Product Description

O’Sullivan/Sheffrin makes use of Active Learning Tools which get readers involved in role-playing, help them apply concepts, and offer reinforcement of the material.

The books hallmark feature includes a focus on the 5 Key Principles of Economics: 1) Opportunity Cost, 2) The Marginal Principle (comparing marginal benefits and marginal costs), 3) Diminishing Returns, 4) The Spillover Principle (for externalities in production and consumption), and, 5) The Reality Principle (distinguishing real from nominal magnitudes).

For economists, financial analysts and other finance professionals.

Customer Reviews (7)

This is why I love Amazon.
The newest edition of this (with very little changed between those editions) was about $170. This copy was about $5 including shipping, if I'm remember correctly, and contains everything I need to do well in the class.

How Frustrating!
It's been a whole week now and I still have not received the book I bought. It's nice that Amazon has free two-day shipping for students since these books are so expensive to begin with and expedited shipping is the difference between me starving or not, but, it does nothing to help when that is not set into effect. I had gathered enough money together a week into the semester and sent for this book as soon as I could thinking it would take two days and I could finish the homework I was behind on. I'm still waiting and my grade is suffering because I cannot establish an online account without the book and passcode to even attempt my late assignments. Boo once again on Amazon. I'll post on the book when I actually receive it.

Way OVERPRICED!
The book is alright...fairly well written and easy to follow, but sometimes too many examples. I did feel that it was extremely overpriced! A soft covered book should not cost so much money, especially when any other macroeconomics book can teach the same thing for half the price. My copy did not come with any cd or access code further supporting my opinion that the book is extremely overpriced!

Macroeconomics: Principles, applications and Tools
This is a text my son needed for a class he was taking at college. It was in good condition and was exactly what was needed. Thank you.

Couldn't have been more satisfied !
I was so pleased that the book came with the access code! My teacher required the code to access MyEconLab, and it is virtually impossible to find a used book with the access code unopened. The book was in great condition as well, and came promptly. ... Read more

Product Description
Merlin's son stood and watched Vivian’s actions with a certain incredulity, as he observed that his father’s face and body took on a younger appearance. His beard and hair, once white, became the colour of gold once again. His body once frail and thin, and his flesh once shrivelled and diminished, now took on the appearance of a young man, so that his face and body looked like that of a man who was no more than thirty years old. The wonderous deed that Vivian had performed was beginning to have the desired effect upon Merlin, whose face became animated as he began to wake up. He coughed a little and then opened first one eye and then the other to reveal to his beholders, eyes of the most striking and vivid blue they had ever seen. He viewed the young child with suspicion at first, and then turned his gaze towards Vivian, who stood smiling down upon him. ... Read more

Product Description
Written more than a century ago and initially regarded even by their creators as nothing more than light entertainment, the fourteen operas of Gilbert & Sullivan emerged over the course of the twentieth century as the world's most popular body of musical-theater works, ranking second only to Shakespeare in the history of English-language theater.

Despite this resounding popularity and proven longevity, most books written about the duo have focused on the authors rather than the works. With this detailed examination of all fourteen operas, Gayden Wren fills the void. His bold thesis finds the key to the operas' longevity, not in the clever lyrics, witty dialogue, or catchy music, but in the central themes underlying the characters and stories themselves. Like Shakespeare's comedies, Wren shows, the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan endure because of their timeless themes, which speak to audiences as powerfully now as they did the first time they were performed.

Written out of an abiding love for the Savoy operas, this volume is essential reading for any devotee of these enchanting works, or indeed for anyone who loves musical theater. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

