On the Wealth of Nations Books That Changed the World |
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| Author:
| O'Rourke, P. J. |
| Series title: | Books That Changed the World Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-8021-4342-6 |
| Publication Date: | Dec 2007 |
| Publisher: | Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated
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| Imprint: | Grove Press |
| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | USD $17.00 |
Book Description:
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InOn The Wealth of Nations, America’s most provocative satirist, P. J. O’Rourke, reads Adam Smith’s revolutionaryThe Wealth of Nationsso you don’t have to. Recognized almost instantly on its publication in 1776 as the fundamental work of economics,The Wealth of Nationswas also recognized as really long: the original edition totaled over nine hundred pages in two volumes—including the blockbuster sixty-seven-page “digression concerning the variations...
More DescriptionInOn The Wealth of Nations, America’s most provocative satirist, P. J. O’Rourke, reads Adam Smith’s revolutionaryThe Wealth of Nationsso you don’t have to. Recognized almost instantly on its publication in 1776 as the fundamental work of economics,The Wealth of Nationswas also recognized as really long: the original edition totaled over nine hundred pages in two volumes—including the blockbuster sixty-seven-page “digression concerning the variations in the value of silver during the course of the last four centuries,” which, “to those uninterested in the historiography of currency supply, is like reading Modern Maturity in Urdu.” Although daunting, Smith’s tome is still essential to understanding such current hot-topics as outsourcing, trade imbalances, and Angelina Jolie. In this hilarious, approachable, and insightful examination of Smith and his groundbreaking work, P. J. puts his trademark wit to good use, and shows us why Smith is still relevant, why what seems obvious now was once revolutionary, and why the pursuit of self-interest is so important.