Agreed - even though HA was the probably the first “austrian” book that I ever read. It was a chore, but it hit a nerve with me. I’d had probably an average amount of Econ and business studies prior to that, most of which didn’t resonate, or didn’t fully make sense. When I really got in to HA, before I found Mises.org (the forums would’ve helped me a lot!, I’m sure!), I pretty much couldn’t put it down. I’ve been meaning to go back and re-read it one of these days.
Economics in One Lesson is probably the most giftable book there is out there. It’s a classic and Hazlitt is simply a genius. He literally debunks every economic fallacy you can think of in that book.
As for how difficult it is, it’s more applied than Callahan’s book. But both are very easy to get into. Neither is difficult material. Look at them as being complementary.
Man, Economy & State by Rothbard. While Human Action is a fantastic book, it can be difficult for laymen to understand. MES is written in classic Rothbardian style - simple to understand, and addressing virtually all aspects of any given issue. Economics in One Lesson is perfect as an overview, but if you really want to get down to praxeology, MES is a must.
If that be your goal, then the obvious choice is Bastiat’s Economic Fallacies. This is, dare-I-say it, a “Must Read” book.
I second that. This suggestion of skipping the first part of human action is a recurring suggestion here at the Mises Institute. Has anyone given a reason why one should skip the first 200 pages of Human Action? (other than that it is more “digestable” or “getting stuck”) It is possible that there is content in the first 200 pages that could be very inspirational to someone first being introduced to the Austrian School. I was introduced to Austrian School with Murray Rothbard’s “What Has Government Done to Our Money”. While it intrigued me and led me to pursue Austrian Economics further, it wasn’t until I started reading Human Action that it became a passion for me. And the most inspirational parts for me were located in the first 200 pages.
While there is certainly some jargon in regard to the various schools of thought in Mises’ age (polylogism, positivism, etc…), there are essential principles in the first 200 pages like, for instance, Mises’ definition of Human Action, the concept of Methodogical Individualism, the law of Marginal Utility, the concept of Means and Ends, the Division of Labor, and much more. We have to remember that this is Mises’ treatise on Economics, and the concepts listed above are essential concepts in understanding economics especially from the perspective of the Austrian School.
Here is the free online version of Human Action. The Mises Institute has done an excellent job with this online version. It is much easier to cruise around in than with the PDF.
Full Interactive Index: http://mises.org/humanaction/theindex.asp
There is more wisdom and erudition packed in the first 200 pages of HA than there are on most philosophy courses. Mises brilliantly considers every objection possible to the praxeological method and shields it from them. I mean some of the stuff he brings up I only did in my third year of my course, and I think Mises’s brief treatment of the topic exceeded voluminous articles on the subject in each case.
I wouldn’t dream of skipping the first 200 pages of a book, just because it was a little difficult to read.