Widely read in university-level economics courses, The History of Economic Thought: A Reader is as good a place to start if you’re looking to gain an understanding of the history of Western economic theory. Beginning with preclassical thought, the duo introduces readers to excerpts from the likes of Aristotle, Locke, and - in a surprising inclusion - Turgot (a female economist writing in the 1770s), among many others. Next are classical thought and a bevy of excerpts from Smith, Ricardo, and Mill. After that, Marx is covered thoroughly, followed by writers of the marginalist revolution (circa 1835–1914). The reader continues in that fashion through the development of macroeconomics and institutional economics and ends with post-World War II economics. Description from Investopedia.com.
