I studied finance in college and I think I could have just read this book instead of most of the finance classes I took.

First of all, "The Money Game" starts out with the thesis that the stock market and all other equity markets are just a game. It is not long-term investing that wins in this game for most. This would be heresy for most finance professors and financial planners out there. One example from the book involves a family that passed IBM stock down from generation to generation, it was only sold to cover estate taxes. Many members in the family became very wealthy. However, they worked just hard as their cohorts with no money, and the buy and hold stretagy profited them almost nothing despite the fact that they were "wealthy." Another example is a man who died in the late 1800s with a portfolio worth over $1,000,000. By the time the inheretence was passed down, the portfolio was worth 0, as the companies had gone out of business.

"The Money Game" gives a great explanation of crital issues such as technical analysis, fundamental analysis, mass psychology, mutual funds and their managers, "performance" vs. more conservative funds, accounting practices, random walk theory, "valuation" of equities, and most importantly the money game itself.

Ever wonder how a company like Priceline.com could be worth more than the market capitalization of all the airline stocks put together? This book explains how something so out of whack can happen and gives many examples.

In this game, money is how you keep score. When someone is making lots of money, they are winning the game. When they are loosing money, they are loosing the game. But the game is there to be played, win, lose, or draw. For the players, it's just too tempting to stay in, it is vital, it is life for many.

Much to my surprise, I find myself in agreement with a prize winning economist (Paul Samuelson has dubbed the book a "modern classic," and it is). A brief but insanely great read, Adam Smith made me laugh out loud at least half a dozen times with his dry sarcasm and sardonic wit. If 'Reminiscences of a Stock Operator' is the all time ultimate classic for traders, then 'The Money Game' is the all time ultimate classic for investors.

Written almost a decade before I was born, the book is just as relevant today as it was in the latter half of the sixties. The high flyers Smith writes about are so similar to those of the 1990's bubble, it is literally as if nothing but the symbols have changed (and perhaps the clothing styles). Sixties screamers like Brunswick and Solectron were bid up to hundreds of times earnings, then flamed out and fell through the floor with spectacular declines of 90% or more- just like the JNPR's and CMGI's and JDSU's of our more enlightened age. The Great Winfield, master tape reader of his day, is the perfect 1960's equivalent to the modern daytrader banging bids on Island or Selectnet. The technical analysts of the sixties, with their punch cards and their vacuum tube computers, are in perfect harmony with the high powered number crunchers and stochastics trackers of today. And when Smith discusses the complete and utter wackiness of corporate accounting methods, complete with a hundred and one ways to massage earnings statements six ways to Sunday while technically remaining within the law, you would swear he is foreshadowing the fall of Enron. And of course there is good old John Jerk, proud representative of the general public, buying high, selling low and getting taken behind the woodshed by the smarter players, just as he still is today (but don't worry John, you'll come out okay in the "long term," really truly you will, snicker).

Smith also takes some time near the end of the book to roast the gold bugs, who were the same bunch of pessimistic doom mongers back then as they are today (surprise!). The uber-pessimists had their brief moment in the sun in the early 80's, but of course 99% of them gave it all back too. What self respecting bug would have cashed in with gold at $800 an ounce when it was surely going to infinity? ...

The old hands are always saying that the game is the same. Young gunslingers and wet behind the ears traders nod and smile, because they know the old timers are wise- yet the youngsters are still naïve enough to harbor doubts in the back of their minds as to whether it is true. Is the game always the same? Couldn't it be different this time? Couldn't it? 'The Money Game' really, seriously puts the issue to rest. There is no way a book written in 1966 could sound perfectly suited to 2001, no way that bowling stocks and fiber optic packet switching stocks could give the exact same performances under mania circumstances, unless the game is always indefinitely, immutably the same. And why shouldn't it be? We can put a man on the moon, but we certainly aren't any more humble or mature than we were yesterday. Our knowledge may increase but our greed and our fear stay the same.

Bravo Adam Smith (or should I say George Goodman). I don't know if you are even still alive to read this praise, but your book is as fresh today as it was on the day you wrote it.

This is a great book on many levels, for both investors and non-investors.

The setting is Wall Street in the late 1960s. Alcohol flows freely, and smoking is not taboo (don't forget about sex, these were the "Go-Go Years"). It is an almost exclusively male, smaller, whiter, and more white-shoe environment (most women in the book are referred to as "pretty young things"). Nevertheless, don't let the differences fool you; there are many things to be learned in this tale told from the inside.

