The 33 Greatest Works of Economics

It's called the "dismal science", but that's inaccurate. Economics may indeed be a study of dry topics like trade, production, resources, consumption and scarcity, but it is far from being a science, despite the claims of successive waves of economists and their competing schools of thought.

Yet it's an important topic—some would say the most important for understanding our world and societies.

Countless economists and layperson researchers have published works to bring their purported insights into these vital matters to light. Some are difficult, intended mainly for a professional readership, and some are popularly written for the wider public. Both are included here.

This list focuses on major works of economics, covering all times, places and cultures.

The selection is based on the continuing research carried out for The Greatest Literature of All Time and further research into writing about economics acclaimed by the world's readers, writers, critics and scholars.

Latest update: September 14, 2026