The Undercover Economist

By: Tim Harford

Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie

Author of the extremely popular "Dear Economist" column in Financial Times, Tim Harford reveals the economics behind everyday phenomena in this highly entertaining and informative book. Can a book about economics be fun to read? It can when Harford takes the reins, using his trademark wit to explain why it costs an arm and a leg to buy a cappuccino and why it's nearly impossible to purchase a decent used car. Supermarkets, coffee houses, airlines, insurance companies, and more are sucking money from our wallets. To protect ourselves and our bank accounts, we must better understand why companies do what they do.©2006 Tim Harford (P)2006 Recorded Books, LLC.

Critic reviews

"The book is unequaled in its accessibility and ability to show how free market economic forces affect readers' day-to-day." (Publishers Weekly)

Hard to listen to. This comes off as very dry

I like Tim Hartford's podcasts but this one feels lacking. I would suggest something else as this feels dated.

Fabulous book, but audio is horrible

One of my favorite econ books! Well written with intriguing, compelling arguments. However, the audio is horrible. The narrator has a great voice, but the mic is so close to him that when he inhales, it sounds like Darth Vader - then followed by an annoying pop of the lips. It sounds like constant water dripping - and equally annoying. Once you get focused on it, that's all you'll hear - breaaaath POP, breaaaath POP, breaaath POP. I almost returned the book, but kept it because the content was so good. Still, glad to be over. A message to the audio person: Put a noise gate on the audio and problem solved. It should be standard procedure, but somehow missed. I highly recommend the book, but would skip the audible on this one.

Distracting performance

I enjoyed this book more than Freakonomics, but the reader was very distracting. I listen to most audiobooks via headphones and there wasn't a single sentence where I couldn't hear loud inhalations or other extraneous and irritating noises. The book itself was interesting enough that I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but the reader was very disappointing.

Econ 101 in a book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend this book. Listen to this book, and you can skip your undergrad Econ 101 course - you'll already know everything in it, without ever having to draw a single supply-and-demand graph.

What did you like best about this story?

Tim Harford is an incomparable master of clear and simple, yet effective explanation of difficult concepts.

Which scene was your favorite?

This book doesn't have scenes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No; each section should be enjoyed on its own.

Any additional comments?

The sequel is great too!

Intriguing book

The Undercover Economist is about as funny as economics can get, and Harford makes topics that are normally complex understandable.

On a side note he convinced me that I could open a coffee shop directly next to a Starbucks and run them into the ground if I only used a little bit of economics and local incentive.