Political Economy and the Science of Government.

This is that noble Science of Politics, which is equally removed from the barren theories of the utilitarian sophists, and from the petty craft, so often mistaken for statesmanship by minds grown narrow in habits of intrigue, jobbing, and official etiquette,—which of all sciences is the most important to the welfare of nations,—which of all sciences most tends to expand and invigorate the mind,—which draws nutriment and ornament from every part of philosophy and literature, and dispenses in return nutriment and ornament to all.—Macaulay.

TO the student of Political Economy and the Science of Government I offer the following lists of books, embracing the best works on the various subjects connected with this study. The classification has been made solely with reference to the subject-matter, without any attempt to indicate the order in which the books are to be studied,—as this would be impossible.

Constitutional History, etc.

Freeman: Growth of the English Constitution.

Creasy: Rise and Progress of the English Constitution.

Stubbs: Constitutional History of England.

Hallam: Constitutional History of England (1485-1759).

Curtis: History of the Constitution of the United States.

Von Holst: Constitutional History of the United States.

De Tocqueville: Democracy in the United States.

Townsend: Analysis of Civil Government.

Nordhoff: Politics for Young Americans.

Andrews: Manual of the United States Constitution.

Mulford: The Nation.

Story: Familiar Exposition of the United States Constitution.

Bancroft: History of the United States (vol. xi.).

Amos: The Science of Politics.

General Works on Political Economy.

Perry: An Introduction To Political Economy.

Jevons: A Primer of Political Economy.

Fawcett: A Manual of Political Economy.

John Stuart Mill: Principles of Political Economy (People’s edition).

Cairnes: Some Leading Principles of Political Economy Newly Expounded.

Walker: The Elements of Political Economy.

Perry: Elements of Political Economy.

Bastiat: Essays on Political Economy.

Bowen: American Political Economy.

Mason and Lalor: Primer of Political Economy.

On Population.

Malthus: The Principles of Population.

Mr. Malthus’s doctrines are opposed in the following works—

Godwin: On Population (1820).

Sadler: The Law of Population (1830).

Alison: The Principles of Population, and their Connection with Human Happiness (1840).

Doubleday: The True Law of Population shown to be connected with the Food of the People (1854).

Herbert Spencer: The Principles of Biology (vol. ii.).

Rickards: Population and Capital (1854).

Greg: Enigmas of Life (1872).

The Malthusian doctrine is supported wholly or in part by—

Macaulay, in his Essay on Sadler’s Law of Population;

Rev. Thomas Chalmers, in Political Economy in connection with the Moral State and Moral Prospects of Society;

David Ricardo, in Principles of Political Economy; and some other writers. See, also, Roscher’s Political Economy.

On Wealth and Currency.

Adam Smith: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of Wealth.

Probably the most important book that has ever been written, and certainly the most valuable contribution ever made by a single man towards establishing the principles on which government should be based.—H. T. Buckle.

Jevons: Money and the Mechanism of Exchange.

A. Walker: The Science of Wealth.

F. A. Walker: Money.

Bagehot: Lombard Street; a Description of the Money Market.

Bonamy Price: Principles of Currency.

—— Currency and Banking.

Chevalier: Essay on the Probable Fall in the Value of Gold (translated by Cobden).

Ricardo: Proposals for an Economical Currency.

Poor: Money; its Laws and History.

McCulloch: On Metallic and Paper Money, and Banks.

Newcomb: The A B C of Finance.

Wells: Robinson Crusoe’s Money.

Harvey: Paper Money, the Money of Civilization.

Sumner: History of American Currency.

Maclaren: History of the Currency.

Linderman: Money and Legal Tender of the United States.

Bolles: Financial History of the United States, from 1789 to 1860.

On Banking.

Macleod: The Elements of Banking.

—— Theory and Practice of Banking.

Bonamy Price: Currency and Banking.

Gibbons: The Banks of New York.

Atkinson: What is a Bank?

Gilbart: Principles and Practice of Banking.

Bagehot: Lombard Street.

Morse: Treatise on the Laws relating to Banks and Banking.

On Labor and Wages.

Henry George: Progress and Poverty.

Mallock: Property and Progress.

Walker: Wages and the Wages Class.

Brassey: Work and Wages.

Jevons: The State in relation to Labor.

Jervis: Labor and Capital.

Thornton: On Labor; its Wrongful Claims and Rightful Dues.

Wright: A Practical Treatise on Labor.

Young: Labor in Europe and America.

Bolles: Conflict of Labor and Capital.

About: Hand-Book of Social Economy.

On Socialism and Co-operation.

Nordhoff: Communistic Societies of the United States.

Noyes: History of American Socialism.

Ely: French and German Socialism in Modern Times.

Holyoake: History of Co-operation.

Woolsey: Socialism.

Barnard: Co-operation as a Business.

The student of socialism will doubtless be interested in reading some of the philosophical fictions and other works, written in various ages, describing fanciful or ideal communities and governments. The following are the best—

Plato’s Republic.

Sir Thomas More’s Utopia.

Bacon’s New Atlantis.

Hall’s Mundus Alter et Idem.

Harrington’s Oceana.

Defoe’s Essay on Projects.

Disraeli’s Coningsby, or the New Generation.

Bulwer’s The Coming Race.

On Taxation and Pauperism.

Peto: Taxation; its Levy and Expenditure.

Cobden Club Essay,—On Local Government and Taxation.

EncyclopÆdia Britannica: The Article on Taxation.

Fawcett: Pauperism; its Causes and Remedies.

Sir George Nicholl: Histories of the English, Scotch, and Irish Poor Laws.

Lecky: History of European Morals (vol. ii.).

On the Tariff Question.

The following works favor, more or less strongly, the doctrine of Free Trade—

Adam Smith: On the Wealth of Nations.

Walter: What is Free Trade?

Sumner: Lectures on the History of Protection in the United States.

Mongredien: History of the Free-Trade Movement.

Grosvenor: Does Protection Protect?

Bastiat: Sophisms of Protection.

Fawcett: Free Trade and Protection.

Butts: Protection and Free Trade.

The following are the most important works favoring Protection—

Horace Greeley: The Science of Political Economy.

E. Peshine Smith: A Manual of Political Economy.

R. E. Thompson: Social Science and National Economy.

H. C. Carey: Principles of Social Science.

Byles: Sophisms of Free Trade.

Works of Reference.

McCulloch: Literature of Political Economy.

Macleod: A Dictionary of Political Economy, Biographical, Historical, and Practical.

Lalor: CyclopÆdia of Political Science and Political Economy.

McCulloch: Dictionary of Commerce.

Tooke: History of Prices, 1793 to 1856.

Rogers: History of Agriculture and Prices in England.