Yesterday, Dan Mitchell sent to me the following e-mail:

Don, If you were to recommend five publications on trade (for non-economist readers), what would be on your list? Thanks Dan

Here’s my response:

Dan,

Great question. Below is my answer. The books on this list are in no particular order:

– Russell Roberts, The Choice (3rd edition)

– Frederic Bastiat, Economic Sophisms (Liberty Fund last year published a new and expanded edition, brilliantly edited by David Hart)

– Pierre Lemieux, What’s Wrong with Protectionism? (Hot-off-the-press; co-published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University)

– Dan Griswold, Mad About Trade

– Johan Norberg, In Defense of Global Capitalism

I also recommend Paul Krugman’s Pop Internationalism and Doug Irwin’s Free Trade Under Fire (4th edition). Each of these books is a bit more advanced than the books on the above list, but nevertheless accessible to non-economists.

My vanity compels me to mention that I tried to write an accessible book on trade with my 2008 book, Globalization. I don’t dare speculate on whether or not I succeeded. Also, I have a primer on trade due out soon from the IEA.

I love all of your stuff, but I’m especially enjoying your recent works on trade.

Don