From its humble beginnings in Ancient Greece to today's mammoth global system, economics is all around us.

Getting to grips with what it means is crucial to understanding how the world works: it's never been more important to know your macro from your micro and your fiscal from your monetary policy.

In this invaluable guide, Philip Coggan lifts the veil with an entertaining, no-nonsense overview of the development and scope of the field, and breaks down the jargon with an all-new A-Z of key economics concepts and terms.

Crisp, sophisticated and often surprising, this is the complete companion to what economics is - and why it matters.