A few good books. Help a poor PhD student supplement his grant. ;-)
In alphabetical order by first author’s surname...
Per Bak
How Nature Works- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- What a title! But this is a fascinating trip through the physics of complex systems, from one of the pioneers in that field. This includes several discussions of economics along the way. I think it is valuable not just as an excellent introduction to a lot of marvellous science, but also as a very evocative picture of how science is actually done. Highly recommended.
Steve Keen
Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- A powerful examination of the fundamental flaws in modern neoclassical economic theory.
Karl Marx
Capital: A Critique of Political Economy (Volume I)- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- Enough said: this is one of the major historical works in economic theory and should be read in its original form, not others’ interpretations.
Karl Marx
Capital: A Critique of Political Economy (Volume II)- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- The second volume of Marx’ seminal work was not completed in his lifetime, but was assembled by Friedrich Engels from Marx’ notes and sketches.
Adam Smith
The Wealth of Nations (Books I-III)- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- One of the first major treatises on economics — essential reading.
Adam Smith
The Wealth of Nations (Books IV-V)- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- The second part of Adam Smith’s seminal work.
Didier Sornette
Why Stock Markets Crash: Critical Events in Complex Financial Systems- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- Didier Sornette has published a wide variety of works on events in financial time series. This book gathers together the results of much of that research.
Francis Wheen
Karl Marx: A Life- amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.de
- A fascinating, entertaining and moving biography, Francis Wheen’s story of Karl Marx presents both interesting interpretations of Marx’ work and a vivid portrait of the human being behind it all.