---
product_id: 1556190
title: "Cartoon Introduction to Economics, Volume I: Microeconomics"
price: "S$38"
currency: SGD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.sg/products/1556190-cartoon-introduction-to-economics-volume-i-microeconomics
store_origin: SG
region: Singapore
---

# Cartoon Introduction to Economics, Volume I: Microeconomics

**Price:** S$38
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Cartoon Introduction to Economics, Volume I: Microeconomics
- **How much does it cost?** S$38 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sg](https://www.desertcart.sg/products/1556190-cartoon-introduction-to-economics-volume-i-microeconomics)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

The award-winning illustrator Grady Klein has paired up with the world's only stand-up economist, Yoram Bauman, PhD, to take the dismal out of the dismal science. From the optimizing individual to game theory to price theory, The Cartoon Introduction to Economics is the most digestible, explicable, and humorous 200-page introduction to microeconomics you'll ever read. Bauman has put the comedy into economy at comedy clubs and universities around the country and around the world (his Principles of Economics, Translated is a YouTube cult classic). As an educator at both the university and high school levels, he has learned how to make economics relevant to today's world and today's students. As Google's chief economist, Hal Varian, wrote, You don't need a brand-new economics. You just need to see the really cool stuff, the material they didn't get to when you studied economics. The Cartoon Introduction to Economics is all about integrating the really cool stuff into an overview of the entire discipline of microeconomics, from decision trees to game trees to taxes and thinking at the margin. Rendering the cool stuff fun is the artistry of the illustrator and lauded graphic novelist Klein. Panel by panel, page by page, he puts comics into economics. So if the vertiginous economy or a dour professor's 600-page econ textbook has you desperate for a fun, factual guide to economics, reach for The Cartoon Introduction to Economics and let the collaborative genius of the Klein-Bauman team walk you through an entire introductory microeconomics course.

Review: Engaging and Educational Book for All Audiences - I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cartoon Introduction to Economics. The fundamental ideas in Microeconomics are presented in a clear and intelligent manner, with many humorous but thoughtful examples and analogies. The organization of the book is clean and logical, moving from the "optimizing individual" to "strategic interactions" of small groups to "market interactions" involving many people. A wide variety of topics are distilled down to their essence (decision trees, risk, pareto efficiency, auctions, trade, supply and demand, taxes, elasticity, etc.). Klein's whimsical and funny illustrations add a great deal to the text, and hold the reader's interest while at the same time helping to explain the various concepts and examples. This book is appropriate for many different ages and backgrounds, from high school or college students studying econ to the average adult seeking a little more knowledge and understanding of basic economic principles. I've read parts of it several times, and find that I get a deeper understanding of some of the more complicated and nuanced concepts the second time through. My one (minor) complaint is that this otherwise quick read bogs down a bit in some of the later chapters (e.g. margins and elasticity) with too much theory (and not enough jokes?). But this is a minor issue, and on the whole I enthusiastically recommend this book for both econ students and for people who just want to learn more about the topic (and have fun doing it).
Review: A wonderful and humorous intro to microeconomics - This is a wonderful and humorous introduction to microeconomics! I bought the second volume ("macroeconomics") while waiting for a train in Frankfurt at the bookstore in that station (no idea, why they thought it a good idea to put copies of that book next to the cash register --- but that's how I found it!), read it in full riding a train to Berlin and chuckled all the way! I then decided to also get the first volume on microeconomics from desertcart, and it was just as terrific. It contains a surprising amount of valuable information, it is surprisingly complete and up-to-date, it is fun and fast to read (a few hours) and it is excellent value for the price. I love the little cartoons when they describe tongue-in-cheek, how many fundamental ideas in economics received a Nobel prize. It is well written, an enjoyable read, and should be required reading in schools, for journalists and politicians. It is an excellent quick-guide intro for anyone embarking on learning all the details in earnest, e.g. economics students or MBA students. I recommend it highly. Harald Uhlig, Dept. of Econ., Univ. of Chicago.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #69,598 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Microeconomics (Books) #130 in Educational & Nonfiction Graphic Novels |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 459 Reviews |

## Images

![Cartoon Introduction to Economics, Volume I: Microeconomics - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PPvx7t5uL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Engaging and Educational Book for All Audiences
*by H***S on February 12, 2010*

