o this book is not written in textbookese. It’s written in conversational English—I’m talking to the students. in the book I discuss modem interpretations of Keynesian and Classical economics, real business cycles, strategic pricing, the theory of the second best, rent- seeking, Pareto optimality, and challenges to Pareto optimality. The conversational style conveys the essence of these complex topics to students in a nontechnical fashion without tying the students’ brains up in technical tourniquets.