There are so many great textbooks out there for the beginning student of microeconomics. What does this book bring to the table that is unique and adds value to an already well served market?

First, this book was written from the ground up to make use of digital technology. This means that models and graphs can be presented dynamically instead of as static images. Economic models are complex, sometimes involving many steps to explain. By presenting the material dynamically instead of statically, students receive a much clearer picture of what’s going on.

Second, this book uses its problems and exercises to engage students with every step of the modeling and analytical process. Instead of being presented a graph and asked to interpret it, students are asked to construct their own graphs from underlying data. Graphs are presented on gridded axes, without having the important points labeled, to encourage the students to find the important points on their own. In my experience, giving the students an opportunity to do hands-on modeling greatly helps with their grasp of the material, especially for students who come in with less math preparation.

Third, this book tries to present the study of economics in historical context. Humans have pondered economics since the beginning of recorded history, long before economics was recognized as a formal discipline. This book draws examples and illustrations from ancient as well as recent history, to place economics in its full context within human civilization.