beware: opinion often masquerading as fact...
Wren, no doubt, has thoroughly researched his topic. He has lived with these operas and knows them intimately as anyone could.One cannot help but admire the depth of analysis given to several of the Savoy operas.I was particularly impressed by his analysis of the subtle flower imagery running thru Ruddigore, and his work on Gilbert's poetical schemes.His musical analysis falls short most of the time, and betrays a lack of understanding regarding Sullivan's approach (or indeed, theatrical music in general).His attacks do not suffer from the German 19th century-influenced prejudices which affected Gervase Hughes' study of Sullivan's music but often miscontrues meaning and in some cases, misses the joke entirely (yes, Sullivan could joke right along with Gilbert; Gilbert in fact famously remarked "I never had to explain a joke to Sullivan").
Wren decries the simple and lovely strophic setting ofPatience's air "Love is a plaintive song," complaining (like some other authors) that Sullivan failed to capture the lyric.Not true.The simple, largely diatonic setting exquistely captures lyric and character's frame of mind-- Patience is simple and straightforward, she is unhappy, confused, and parroting what Angela has led her to think love should be; a full out, through-composed dark aria would be uncalled for, and unconvincing from this character.In the same opera, when we meet Grosvenor in Act I, the music that accompanies his entrance is nearly Wagnerian in its dense chromatic wandering, admirably suited to a trendy, artistic young man of the time.Later, when Grosvenor emerges as "An Everyday Young Man," he sings a song that is literally reduced to two chords-- a subtle joke to be sure, but the humor is evident.Wren applauds Sullivan for relying less on recit in later operas, taking it's lack of use as evidence of compositional maturity (a prejudice similar to Gervase's, in that through-composed opera was somehow philsophically preferable to the recit-aria Italian format) when in fact, Sullivan uses recit only where it serves his purpose-- and doesn't when it is not called for.In Ruddigore, Dame Hannah's first song is interupted by a recit like passage-- to call attention to the lines she utters, when Sullivan could have every easily continued in the verse-form.This surprising and effective touch is evidence of compositional maturity, not a lapse into formula by an undeveloped talent.
The bibliography at the end is thorough but also full of editorializations on each book mentioned, which could have been informative but instead are too subjective.
All this being said, the book is worth reading and is an outstanding resource for the informed analyses of the lyric and historical backgrounds, but it should be complemented by other books on the Savoy operas and certainly an acquaintance with good productions.

Usher: "What he may say you needn't mind."
Mr. Wren has written a sometimes interesting and occasionally useful book, one, however, not quite so interesting or so useful as the author fancies it to be.

The bibliography at the back of the book casts a particularly interesting light on the mind of the author.He goes out of his way to slag many or even most of the previous writers in the field, some for lapses of scholarship, some for mere redundancy, some for poor physical layout, some for lack of concern for thematic criticism (i.e., for not writing THIS book), and poor old Leslie Baily for being nice to the memory of Richard D'Oyly Carte.

By his own testimony, Mr. Wren is a director of G&S stage productions.Like many directors, Mr. Wren has a fully matured appreciation of the essential rightness of his opinions, however crackpot.That is to say,his half-baked notions do not always agree with my reasoned conclusions--or maybe it's the other way around.

The book abounds with points suitable for sticking in one's craw.There are nice pieces of logic of almost Gilbertian circularity.The later--but not the latest--Savoy operas are good and the early ones are bad.Why?Because the early ones are not like the later ones.Some things clearly intended not to be amusing are criticized for the grievous sin of not being funny, while some hilarious bits are buried beneath ponderous and gloomy commentary.

It is with his critique of "H.M.S. Pinafore" that Mr. Wren's critical wheels go wobbly.He devotes a lengthy analysis to the "simple eloquence" of Ralph Rackstraw and the management style of Captain Corcoran.Unfortunately, the analysis comes to grief, as Wren points out, on the Captain's use of the word, "Elysian."A lesser man might harbor doubts, but Mr. Wren is a director, so it is clear to him that the error is not his but W. S. Gilbert's.Poor Gilbert simply did not understand his own carefully worked out plan.Mr. Wren displays shocking lack of insight when he dismisses Dick Deadeye as a mere villain. (And later, even worse, he airly defines Katisha in "The Mikado" as a stage dragon and deems her two songs so out of character that they might be omitted from performance.INFAMOUS!)

With "Pricess Ida," Gilbert's "respectful per-version," that is, his witty improvement on Tennyson's dreary old poem, Mr. Wren plunges right off the critical rails.What a load of what some Canadians would call codswallop!(And yes, Mr. Wren, I have read Tennyson, too.) After reading his doom-laden take on "Ida," one trembles before the heart of darkness that Mr. Wren would surely extract from the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera."

Mr. Wren likes spoken dialogue. He dislikes dry recitative.He likes choruses to take an active part in the dramatic structure of a piece.He likes complicated verbal interactions involving several characters at a time.He adores big, concerted finales.He does not care much for parody.These are all perfectly acceptable positions to take when defining a personal taste.However, if they are used as tools of general criticism and applied in a world larger than that of Gilbert and Sullivan, they very promptly disclose that such trifles as "Carmen," "Die Zauberfloete," "Don Giovanni" and "Kiss Me, Kate" are whatWilfred Shadbolt would describe as very dull dogs indeed.

If you are sufficiently interested in G&S to look up this book, by all means acquire it.It is an entertaining and salutary exercise to determine just how often an apparently rational and reasonable man's opinions can go haring off along the wrong path.It also offers a good opportunity for you to formulate your own ideas out of sheer reaction to Mr. Wren's.

