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On the Wealth of Nations

Books That Changed the World

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On the Wealth of Nations

Written by: P.J. O'Rourke
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
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About this listen

 As one of the first titles in Atlantic Monthly Press' "Books That Changed the World" series, America's most provocative satirist, P.J. O'Rourke, reads from Adam Smith's revolutionary The Wealth of Nations - so you don't have to.

Recognized almost instantly on its publication in 1776 as the fundamental work of economics, The Wealth of Nations was also recognized as really long. The original edition totaled over 900 pages in two volumes, including the blockbuster 67-page "digression concerning the variations in the value of silver during the course of the last four centuries", which, O'Rourke says, "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 currently 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.

©2006 P.J. O'Rourke (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc. Comedy & Humor Economics Thought-Provoking Business
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What the critics say

"In a highly accessible, often hilarious tone, O'Rourke parses Smith's notions of political and economic freedom." (Booklist)

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It was ok.

At this point the pop culture and political references from when he wrote it are too dated for me, and I did find it a bit too flippant like some of the other reviewers mentioned. But the writer broke down some complex concepts with what is obviously a very clear understanding of Adam Smith’s work. Not as illuminating on the original text as I had hoped, but still decent.

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