Principles of Economics (Mankiw book)  Principles of Economics is an introductory economics textbook by Harvard economics professor N. Gregory Mankiw. It was first published in 1997 and has now gone on to have nine editions, with the ninth releasing in 2020. The text has sold over a million copies over its lifetime, generating Mankiw at least $42 million. In this time, "Principles of Economics" has become the standard textbook for American economics departments' introductory classes.