New York has come into its own as a financial center in the 1960s, and the electricity in the air is communicated through the pages. London, which was more of a co-equal in the prior, twenties bull market, is now a shadow, with Wall Street houses decorating their dining rooms with (page 223) "...paneling [that has] been flown over from busted merchant banks in the City of London..." The foundations of the confident World Trade Center are being drawn up. Older Depression-era Wall Street hands are still dominant, but as the Vietnam War hovers in the background, cracks in the establishment are beginning to show as twenty and thirty something "gunslinger" investment managers show up on the scene.

Almost every major investment paradox or problem we face today is foreshadowed in miniature in this book. As a work of literature, it combines an engaging text with profound underlying meaning. The chapter "What Do the Numbers Mean?" on aggressive accounting was eerily prescient.

The constant presence of John Maynard Keynes and Sigmund Freud as background figures to the culture of the times left an odd taste in my mouth, but the author (George J.W. Goodman, writing under the pen name "Adam Smith") never missed a beat in deftly applying their insights to the world of finance. The book has a strong undercurrent of behavioral finance, but it's about much more than that. There's a lot of humor, but there is also tragedy, when he recounts the tale of burnt-out and broke ex-millionaire Harry (many names are changed in the book to protect anonymity):

(p. 93) "Time is getting shorter," Harry said. "I'll be forty soon. You have to do what you're going to do. All professionals use leverage. You have to, or you end up just another face in the crowd, someone who worked on the Street thirty years and saw a lot of markets and retired with a hundred and twenty thousand dollars. That's no reason to be on the Street."

(p. 96) "[Goodman comments on Harry's misfortune] We all know what a millionaire is, and when the adding machine says, "$1,000,000," there is a beaming figure facing it. But when the machine says 00.00 there should be no one at all because that identity has been extinguished, and the trouble is that sometimes when the adding-machine tape says 00.00 there is still a man there to read it."

Read this book, whether you are an investor, English major or engineer. You'll get a lot out of it.

This is a collection of stories, all true, about Sheila Kay Adams' childhood in the kind of North Carolina mountain community that is fading fast, if it hasn't already disappeared. Her warm voice, fine sense of comic writing, sharply-drawn characters, and lovely descriptions all contribute to a collection that is simply but elegantly conceived. The snapshots of life presented here--tragic, hilarious, wondrous--are engaging and moving. It's the kind of book you'll return to. Highly, highly recommended.

Loved this book. Ms. Adams writes just like she talks. The stories she tells are wonderful. The story of Bertha and the snake handlers is priceless. If you are looking for a good book to share with ever member of the family, as I have, this is the book.

I love this book and have used it to read to nursing home folks. They have enjoyed these often outlandish tales as much as I. True life is often better than fiction they say, and I would agree. All short but entertaining tales.

I have a project to read a biography of every American president, and since I knew Page Smith's excellent 8-volume history of the US, I decided his biography of John Adams would be the one to read for that president. I now have finally read the work, and I was not wrong. These volumes tell in fascinating detail of the momentous life of our second president, and it is hard for me to see how the telling could be improved upon. I have only a few presidents I have not yet done. Any thought as to the best biography of Millard Fillmore?

This classic two voume set reads like a novel. Once started I could not put it down. From his childhood and education, the revolution and founding of the country, through the trials of his presidency and retirement, the events of the times unfold in intimate detail. A prolific letter and diary writer, John Adams left a treasure of detail and insights to the events of his life, and P Smith has assembled them in a most readable form. This book is a must read for anyone interested in early American history.

This classic two volume set reads like a novel. I could'nt put it down. The reader is treated to an intimate look at the history of the times through the eyes of one of the most under-rated of the founding fathers. From his childhood and education through the revolution and founding of the country, insight and detail of the events unfold in a most interesting manner. A most prolific letter and diary writer, John Adams left a detailed account of his life and times, and virtally every aspect of the book is documented and noted. An excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of the times.

One of the best non-fiction books to come out of the mid-1970s was this wonderful tongue-in-cheek exploration of a whole raft of different mind-expansion techniques by the best-selling author Adam Smith. From Rolfing to EST, Smith includes us in his often humorous attempts to gain genuine insight into how the human mind works, and how we can each individually overcome the limitations, liabilities, and lamentations associated with living with our minds. And, as Smith tells us again and again, your mind is not necessarily your friend.

Although he writes in a self-deprecating and quite comedic way, often he uses his wry and laser-sharp mind to show us things well worth knowing. Indeed, this book is not a throwaway effort, but is a very helpful and essential guide to a plethora of different philosophies, techniques, and modalities dealing with different ways of gaining further self-awareness. Smith asks himself if he really could, as is claimed by some adherents, learn to control his blood pressure, stifle headaches, or learn to pop himself into an alpha state? And by the way, he asks, what is an alpha state, and why do we want to achieve it? How useful is meditation, and what can it really do for us?

