Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius

An instant "New York Times" bestseller, from the author of "A Beautiful Mind": a sweeping history of the invention of modern economics that takes readers from Dickens' London to modern Calcutta.

Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius is a non-fiction book by Sylvia Nasar, published in paperback on July 31, 2012. It tells the story of how economics evolved from a philosophical inquiry into a rigorous science.

Summary

The book follows the lives and ideas of major economic thinkers, including Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman. Instead of presenting economics as a dry academic subject, Nasar weaves their biographies and historical context into a compelling narrative. She argues that these economists were motivated by a desire to improve human well-being and find a solution to poverty and inequality. The book highlights how their theories and debates were shaped by the historical events of their time, from the Industrial Revolution to the Great Depression and the Cold War.

About the Author

Sylvia Nasar is an American journalist, author, and academic. She is a professor emerita at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She is best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of mathematician John Nash, A Beautiful Mind, which was later adapted into a successful film. Nasar's writing is celebrated for its ability to make complex topics accessible and engaging to a general audience.