Library Journal‘s Best Business Books of 2007

“P.J. O’Rourke has been called the funniest writer in America today, and we second that. But he is also a serious and fastidious thinker. Both talents are on display in this, his 13th book, a commentary on Adam Smith’s 1776 masterpiece The Wealth of Nations. It is no disrespect to Smith’s 900-page magnum opus, to say that at this point in life that is, safe from the clutches of term-paper-assigning college professors—I’d rather have P.J. O’Rourke explain to me why the book is so damn important and how it changed the world than wade through the original beast itself. Writing this must have been a daunting intellectual challenge, to say nothing of making 222 pages genuinely and continually witty, but somehow he pulled it off, with trademark flair. It also gave us insight and a deeper understanding of the expense report he just submitted for his article on Kazakhstan.” —Christopher Buckley, ForbesLife

“The opus magnum of the Scottish philosopher who defined free-market economics, usurped by O’Rourke as a matrix for social commentary and humor . . . An entertaining alternative to the heavy lifting required in confronting Adam Smith firsthand.” —Kirkus Reviews

“O’Rourke is a wonderful stylist . . . well worth reading.” —Allan Sloan, New York Times Book Review

“[A] spending series.” —Bill Ward, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Some 700 pages shorter than the 1776 treatise, O’Rourke’s On the Wealth of Nations provides a jovial and readable synopsis of its weighty forefather, starting with Smith’s argument that the pursuit of self-interest ultimately benefits society. . . . For a deadline-conscious college student facing Adam Smith’s turgid prose, the O’Rourke alternative will be an easy choice.” —Pedro Nicolaci da Costa, Boston Globe

“Having a well-known, highly accessible writer—satirist, libertarian and wit P.J. O’Rourke—introduce Smith’s great work to contemporary audiences is a great idea. It’s an incongruous pairing. . . . But like chocolate and salt, this unlikely combination works well together. O’Rourke is a charming, highly literate blogger elucidating Smith’s arguments and making insightful comments along the way.” —Daniel Gross, Miami Herald

“Having a well-known, highly accessible writer introduce Smith’s great work to contemporary audiences is a great idea. . . . It’s an incongruous pairing. . . . But like chocolate and salt, this unlikely combination works well together. In this book, O’Rourke is a charming, highly literate blogger—one who thinks before actually writing—elucidating Smith’s arguments and making insightful comments along the way.” —Daniel Gross, The Washington Post

“In economic terms, [On the Wealth of Nations is] what’s known as ‘a really good deal.’” —John Mark Eberhart, The Macon Telegraph

“Political satirist O’Rourke is clearly the man to re-assess this huge and hugely influential work from 1776: He’s a bleeding-cashflow capitalist, a market-trumps-all freebooter and a very funny fellow.” —Martin Zimmerman, San Diego Union Tribune

“Smith would approve of this trade: a few bucks for a hilarious read. . . . [P.J. O’Rourke is] damn funny. Few writers could so accurately use an Angelina Jolie reference to illustrate points made by a writer who’s been dead for more than 200 years. . . . Learning history while better understanding the current economy—and laughing while doing it? Hard to ask for more. . . . My recommendation of a fair trade is your 22 bucks for this book. Both sides will be happy with the exchange.” —Scott C. Yates, Rocky Mountain News

“Who but P.J. O’Rourke would dare reduce a 900-page tome about economics to a 216-page laugh-riot? But then, the author and political observer always has excelled at reporting extensively on completely humorless topics in ways that make you fall off your chair laughing.” —Scott C. Yates, Rocky Mountain News

“Readers will learn and laugh. . . . Thanks to P.J. O’Rourke and On the Wealth of Nations, no one, save perhaps dusty economics dons, ever need slog through the original again in order to understand Smith and his ideas.” —Larry Thornberry, The Washington Times

“P.J. O’Rourke might be the funniest conservative Republican alive . . . On the Wealth of Nations, a kind of Cliffs Notes-for-smartasses . . . includes a passionate, often frankly libertarian, argument for the continued relevance of Smith’s landmark thousand-page shelf-warmer as a work of moral philosophy. . . . It’s remarkably entertaining.” —Rob Turbovsky, The Daily Free Press

“Funny . . . informative. . . . In economic terms, that’s what’s known as ‘a really good deal.’” —John Mark Eberhart, Kansas City Star

“Put two hands together to applaud O’Rourke for bringing Adam Smith to the 21st-century audience.” —James Higgins, New York Post

“If there is anyone on the planet who can make Adam Smith as entertaining and informative as he was prophetic, it’s P.J. O’Rourke; and we can truthfully report that the division of labor, the function of markets, mediums of exchange, and mercantilism have never been funnier—or more cogently explained—than here.” —The Weekly Standard

“Not only a quick read but a good one.” —Ken Goldstein, The Conference Board Review

“Curling up with a 900-page plus anti-mercantilist text from the 18th century may not appeal to everyone. But amateur economists of all stripes can explore The Wealth of Nations through P.J. O’Rourke’s witty analysis in On the Wealth of Nations. The satirist and conservative makes the tome accessible while throwing in a few cents of his own.” —Boston Globe

“Only humorist O’Rourke, author of Parliament of Whores and Give War a Chance, could use Paris Hilton to explain free-market philosopher Adam Smith.” —Teresa K. Weaver, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“O’Rourke provides an accessible, accurate and charming summary of Smith’s life and economic philosophy.” —Glenn C. Altschuler, The Baltimore Sun

“O’Rourke takes Adam Smith’s grand fundamental work on modern economics and extracts from its dry pages the moist and nourishing wisdom that it contains. And, as always, he adds a dollop of humor, just to sweeten the deal.” —New Hampshire Magazine

“Shows the myriad ways in which Smith is still being vindicated . . . The insights are excellent.” —Joel Miller, The American Spectator

“Scholars are drawn to Adam Smith for what he said; readers will be drawn to O’Rourke for how he says it.” —A.R. Sanderson, University of Chicago, Choice

“O’Rourke is . . . making Adam Smith accessible, understandable and even interesting. Not just Adam Smith’s theories but Smith the man. . . . In short, O’Rourke has read The Wealth of Nations so we don’t have to. . . . Reading P.J. O’Rourke’s On the Wealth of Nations is the way to understand one of the most important and influential thinkers of the past millennium.” —David Forsmark, Frontpage Magazine

P. J. O’Rourke (1947–2022) was an author, journalist, and political satirist who wrote twenty-two books on subjects as diverse as politics and cars and etiquette and economics. Parliament of Whores and Give War a Chance both reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. After beginning his career writing for the National Lampoon, O’Rourke went on to serve as foreign affairs desk chief for Rolling Stone where he reported from far-flung places. Later he wrote for a number of publications, including The Atlantic, the Daily Beast, the Wall Street Journal, and the Weekly Standard, and was a longtime panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me.