Very insightful and straight to the point
There is no critical showboating in "A Most Ingenious Paradox", just dead on, revelatory insights presented in a modest, straightforward voice.He really appears to have lived with each of the G & S operas, and got it in his bones.Very little overlap here with other G & S books, so even the most jaded Savoyard will find something fresh in this book.

A new and interesting slant on the Savoy operas
In the past, when asked to name the minimal list of books essential to a full understanding and thereby appreciation of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, I would have cut it down to three. For a study of the social conditions behind Gilbert's satire, there is the long out of print "The World of Gilbert and Sullivan" by W.A. Darlington. For a fairly well balanced discussion of both the scripts and the music, there is "Gilbert & Sullivan Opera: a New Assessment" by Audrey Williamson, which passed into a second edition when I saw it last. Then there is the indispensable single volume edition of"The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" by Ian Bradley under the aegis of Oxford University Press.

Now from that same august publisher comes a volume I might seriously consider as a fourth: "A Most Ingenious Paradox" by Gayden Wren. Having worked most of his life in the theatre and specializing in Gilbert & Sullivan, Wren has come up with the thesis that "Beneath the surface charm of the Savoy operas...lies a powerful thematic core that makes their works effective to this day" (p. 4). Well, so it is with Shakespeare, Shaw, and even Rodgers & Hart. It is the examples offered up by Wren that affords so much surprise and delight.

The book is organized into fairly self-contained chapters.The first deals with "Gilbert before Sullivan," the second with "Sullivan before Gilbert." Then we have a chapter for each of the 14 works, followed by a chapter about their careers after "The Grand Duke" and a final one about their "Legacy." There follows an appendix with plot outlines, details about the original "Ruddygore" script and score, notes, an excellent critical bibliography, and index.

I think that directors will appreciate the emphasis Wren puts upon the seriousness that underlies some of the works, and not only "Yeomen of the Guard." For example, considerthe scene just before the finale between Iolanthe and the Lord Chancellor in which things do become "life or death" and which could easily lead to an unhappy ending with no violence to what has gone before. Of course, the public expected a happy ending with G&S, but that was no reason they had to get one.

His remarks about "The Mikado," although confined to only 15 pages did make me suddenly aware of how Gilbert keeps tipping his hand all through by having the characters call attention to their being in a play: "Japanese don't use pocket-handkerchiefs," "the Japanese equivalent for Hear, hear, hear," "Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances," and so on.I part company on him with him on some remarks about "Princess Ida," but his comparison between the opera and the Tennyson original is quite revealing. In general, I kept nodding and thinking about most of his conclusions with "Of course, I should have realized that years ago."

The style is friendly, the author taking it for granted, of course, that you know the plots of the operas fairly well to begin with. Yes, I think I might recommend this as the fourth essential book. But please give it a try and let me know what you think.

A little postscript would be in order here. Naxos is reissuing at budget prices the old "Martyn Green" G&S sets that used to be available on London and then Richmond mono LPs. Thus far they have added to their catalogue "The Mikado," "HMS Pinafore," "Pirates of Penzance/Trial by Jury," and just this month "The Gondoliers." Anyone intererested in the Wren book would certainly want to own these vintage recordings. ... Read more

Product Description
Covering both Micro and Macroeconomics in one concise paperback volume, this book shows readers how to think and act like an economist by showing them how to use economic concepts in their everyday lives and careers. Organized around the Five Key Principles of Economics—The Principle of Opportunity Cost, The Marginal Principle, The Principle of Diminishing Returns, The Spillover Principle, and The Reality Principle. For economists and those making financial decisions and analyses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not Happy
I am not happy at all. I payed for the book and its been a month now since i have ordered.I still haven't received the book.

A good introduction...
Arthur O'Sullivan is a professor of economics at Oregon State University, and Steven Sheffrin is dean of social sciences and professor of economics at the University of California, Davis.Together they bring a wealth of practical and teaching experience in the field of economics to this text, which serves as a one-semester introduction to economics for undergraduates, both those who intend to continue as majors in economics, and those who simply want an overview of the subject to enhance their other studies.

This book turns on five major principles:The Principle of Opportunity Cost; the Marginal Principle; the Principle of Diminishing Returns; the Spillover Principle; and finally, the Reality Principle.In each chapter, these key principles are repeated and emphasised.There is actually a logic to economics (although it is not always presented in an intuitively logical format).

O'Sullivan and Sheffrin work on a pedagogic principle of Active Learning (perhaps derived from the sound of snoring coming from the student body during at least one of the lectures from one of the authors!).These involve examples and exercises that require thought and detective work, as well as applying the tools that are demonstrated in the chapters.The examples drawn are often from real life situations, to give them grounding in reality (it always helps if an instructor can answer the question, 'when am I ever going to need this?').

