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Title details for On the Wealth of Nations by P. J. O'Rourke - Available

On the Wealth of Nations

A Book that Shook the World

#6 in series

by P. J. O'Rourke
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A New York Times Bestseller As P. J. O'Rourke says, 'It's as if Smith, having proved that we can all have more money, then went on to prove that money doesn't buy happiness. And it doesn't. It rents it.' Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was first published in 1776 and almost instantly was recognized as fundamental to an understanding of economics. It was also recognized as being really long and as P. J. O'Rourke points out, to understand The Wealth of Nations, the cornerstone of free-market thinking and a book that shapes the world to this day, you also need to peruse Smith's earlier doorstopper,The Theory of Moral Sentiments. But now you don't have to read either, because P. J. has done it for you. In this hilarious work P. J. shows us why Smith is still relevant, why what seems obvious now was once revolutionary, and how the division of labour, freedom of trade and pursuit of self-interest espoused by Smith are not only vital to the welfare of mankind, they're funny too. He goes on to establish that far from being an avatar of capitalism, Smith was actually a moralist of liberty. As P. J. says, 'It's as if Smith, having proved that we can all have more money, then went on to prove that money doesn't buy happiness. And it doesn't. It rents it.'

  • Creators

  • Series

    Books That Shook the World

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 1, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781848872578

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781848872578
      • File size: 318 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 27, 2006
      The famous satirist headlines a new series of Books That Changed the World," in which well-known authors read great books "so you don't have to." While irreverently dissecting Adam Smith's 18th-century antimercantilist classic, The Wealth of Nations
      , O'Rourke continues the dogged advocacy of free-market economics of his own books, such as Eat the Rich
      . His analysis renders Smith's opus more accessible, while providing the perfect launching pad for O'Rourke's opinions on contemporary subjects like the World Bank, defense spending and Bill Moyers's intelligence (or lack thereof, according to O'Rourke). Readers only vaguely familiar with Smith's tenets may be surprised to learn how little he continues to be understood today. As O'Rourke observes, "there are many theories in , but no theoretical system that Smith wanted to put in place, except 'the obvious and simple system of natural liberty establishes itself of its own accord." Libertarian that he is, O'Rourke would probably agree that one shouldn't take only his word on Smith. Still, the book reads like a witty Cliffs Notes
      , with plenty of challenges for the armchair economist to wrap his head around.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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