The Wealth of Nations, Book 1

Events in the year 1776 were to be ones that changed the political face of the world for the rest of history. The fledgling United States of America was embroiled in its fight for independence from the British Empire, what was perhaps at that time the greatest power in the world. In July, the Declaration of Independence, authored principally by Thomas Jefferson was adopted by the United States, officially announcing its independence from the British Empire.

There was another document published that year, albeit one that was not quite as important and monumental as the Declaration of Independence. On March 9, 1776 Adam Smith published what was to become one of the greatest works in the field of economics and would help to change both the political and economic understanding of nations from that time on. The Wealth of Nations is “widely considered to be the first modern work in the field of economics…and the first comprehensive defense of free market policies.”

Over the past 6 months I have been working on recording Book 1 of The Wealth of Nations in conjunction with Librivox, a volunteer-based web site that offers free audio books of literature that is in the public domain. I am very happy to announce that Book 1 is now complete and available for listening. I am now working on Book 2 and hope to have this one completed by September 2008.

If you enjoy audio books and would like to listen to what is continually listed in the top 100 books of all time, follow this link. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed reading.