Product Overview
In On The Wealth of Nations, Americas most provocative satirist, P. J. ORourke, reads Adam Smiths revolutionary The Wealth of Nations so you dont 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 nine hundred pages in two volumesincluding 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, Smiths 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.
