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  • The Wealth of Nations

  • By: Adam Smith
  • Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
  • Length: 36 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (140 ratings)
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The Wealth of Nations cover art

The Wealth of Nations

By: Adam Smith
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
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Summary

The foundation for all modern economic thought and political economy, The Wealth of Nations is the magnum opus of Scottish economist Adam Smith, who introduces the world to the very idea of economics and capitalism in the modern sense of the words. Smith details his argument in five books:

  • Book I. Of the Causes of Improvement in the Productive Power of Labour
  • Book II. Of the Nature, Accumulation, and Employment of Stock Introduction
  • Book III. Of the Different Progress of Opulence in Different Nations
  • Book IV. Of Systems of Political Economy
  • Book V. Of the Revenue of the Sovereign or Commonwealth

Taken together, these books form a giant leap forward in the field of economics. A product of the "Age of Enlightenment," The Wealth of Nations is a must for all who wish to gain a better understanding of the principles upon which all modern capitalistic economies have been founded and the process of wealth creation that is engendered by those principles.

Public Domain (P)2010 Tantor

What listeners say about The Wealth of Nations

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but pace yourself

Really enjoyed this book and pretty much every sentence is interesting but it can be heavy and draining.

Also, seriously, brush up on how much guineas and shillings are worth otherwise a lot of the analogies will be lost. I got very confused when he starts comparing how many guineas are paid per bushel of wheat compared to how many florins per hogs head of ale.

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23 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Important, but dull

Very well read, by a clear- & well-intoned reader, & putting forward economically foundational & politically intriguing positions (which inform a historical & contemporary understanding of Western poltical-economy), I found this book, nonetheless, quite dull - which is a pity. In part, this perceived flaw is a result of the format - audiobooks being less well-equipped to engagingly & comparatively present statistical & numerical data than the printed page -, but it should also be born in mind that I finished it, an event unlikely (I should imagine) if I were to attempt to read the printed text. I'm thinking of this as an 'important' book, but which I hope never to read (or hear read) again.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Economic development

Quite long book, I listened for a months, but it was worth it. the book helps develop your economic understanding.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Very long winded

very boring, dull and extremely long winded. The narrator was very much monotone and was not engaging.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not a pleasant listening despite its greatness

The content of the book is certainly remarkable but it is excessively long and detailed in some chapters. The narrator speaks clearly but without any engagement with the text. He is so monotone that you can feel the narrator's boredom while listening to him. Overall, the narration is not enjoyable. I would definitely not recommend this audiobook to anyone despite its occasionally highly interesting contents.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Intersting but overrated

If you want to learn about economics Yanis Varifakous, Richard Wolf, Mark Blyth or Karl Marx would probably be better time spent.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

still fresh after several centuries

This book is the Hallmark of clear thinking and concise writing. An exercise in logic, moral thought and basic economics.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

After years waiting for it...

It has it all, and I mean all plus some!

It reads like all the epic business, finances, economics, marketing, sociology and politics books start and end here, 1776... What a brain!

Excellent narrator, however, for this book, my choice would have been one "more with the times" of the literary oeuvre(and I do mean the voice and style).

Best thirty six hours divided three!

Alirio da Silva.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

well narrated, thought provoking

really great listen and read very well by the narrator. narrators are everything in audio and this one is perfect for this content.

The book is a classic and will get you thinking about things in a more objective way, has a great style and is a a look back in time before the over complexity of the present day.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended!

This is a book I've read twice before. Listening to it here brought it to life. The narrator is excellent! I strongly recommend it for both first time readers of the book as well as those who have read the print.

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