Inspired by Bill Simmons' epic The Book of Basketball, Tyler Cowen translates a lifelong passion for economics into an entertaining and erudite analysis of who qualifies as the greatest economist of all time.

Through vivid storytelling, Cowen examines the lives of history’s most influential economic thinkers, from the passionate idealism of a young John Stuart Mill to the analytical brilliance of Milton Friedman.

Delving into long-forgotten lectures, private letters, and formative childhood moments, Cowen unearths surprising insights into what drove these great thinkers. Was Alfred Marshall's photographic memory the key to his theories of supply and demand? Did Adam Smith's absent father help spark his visionary ideas?

In the end, Cowen crowns a surprising winner and makes a compelling case for the under-appreciated qualities that separate the good from the truly great. Call it juvenile, or overly hierarchical, but Tyler will force you to think about economics in a new way. Think he’s wrong? Tell it to the AI.