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cartoon Introduction to Economics. The fundamental ideas in Microeconomics are presented in a clear and intelligent manner, with many humorous but thoughtful examples and analogies. The organization of the book is clean and logical, moving from the "optimizing individual" to "strategic interactions" of small groups to "market interactions" involving many people. A wide variety of topics are distilled down to their essence (decision trees, risk, pareto efficiency, auctions, trade, supply and demand, taxes, elasticity, etc.). Klein's whimsical and funny illustrations add a great deal to the text, and hold the reader's interest while at the same time helping to explain the various concepts and examples. This book is appropriate for many different ages and backgrounds, from high school or college students studying econ to the average adult seeking a little more knowledge and understanding of basic economic principles. I've read parts of it several times, and find that I get a deeper understanding of some of the more complicated and nuanced concepts the second time through. My one (minor) complaint is that this otherwise quick read bogs down a bit in some of the later chapters (e.g. margins and elasticity) with too much theory (and not enough jokes?). But this is a minor issue, and on the whole I enthusiastically recommend this book for both econ students and for people who just want to learn more about the topic (and have fun doing it).

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A wonderful and humorous intro to microeconomics
*by H***D on May 12, 2012*

This is a wonderful and humorous introduction to microeconomics! I bought the second volume ("macroeconomics") while waiting for a train in Frankfurt at the bookstore in that station (no idea, why they thought it a good idea to put copies of that book next to the cash register --- but that's how I found it!), read it in full riding a train to Berlin and chuckled all the way! I then decided to also get the first volume on microeconomics from Amazon, and it was just as terrific. It contains a surprising amount of valuable information, it is surprisingly complete and up-to-date, it is fun and fast to read (a few hours) and it is excellent value for the price. I love the little cartoons when they describe tongue-in-cheek, how many fundamental ideas in economics received a Nobel prize. It is well written, an enjoyable read, and should be required reading in schools, for journalists and politicians. It is an excellent quick-guide intro for anyone embarking on learning all the details in earnest, e.g. economics students or MBA students. I recommend it highly. Harald Uhlig, Dept. of Econ., Univ. of Chicago.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Entertaining and informative -- I'll give to my students!
*by D***D on February 8, 2018*

I am a fan of this format for helping people understand economic ideas, and I bought this book (and its successor on macroeconomics) to see how well they convey important or complex ideas. (Here's my review of their book on climate change.) My overall comment is that the authors (Bauman on text, Klein on illustrations) do a great job, which means that I will recommend this book to students who are (justifiably) turned off by over-formal mathematical explanations of economic ideas. The most important decision of the authors is their choice of which microeconomic topics to cover. They present the material in three parts, each with 5-6 chapters, i.e., I. The optimizing individual Individual v group outcomes Decision trees ("opportunity costs") Time Risk From one to some (next part) II. Strategic interactions Cake cutting (equity or fairness) Pareto efficiency Simultaneous move games (prisoner's dilemma) Auctions From some to many (next part) III. Market interactions Supply and demand Taxes Margins (marginal thinking) Elasticity The big picture (lots of exceptions to the ideas above) Conclusion My only comments on the text are slightly nit-picky, but I think relevant: It's important to remember that individual "discount rates" are not the same as interest rates when it comes to making decisions about costs now for future benefits. Many students confuse the two, and this book does as well. Neanderthals are presented as rather dumb compared to homo sapiens when they were actually smarter as individuals. Homo Sapiens had the advantages of language and thus group cooperation, which is why we took over from neanderthals. Far more should have been said about various impediments to efficient markets, as most readers have experience with imperfect markets. The authors should have clarified that market economics provides limited insights that political economy can better explain, i.e., how communities can provide "goods," the source and need to regulate negative externalities, etc. (read more here). Bottom line: I give this book FIVE STARS for being entertaining at the same time as it makes it easier to understand important economic ideas.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sg/products/1556190-cartoon-introduction-to-economics-volume-i-microeconomics](https://www.desertcart.sg/products/1556190-cartoon-introduction-to-economics-volume-i-microeconomics)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Singapore*
*Store origin: SG*
*Last updated: 2026-10-01*