This instructive and entertaining book explains the world of economics in simple terms. Starting with the questions put forward by the first economists, it proceeds to the core of today’s economic theory and provides the reader with a straightforward introduction to what economists discovered about wealth, unemployment, growth, and inflation. The original German version has been a great success, as if offers the reader a historical perspective of the main economic problems the world has to deal with today, complemented by simple graphics, comprehensive examples, numerous anecdotes, and historical illustrations.