Author of The Worldly Philosophers a 3-million-copy seller Robert Heilbroner offers here a compendium of readings from the worldly philosophers themselves. The selections range from the earliest economic thought to such towering volumes as Adam Smith s The Wealth of Nations Thomas Malthus s Essay on the Principle of Population David Ricardo s Principles of Political Economy and John Maynard Keynes s The General Theory of Employment Interest and Money. Acting as a docent not merely an editor he takes the reader through the core arguments with brilliantly clear commentary (New York Times Book Review).