--- product_id: 58556521 title: "How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes" price: "£17.89" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/58556521-how-an-economy-grows-and-why-it-crashes store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes **Price:** £17.89 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes - **How much does it cost?** £17.89 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/58556521-how-an-economy-grows-and-why-it-crashes) ## 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 An engaging introduction to the fundamental elements of an economy How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes uses illustration, humor, and accessible storytelling to explain complex topics of economic growth and monetary systems. In it, economic expert and bestselling author of Crash Proof , Peter Schiff teams up with his brother Andrew to apply their signature "take no prisoners" logic to expose the glaring fallacies that have become so ingrained in our country's economic conversation. Inspired by How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't , a previously published book by the Schiffs' father Irwin, a widely published economist and activist , How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes incorporates the spirit of the original while tackling the latest economic issues. With wit and humor, the Schiffs explain the roots of economic growth, the uses of capital, the destructive nature of consumer credit, the source of inflation, the importance of trade, savings, risk, and many other topical principles of economics. An insightfully illustrated book that both entertains and educates readers about our economic system A guide to understanding the concepts of risk, creation of capital assets, return, consumption, saving, and borrowing A witty and humorous approach to learning key economic concepts for beginners and professionals alike The tales told here may appear simple on the surface, but they will leave you with a powerful understanding of How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes. Review: The basics of an economy everyone needs to know - What Peter Schiff has told in this book, is something I used to think deeply about as a child. It is regarding the basics on how the economy governs. I remember in my youth thinking how some nations become wealthy and others poor, what determines wealth, where do business' get their money from (or where does the first person get his money from) etc. These were basic questions that I used to ponder over as a child, and as I got older, I learnt new stuff (e.g. macroeconomics) but my questions as a child remained unanswered. That was until I finished reading this book. Essentially, Peter Schiff tells a story, initially in it's primitive stages which gets complexed as you read further. It starts with 3 characters Able, Baker and Charlie who, in the beginning, have no other time except catching one fish a day, eating it, resting and sleeping. It states that through sacrifice and innovation, their standard of living increases (e.g. building a net that can catch two fishes). Thereafter, the story becomes complex with the introduction of banks, paper money, foreign nations etc but nevertheless, remains an extremely exciting read and understandable. If there is one thing I have realised is that all this wealth (i.e. the wealth of nations) comes about by lowering the cost of food (in this case the fish i.e. being able to catch more than one fish a day). I have realised that this is key to the success of standard of living (i.e. this is what creates the factories, the manufacturing industry, the tourism etc). This statement seems quite simple, yet something that is not first thought of given the complex economical system that we live in. Whilst I don't think the book states that clearly within the text, it gave me a sense of satisfaction that if I learnt just this from the book it would have been sufficient and a worthwhile read. I'm happily to say, that fortunately it touches on many more topics. Nevertheless, the wonderful tale presented by Peter Schiff captivates the reader to keep reading more. You can quite comfortably read this book within a few days even if you set aside a couple of hours at the end of a busy working day. Review: Economic theory in parable form - This is economic theory in simple terms, in this book Schiff essentially derives the modern global economy from ancient times when the world was far simpler. He expounds the necessity of risk and underconsumption. Failure is always a possibility but without taking the risk then there is no advancement. Without savings then there is nothing to spend. The global economy seems complicated when you try to consider everything at once but how did it come to be like that? What underpins it? This is what Schiff illustrates in this book. Some reviewers complain of the light hearted comic nature of the book; the ideas are explained in parable form so it is essentially an economic comic book. The light hearted nature makes the book approachable as well as simple to understand, if anything this should fuel people's desire to understand more about the economy actually works rather than give up. I think this book would be easily readable for a keen high school student. The key concepts of this book are that money should be something based in reality with a fixed, or at least a less manipulable substance than current, and that the original role of banks was as a safe place to store money (particularly gold / silver). Schiff highlights the parallels between the original role of a bank and self-storage facilities that holds people's stuff that they no longer have space for: it costs to store your items but these 'banks' provide a safe location and the extra space that you don't have. Therefore, banks are a business that provide a necessary service but somewhere along the lines it has all gone wrong. Money no longer has a basis in reality and the role of a bank is now obfuscated. This book isn't a practical guide to investing, nor does it contain any equations or any praise for central banks. This much you should have already guessed. ## Features - New Store Stock ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 84,304 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 