellers of the "commodity" would simply be expressing their preferences via prices and transactions. Of course, in this case, human suffering is left out of the equation. So in many of Landsburg's examples, something is invariably missing from the equation. Landsburg is especially passionate in his denouncement of environmentalism as "a force-fed potpourri of myth, superstition, and ritual". Perhaps he did personally encounter this debased version of environmental, but he must not have looked very far for another kind. His mistake is in making the colonial assumption that natural resources are free and endless. This may have seemed a natural mistake for Adam Smith, but it's inexcusable for Landsburg writing in 1993. His model of "Grimyville" and "Cleanstown" takes a different turn once health costs and cleanup costs are added to the equation. Apart for his environmental blind spot, Landsburg also fails to discuss Econ 101 topics such as externalized costs, the tragedy of the commons, and the principal-agent problem. The difference between my first and second readings was five years of living in the real world. This book might be great for late night discussions in the freshman dorms, but will eventually ring hollow once reality sets in. P.S. Since I will be trying to sell my used copy of the book, does my negative review demonstrate irrational behavior?
Rating:
Summary: Sickeningly self-righteous
Review: The unfettered, dogmatically self-righteous condescension which pervaded every page of this book was sickening. It can only be taken in very small doses. If every economist displays this level of blinkered, philistine pig-ignorance about every aspect of human nature and society outside of rational profit-seeking, then we are all in big trouble. This book is useful only to understand the collective, delusional sickness of economists.
Rating: 
Summary: Muddled and unconvincing, with some good concepts
Review: There were some good concepts here, but the stories meant to use the ideas all went astray. Each application of an economic principle to the story changed the result, and when he stopped with one conclusion, I always wondered why he didn't take it one more step and reach the opposite conclusion. It seems that any conclusion wanted can be reached. His arrogant commentary left me distrusting his chosen conclusion. Maybe economic theory isn't so useful after all. Much better was 'New Ideas from Dead Economists.'
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, yet mean spirited and disorganized
Review: This book is a good read; it's fun, entertaining, and factual correct. Landsburg explains simple concepts through the eyes of an economist with blinders on. It's an interesting read where pages seem to fly by. For an educational book, it flows as freely as a novel, and is incredibly gripping for something about economics. He presents different scenarios, from the price of popcorn to government debt, and shows how a true economist would view each situation in small bite sized chapters. It's both refreshing, and at some points, eye-opening. One problem is that he tends to simplify everything way too much. It's hard to relate what he says to the real world when many of the details are gone. For example, when explaining national debt, he talks about the lending rate, and the rate of return to being exactly the same. He doesn't explain what would happen if they were different. Another problem I had is the lack of continuity. He seems to switch from one topic to another without any direction. Sometimes, the types of arguments were repeated from one hundred pages ago, while the previous page had nothing to do with the current page. With about 30 or so seemingly random arguments and situations present, it's hard to place it all into any lesson or theme. Finally, and most importantly, Landsburg seems to take out his aggressions and displays some mean spirited rants in the latter part of the book. I felt that it incredibly hurt his credibility. When someone starts debasing someone else's opinion vehemently and atrociously, it gives the impressions of fanaticism rather than cool-headed thinking. He seems to enjoy criticizing every line of particular papers and making the writer feel like an idiot. He even goes so far as to reprinting a letter he wrote to his daughter's kindergarten teacher espousing the horrors of environmentalism and how the teacher is indoctrinating his daughter into it. I would recommend this book as good, fun, quick read. As an educational piece, it needs to be more organized and more levelheaded.
Rating: 
Summary: Take the one-star reviews with a large grain of salt
Review: This book is excellent, and quite readable if you can think logically. As best as I can tell, most of the one-star reviews come from Landsburg's skewering of the environmental movement. He talks about it as a religion, and the emotional reaction of those reviewers shows he's pretty much on target. Bottom line - if you can suppress your emotional attachment to certain popular ideas and consider them objectively, you'll like this book. If you can't, you'll hate it.
Rating:
Summary: A Poor Intro to Economics
Review: This book was terrible. Repeatedly Steven Landsburg presents examples of how others have gotten economics wrong, then proceeds to make the same mistakes himself. Steven Landsburg comes across as an arrogant anti-environmentalist. He even has the gumption to print the letter he sent to his daughters kindergarten teacher blasting her for teaching recycling. The idea that recycling paper is bad for the environment because then paper producers would then not plant trees is ridiculous. If it were not for the outlawing of hemp by Hearst in the 1920's, paper would still be made of it and destruction of forests for paper would not have happened. The fact is recycling reduces the use of chlorine and production of dioxins. If forest are not used for paper then maybe it can be used for a hike. But the idea that the environment or any other object has a value beyond today is not important. I ask Steve to think about the next generation when he starts claiming that we have to have dirty air, because if all air was cleaned, then the value of clean air will decline. The value of clean air will never decline. Also, the author presents the idea that democracy is inefficient and "the only 'democratic' procedure that meets the minimal requirements for democracy is to anointing a dictator!" What does the book say about the growing income gap in America? Steven says that it is a myth - that statistics do not show that one year you may have a bad year and the next a good year. Steven seems to think that right now the rich are rich, but tomorrow they will trade places with the poor and it will all come out on the wash some how. Concerned about high pay of corporate officers? Well Steven thinks they are not payed enough for there "risk." This is not really an economics book, but a diatribe to justify the current destruction of the environment, and growing income gap.
Rating:
Summary: Humorous introduction to Economics
Review: This books uses real world examples to debunk some of the common misconceptions and preconceived notions people have about economics. In business school, I used this book to get an overall perspective on the topic to avoid getting lost in the details. A must read for any one who has always wanted to learn more about economics but was afraid to ask....
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