Principles of Political Economy

This standard biography of the founder of political economy provides indispensable background reading for the study of eighteenth century economic thought. This edition includes an exhaustive new introduction, "Guide to John Rae's Life of Adam Smith," by Jacob Viner which includes close critical commentary on various ambiguities or insufficiently covered points in Rae's narrative, as well as a chronology, publication list and index. Viner noted that as a comprehensive biography, it had "no substantial predecessor. Seventy years later, it still has no substantial successor ... That judgment is still valid." The New Palgrave

John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, politician and economist most famous for his contributions to the theory of utilitarianism. The author of numerous influential political treatises, Mill s writings on liberty, freedom of speech, democracy and economics have helped to form the foundation of modern liberal thought. His 1859 work, On Liberty, is particularly noteworthy for helping to address the nature and limits of the power of the state over the individual. Mills has become one of the most influential figures in nineteenth-century philosophy, and his writings are still widely studied and analyzed by scholars. Mills died in 1873 at the age of 66.