Selected Essays in Political Economy (Paperback)

~ Frederic Bastiat (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

He was the most uncompromisingly consistent advocate of laissez-faire in the 19th Century -- and the most quotable! Here, in a single volume, are this great political economist's most brilliant writings. They include his immortal classic, 'The Law,' as well as such unforgettable essays as 'The State,' 'What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen,' 'Property and Plunder,' 'Declaration of War Against the Professors of Political Economy' and many others. An intellectual feast! With an Introduction by Nobel Laureate Friedrich Hayek.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Foundation for Economic Education (June 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910614156
• ISBN-13: 978-0910614153
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,057,613 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, June 22, 2001

By	Jason Fowler (Florida) - See all my reviews

The first two essays in this book not only give the reader fundamentals but expands on them. "That Which Is Not Seen and That Which is Seen" cautions men on their superficial economic notions of only looking at the direct effects of human action, instead of the indirect as well. "The Law" provides a look into the use of force, namely plunder, and how governments have engaged in legalized plunder.

This book is much better than "Economics In One Lesson". Bastiat goes to greater lengths to show the reader, without a doubt, that he is correct in his thinking.

I find the first two essays alone to be worth every penny.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

Everytime I read an article from this book, I am amazed that I am reading a translation (from French). How can a translation of a 150 year old text be more clear, and make more sense, than contemporary attempts in the mother tongue of English?

This man has one modern rival for clarity of economic common sense, and that is Murray Rothbard. It is a shame that Bastiats career was cut so short.

If you want a grounding in the fundementals of economics, and the pressure and accompanying fallacies of social pressure towards government, look no further than to the works of this man. All of his works are well worth the asking price.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What should be seen is this book!, February 18, 2001

By	Stephen B. Cobb "Shameless Reductionist" (Reston, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bastiat's essays 'The Law' and 'What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen' are among the most influential and oft-quoted in libertarian thought. Just the 'broken window fallacy' in the latter essay inspired Henry Hazlitt's classic book Economics in One Lesson. These essays deflate the fallacies on which statists justify their 'solutions', speaking of which, I would bet that 'What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen' was also behind economist Thomas Sowell's quote "There are no solutions, only trade-offs." That the work of a long-dead Frenchman is still being cited by today's libertarians speaks of its importance and timelessness. Bastiat's description of "legal plunder" could have been written today, and, sadly, will probably be equally relevant two centuries hence.