Optimization in Economic Theory

Rating:
Summary: Good Before Your First Year
Review: If you haven't had a lot of math before entering an econ PhD program, this book is a great intro. I highly recommend if you need info on
- Lagrange's method & Shadow prices
- Value functions
- Convex sets
- Maximum Theorem
- Dynamic Programming
It's a quick read, but well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: I was very stupid to buy this book
Review: Many people say this book is great. But donot be fool! They are trying to make you a fool!

The authors gets everything from the air! My impression is this book is a baby sersion of the Varian Microeconomic Analysis book. I learn absolutely nothing from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent supplement
Review: This book is an excellent supplement for classroom lecture. I often used it to clarify methodology used in my graduate level macroeconomics course. The presentation of the maximum principle and Hamiltonians in dynamic optimization was most helpful. In about 10 pages he clarified what 6 hours of reviewing lecture notes could not.