This two-volume concise treatise on the history of economic thought is accessibly written for readers interested in business, law, and public policy. Volume I and Chapters 11 and 12 of Volume II examine economics from its ancient origins through contemporary economics. Volume I, Chapters 1-10 discuss (1) the ancient Greek, Roman and Scholastic periods, (2) the mercantile era, (3) Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and other classical economists, (5)socialist and other critics of classical economics including Karl Marx (6) founders of neoclassical economics, including Alfred Marshall and Leon Walras, (7) Keynesian economics and the rise and fall of Samuelson's Keynesian-neoclassical synthesis, and (8) other economic schools including Austrian, public choice, institutional, behavioral, and other heterodox schools. Volume II, Chapters 11 and 12 discuss economics following Keynes through contemporary economics and the Great Recession. Volume II, Chapters 13 and 14 provide an executive summary of the history and views and recommendations regarding its practical application.