It won't win any literary awards, but this is a novel way to explain economic concepts (no pun intended). Late British economist David Ricardo guides the protagonist like a Dickensian ghost of economic present and alternate futures. Along the way, their dialogue hits on a variety of topics related to free trade and protectionism: comparative advantage, outsourcing, tariffs and quotas, trade deficits, fair trade, and globalization. It's a quick read, which may help you understand economics better than traditional teaching methods. ( )