<blockquote>
<p><em>Varian's Intermediate Microeconomics</em> [...] seems friendlier but a bit sloppy</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is good insight IMO, and the proper book will depend on your students' goals and abilities. If they will never study e.g. General Equilibrium Theory, then a level of rigor beyond Varian is superfluous. If they will, and they already have the necessary math skills then a book that calls a derivative a derivative might be better, as Varian mostly restricts such phrases to the appendices.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Does anyone have experience teaching with one or the other?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I taught first year students from Varian for the better part of a decade.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Why did you pick it?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I didn't, I was not the course coordinator.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Did the students like it?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is an interesting question and one that gets asked surprisingly rarely. I think part of the students will never like anything or read most of the book; part of the students will like anything decent and mostly consistent. You would probably have to query the middle tier, but that is somewhat hard to define. Also, I would hesitate to go solely on the students' immediate opinions, as they might not be the best judges of what is best for their understanding of the material going forward.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-31T07:18:37.910Z
2024-05-31T10:22:25.933Z
2024-05-31T10:22:25.933Z
Giskard
<p>I will be teaching both Intermediate Micro 1 and 2 and would like to pick one textbook for both courses so students don't have to spend too much. I am inclined toward Nicholson &amp; Snyder's <em>Microeconomic Theory</em> because I find it has the right level of rigour while covering many relevant topics. It's also the book my instructors used many years ago.</p>
<p>However, the field seems to love Varian's <em>Intermediate Microeconomics</em> better. At first sight, it seems friendlier but a bit sloppy, although that might just be my impression.</p>
<p>Does anyone have experience teaching with one or the other? Why did you pick it? Did the students like it? Is there any obvious reason to pick Varian's over Nicholson &amp; Snyder besides the amount of resources available with the publisher? Thanks!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-30T18:45:32.923Z
Based on self-studying (instead of teaching) experience, it won't make much difference. They are all fantastic texts. If I have to make a choice, I think I'll use Varian as the "required textbook" (somehow I have this impression that the level of Varian is slightly higher). And I'll assign readings from Nicholson and Snyder in case they have an intriguing presentation on certain topics.
Beerus
<microeconomics><soft-question><teaching>
Nicholson & Snyder V.S. Varian for teaching?
Galactic Economist
# Nicholson & Snyder V.S. Varian for teaching?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-05-28)

I will be teaching both Intermediate Micro 1 and 2 and would like to pick one textbook for both courses so students don't have to spend too much. I am inclined toward Nicholson & Snyder's *Microeconomic Theory* because I find it has the right level of rigour while covering many relevant topics. It's also the book my instructors used many years ago.

However, the field seems to love Varian's *Intermediate Microeconomics* better. At first sight, it seems friendlier but a bit sloppy, although that might just be my impression.

Does anyone have experience teaching with one or the other? Why did you pick it? Did the students like it? Is there any obvious reason to pick Varian's over Nicholson & Snyder besides the amount of resources available with the publisher? Thanks!

**Tags:** microeconomics, soft-question, teaching

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Based on self-studying (instead of teaching) experience, it won't make much difference. They are all fantastic texts. If I have to make a choice, I think I'll use Varian as the "required textbook" (somehow I have this impression that the level of Varian is slightly higher). And I'll assign readings from Nicholson and Snyder in case they have an intriguing presentation on certain topics.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-05-31. Score: 2

> *Varian's Intermediate Microeconomics* [...] seems friendlier but a bit sloppy

This is good insight IMO, and the proper book will depend on your students' goals and abilities. If they will never study e.g. General Equilibrium Theory, then a level of rigor beyond Varian is superfluous. If they will, and they already have the necessary math skills then a book that calls a derivative a derivative might be better, as Varian mostly restricts such phrases to the appendices.

> Does anyone have experience teaching with one or the other?

I taught first year students from Varian for the better part of a decade.

> Why did you pick it?

I didn't, I was not the course coordinator.

> Did the students like it?

This is an interesting question and one that gets asked surprisingly rarely. I think part of the students will never like anything or read most of the book; part of the students will like anything decent and mostly consistent. You would probably have to query the middle tier, but that is somewhat hard to define. Also, I would hesitate to go solely on the students' immediate opinions, as they might not be the best judges of what is best for their understanding of the material going forward.


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