general

A very interesting look at the economic thought of
one of the most important players in the Bush White House.

Oddly, much of Bush's economic policy, including his emphasize
on tax cuts for the wealthy, is sharply at odds with Mankiw's
basic philosophy...

Mankiw's intermediate text is less rigorous than his introductory text. While I really enjoy mankiw's writing style and use of practical examples to explain abstract ideas, the book is simply too easy and will not suffice for students looking to prepare themselves for graduate level economics courses.

A clear and altogether pleasant presentation; excellent layout and typography. A quick check indicated it was perhaps a bit less thorough than Olivier Blanchard (Mankiw doesn't mention the problems with non-performing loans in the Japanese banking system; Blanchard does), but one has to draw the line somewhere, and there is something to be said for allowing the instructor a bit more flexibility to introduce examples. Quite interesting--I hesitate to label a textbook exciting, but it would be an undersatement to say that Mankiw's text is neither soporific nor unduly convoluted; it inspires further inquiry. If you are required to use another text in a course, so be it; if reading for your own education, Mankiw is excellent. One might be sorely tempted to purchase it as a supplement to other less clear texts.