FINGERPRINT with FP logo The wealth of nations

A book par excellence. Something indescribable but excellent. What begins as a text in moral philosophy ends as a masterpiece in economics. A must for all economics aficionadoes. Great read, though the English seems a bit tedious for starters.

Print is WAY to small without using a magnifier.

Das Buch ist kein lockerer Sonntagslesestoff, sondern ein echter Brocken. Er erklärt, warum freie Märkte, Wettbewerb und Arbeitsteilung so wichtig sind – und haut dabei eine Menge kluger Gedanken raus, die auch heute noch relevant sind. Allerdings ist es echt lang und teilweise ziemlich trocken. Smith schweift gerne mal ab und manche Kapitel ziehen sich. Aber wenn man sich da durchbeißt, bekommt man einen tiefen Einblick, warum unser Wirtschaftssystem so tickt, wie es tickt.

Adam Smith is absolutely brilliant. This is a very readable book, and Smith really is the father of modern commerce. His ideas paved the way for prosperity and happiness. Probably the most important philosopher in history. Sure, Plato blathered on about caves and wrote some readable dialogues, but this stuff really matters.

As word-heavy as it is thick, this book is an interesting case study of the wealth of nations of the time it was written. There are many concepts in this book which are still applicable to this day, and they explain a lot about how society was formed and why it works the way it does (in terms of wealth, labour and economies of different nations). I got this book a few weeks ago, and I am still reading through it. As long as you keep in mind the times in which it was written, I would say it is an excellent book so far.