Selections from great writings on economics, annotated and introduced by a distinguished economist and teacher. 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 Econom y, 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 ).