The instructional set includes web applications, CD-ROM and video aids, and various print supplements.

A typical semester lasts 15-16 weeks.This text is organised into 17 chapters, some of which can be combined as joint lessons.They cover all the primary economics issues, such as supply and demand, production, elasticity issues, monopoly and competition issues, labour market issues, unemployment, inflation, and more advanced ideas about monetary and fiscal policy, with the beginnings of economic theory and philosophy (particularly Keynesian economics).There are chapters that deal with 'glamourous' issues such as international trade and finance,which may or may not be used, depending upon the pacing of class.

The layout of the book is visually interesting.The use of photography and multi-coloured backgrounds, text and charts sets this apart from the standard, dry economics tome.The writing is sharp and concise, to keep students from getting lost in supposedly erudite (but often confusing) treatises on economic ideas.

The one drawback I have noticed as a tutor of economics is that the graphs and charts introduced early on need more explanation.They are explained mathematically and theoretically, but there is an intuitive leap that doesn't seem to be happening from text to student - the understanding of supply curves, demand curves, and other similar graphing tools remains a bit of a mystery until demonstrated repeatedly (for example, questions I answer frequently include, 'if demand goes up, why does the curve go down?' and 'why is it called a curve if it is a straight line?').More work with this part of the text early in the text would be helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
This anthology brings together core selections by Frege and by Russell that were immensely influential in giving shape throughout the twentieth century to the philosophy of logic, the philosophy of language, and to analytic philosophy as a whole.

As Frege and Russell were attempting to "tidy up" the logical foundations of mathematics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they both sensed a need for rigorous and semantic analysis of a much more wide-ranging sort. The effect of their development of this style of analysis was to establish the philosophy of language as an autonomous area of inquiry, and, to a large extent, to define its subject matter. The works included in this collection are paradigm instances of the subsequently influential maxim that semantic analysis is a necessary precursor to any systematic inquiry. In all, 15 selections by Frege and Russell are included.

The editor also provides a substantial introduction discussing the historical background and explaining how it came to be that the tools and methods developed by these two great philosophers with the purpose of establishing a logicist thesis, came to constitute the foundation of the analytic philosophical tradition. ... Read more

Product Description

O’Sullivan/Sheffrin makes use of Active Learning Tools which get readers involved in role-playing, help them apply concepts, and offer reinforcement of the material.

The books hallmark feature includes a focus on the 5 Key Principles of Economics: 1) Opportunity Cost, 2) The Marginal Principle (comparing marginal benefits and marginal costs), 3) Diminishing Returns, 4) The Spillover Principle (for externalities in production and consumption), and, 5) The Reality Principle (distinguishing real from nominal magnitudes).

For economists, financial analysts and other finance professionals.

Product Description

The book provides a clear, concise, and accessible presentation of key points.

Its hallmark feature includes a focus on the 5 Key Principles of Economics–1) Opportunity Cost, 2) The Marginal Principle (comparing marginal benefits and marginal costs), 3) Diminishing Returns, 4) The Spillover Principle (for externalities in production and consumption), 5) The Reality Principle (distinguishing real from nominal magnitudes).

For financial professionals and analysts.

Customer Reviews (7)

Microeconomics
This textbook arrived in two days from date of order in excellent shape. Thankyou for saving us money to boot!

ask your professor
If you are taking Microeconomics and you need this textbook ask your professor first if you need to use the myeconlab online access. This book is available online through the publisher's website that you can take quizzes and do homework through them. The access code from the publisher's website cost less than the textbook book though, if you are like me that is much more comfortable reading a text book than reading it online this book is the way to go.

And it really doesn't matter if it's hardbound or softbound book, new or used, it is the same thing and you will learn same stuff.

Late Shipping
They said it was shipped the day after I ordered it but it didnt get it for almost a month.Nontheless the book was in great condition

Micro excellence
Excellent, excellent, excellent.Absolutely no problems with item or delivery.Will be back.

really bad
I never received this product and will never use amazon again because of the horrible service. ... Read more

Product Description
A full biography of a composer whose work extended far beyond the operettas for which he is known today. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: London, G. Newnes, ltd.Publication date: 1901Subjects: Sullivan, Arthur, Sir, 1842-1900Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS 24 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Sullivan's Comic Operas A Critical Appreciation, by Thomas F. Dunhill. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 141790691X. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: London, Sisley's ltdPublication date: 1908Subjects: Sullivan, Arthur, Sir, 1842-1900Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: J. Nisbet & Co. in 1904 in 234 pages; Description: "Appendix, comprising a complete list of Sir Arthur Sullivan's work": p. 203-214.; Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Composers & Musicians; Music / Genres & Styles / Classical; ... Read more