786 in Professional Finance | | Customer reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,287) | | Dimensions | 15.75 x 2.54 x 23.11 cm | | Edition | 1st | | ISBN-10 | 047052670X | | ISBN-13 | 978-0470526705 | | Item weight | 1.05 kg | | Language | English | | Print length | 256 pages | | Publication date | 14 April 2010 | | Publisher | Wiley | ## Images ![How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/819Bgp5qVuL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The basics of an economy everyone needs to know *by V***G on 30 April 2011* What Peter Schiff has told in this book, is something I used to think deeply about as a child. It is regarding the basics on how the economy governs. I remember in my youth thinking how some nations become wealthy and others poor, what determines wealth, where do business' get their money from (or where does the first person get his money from) etc. These were basic questions that I used to ponder over as a child, and as I got older, I learnt new stuff (e.g. macroeconomics) but my questions as a child remained unanswered. That was until I finished reading this book. Essentially, Peter Schiff tells a story, initially in it's primitive stages which gets complexed as you read further. It starts with 3 characters Able, Baker and Charlie who, in the beginning, have no other time except catching one fish a day, eating it, resting and sleeping. It states that through sacrifice and innovation, their standard of living increases (e.g. building a net that can catch two fishes). Thereafter, the story becomes complex with the introduction of banks, paper money, foreign nations etc but nevertheless, remains an extremely exciting read and understandable. If there is one thing I have realised is that all this wealth (i.e. the wealth of nations) comes about by lowering the cost of food (in this case the fish i.e. being able to catch more than one fish a day). I have realised that this is key to the success of standard of living (i.e. this is what creates the factories, the manufacturing industry, the tourism etc). This statement seems quite simple, yet something that is not first thought of given the complex economical system that we live in. Whilst I don't think the book states that clearly within the text, it gave me a sense of satisfaction that if I learnt just this from the book it would have been sufficient and a worthwhile read. I'm happily to say, that fortunately it touches on many more topics. Nevertheless, the wonderful tale presented by Peter Schiff captivates the reader to keep reading more. You can quite comfortably read this book within a few days even if you set aside a couple of hours at the end of a busy working day. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Economic theory in parable form *by E***N on 20 November 2011* This is economic theory in simple terms, in this book Schiff essentially derives the modern global economy from ancient times when the world was far simpler. He expounds the necessity of risk and underconsumption. Failure is always a possibility but without taking the risk then there is no advancement. Without savings then there is nothing to spend. The global economy seems complicated when you try to consider everything at once but how did it come to be like that? What underpins it? This is what Schiff illustrates in this book. Some reviewers complain of the light hearted comic nature of the book; the ideas are explained in parable form so it is essentially an economic comic book. The light hearted nature makes the book approachable as well as simple to understand, if anything this should fuel people's desire to understand more about the economy actually works rather than give up. I think this book would be easily readable for a keen high school student. The key concepts of this book are that money should be something based in reality with a fixed, or at least a less manipulable substance than current, and that the original role of banks was as a safe place to store money (particularly gold / silver). Schiff highlights the parallels between the original role of a bank and self-storage facilities that holds people's stuff that they no longer have space for: it costs to store your items but these 'banks' provide a safe location and the extra space that you don't have. Therefore, banks are a business that provide a necessary service but somewhere along the lines it has all gone wrong. Money no longer has a basis in reality and the role of a bank is now obfuscated. This book isn't a practical guide to investing, nor does it contain any equations or any praise for central banks. This much you should have already guessed. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I wish A' Level Economics had been like this *by S***C on 5 September 2010* A very witty, enjoyable but educational read and I commend the authors for making the subject matter interesting by the clever manner in which this book was written. It's clearly aimed at their American audience as all the major characters are based on American politicians and economists with a fishy twist in their names but whilst that adds to the enjoyment of the book it wouldn't be any less informative if you'd never heard of any of them. The authors do indulge themselves a little by putting in their own doomsday scenario of what could happen if politicians don't take a different route to sorting out our current economic woes but after what has happened over the past couple of years who is to say that they aren't right. I bought this as a holiday read so didn't want anything too heavy and I found it to strike the right balance of being a light read on a serious subject. If only A'Level Economics had been taught this way 30 years ago, I might have taken more interest! ## Frequently Bought Together - How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes - Thank You for Arguing, Fourth Edition (Revised and Updated): What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion - The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition --- ## 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.co.uk/products/58556521-how-an-economy-grows-and-why-it-crashes](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/58556521-how-an-economy-grows-and-why-it-crashes) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-22*