I was first turned on to economics in 1962 by an enthusiastic teacher who made the subject exciting, Ernest Buchholz at Santa Monica College. I quickly began reading everything I could get my hands on, just so that I could argue with him. We stopped arguing a long time ago (we're friends), but I kept on reading anyway. Today, economics is as much a hobby for me as it is a job. If you enjoy mysteries and puzzles, you should love economics. And if you hate math, that's no problem.
In the fall of 1971, an enthusiastic 14-year-old came to meet me where I worked, at J.C. Penney in Sacramento, Calif. He was reading National Review, where I had just published my second article, and wondered what books he should read. I suggested "Economics in One Lesson
" by Henry Hazlitt, "The Road to Serfdom" by F.A. Hayek and "Capitalism and Freedom" by Milton Friedman. That young man was John Fund, who has since become a celebrated member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board.