getAbstract Summary: Get the key points from this book in 10 minutes.

Writer John Lanchester makes a stark point when he conjures the image that a widespread sewer disaster might compel members of the general public to learn plumbing jargon. The same imperative applies to the language of finance following the 2008 system breakdown. Generally, the authors of dictionaries go to great lengths to create word definitions that are precise and neutral in meaning. In contrast, Lanchester offers a primer on economic thinking, along with a broad lexicon that includes the specific meanings of technical terms and translations of often-used idioms that can baffle even the most literate nonspecialists. From the very start, he is open about his own biases, but he nonetheless provides informative explanations of esoteric terms and perplexing figures of speech. getAbstract recommends this resource, which covers more than 300 terms, to anyone who deals with money and especially to newcomers to finance and economics.

Book Publisher:

W.W. Norton