One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1996 "Against the Tide...reviews thinking on free trade from ancient times to the present day. It is encyclopedic in its scope, yet it is very well written and accessible to nonspecialists, fair to the critics of free trade while leaving no doubt that the author finds their argument fatally flawed."--Bruce Bartlett, The Wall Street Journal "Few economic debates have raised more emotion over the last two centuries than that between the champions of free trade and the advocates of protectionism. Irwin chronicles this controversy in great detail... The debate is still very much alive today--from EEC to NAFTA, to the campaign rhetoric in this year's presidential primaries."--Publishers Weekly "An entertaining, informative account of the emergence of the concept of free trade ... full of new insights and unexpected delights... A work that is not only interesting and inspiring but of great practical use."--Paul Krugman, Journal of Economic Literature "Against the Tide is an impressive intellectual achievement. As the history of an economic idea, it pays less attention to the political and economic setting in which different theories were promoted than to their analytical rigour... A delightful as well as an educational read. It should be a set text for anyone interested in trade policy."--The Economist
