Principles of Political Economy (Penguin Classics) (Books 4 and 5)

From the moment of its first publication in 1848, John Stuart Mill's "Principles" established itself as a classic which, viewed simply as an economics textbook, was to enjoy a longer active life than any comparable work, either before or since. Mill's many-sided brilliance and his concern for fundamental problems have, in the end, secured him against the onslaughts of lesser minds at the end of the last century: his questions have proved more durable than their answers. This volume contains the two concluding books of Mill's extensive work. To these are added important passages from the second book, on socialism and the distribution of property. The introduction outlines the structure of Mill's thought, and in doing so highlights the appeal of his sympathy for social change, his rejection of crude Malthusianism and his distaste for what is now called "growthmanship".