In reality, this is aground-breaking effort to introduce the field of consciousness psychology, of the whole field surrounding questions of the mind-body connection and how to approach getting involved. What makes sense and what doesn't become more apparent as we accompany Smith through adventures in Arica, or Transcendental Meditation, or what Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard refers to as the post-relaxation response. In an aside, Smith begins to question his own ideas about what is real and what is not, and the ways in which our own so-called reality paradigm predisposes us to seeing, interpreting, and experiencing the world around us in a particular way.

I found myself particularly astounded by his own experiences in a sensory deprivation tank, and how he seemed to experience out-of-body experiences associated with these excursions to the far reaches of consciousness exploration. I lost my only copy of the book in a fire last year, and just recently re-acquired another copy through the Amazon out-of-print book service. It is an unqualified joy to be re-reading it again after all this time. Do yourself a favor a get yourself a copy too. I know you will love reading it too. Enjoy!

Powers of Mind is brain candy. It is intuitive, original, and fascinating. One of the most informative and interesting books on the subject that I have read. The author lightens up normally dry reading with humor, sarcasm, and other literary devices. If you are interested in the extended issues of psychology, and parapsychology, then this book is a must read. Everything from LSD and "mind opening" experiences to ancient perspectives and interesting historical fact.s

I was amazed at the effects that this book had on my Bird-brain. Our mind is only limited by our beliefs. The author backs up all of his assertions with facts and real life examples. Several mind-expanding accounts of people all over the world who are not limited by a "confined consensual reality". Changes your beliefs and your experiences will follow. I highly recommend reading this book.

Seldom if ever does one come across a book, so succinct, so seductive and so persuasive in its analysis and treatment on what constitutes the core and foundation of the subject of modern economics. Tracing its development to the times of Adam Smith (and earlier) and the subsequent edification of his work by the motivated self interests of Malthus, Ricardo and others, Lux lays bare the corrupting and narcissist venality of a depraved era that was fashioned into respectability, to spawn the cataclysmic upheavals of the past three centuries, spanning countries and continents of planet earth.

Kenneth Lux argues forcefully that Adam Smith's thesis 'The Wealth of Nations' is but a clarion call to Greed, despite Smith's original intentions to the contrary.

Long after this 'mandate for greed' was absorbed into the fabric of accepted social behaviour and instituted as the norm for legally sanctified economic intercourse, the nations of the world convulse rapaciously with the disproportionate spread in wealth. And the ecosystems of the planet, its air, its earth and its water tether on the brink of collapse.

With the keen insight of the psychologist Kenneth Lux offers a glimmer of redemption from the present dismal state of affairs... "temper 'self interest' with 'benevolence' and things can become very different" he counsels. He does not claim originality for this idea, a truism to be found in all the old books of wisdom. Something mankind has lost sight of and is in urgent need of rediscovery.

Sadly this book by Kenneth Lux "Adam Smith's Mistake: How A Moral Philosopher Invented Economics And Ended Morality", Shambhala 1990, is out of print and out of stock. A few second hand copies retail at three times the original cost!

Kenneth Lux's and Mark A. Lutz's collaborative and individual efforts should be more widely known, especially among Left Intellectual circles, and that they aren't is quite a shame.

It's also a pity such an earthshattering book as this is now out of print, for it diagnoses the rot at the core of Classical Neoliberal economics so eloquently and plainly. It is a strongly ethical critique that lays bare a critical mistake in the reasoning of Adam Smith...a mistake that has been siezed on by all subsequent Neo-liberal "classical" economists and is the only thing they care to remember about Adam Smith...It was joked once on NPR that Adam Smith couldn't get a job in todays' business press because he'd be percieved as "too lefty". This is actually quite true...if, as Noam Chomsky has pointed out, anyone would actually bother to mull thru the whole of Smith's works. But no, what gets lached on to is the selfishness doctrine (Smith's Mistake) as the key economic engine, and all of Smith's moral reservations and other conscientious handwringing are forgotten/rendered mute by this mistake...and it is upon this mistake that the whole unjust real-existing capitalist world order has been built and continues to rest.

"So?" you might say, "Marx already did this in Das Kapital". Well, yes, but not quite. Lux knows about Marx, of course, and has a few humanistic/ethical choice barbs to toss his way also.

Although Lux does not use this language to describe his position, his solution to the dilema does basically come from the anarcho-syndicalist circles of Spain (both during and even, covertly, AFTER the Spanish Civil War), plus a little Gandhi & MLK thrown in for good measure. That summary is a bit too pat, and it's hard to summarize briefly and still do the book justice; JUST READ IT. You will never look at economics quite the same ever again.

All in all a fine book that has pride of place on my bookshelf. Worth conducting an "out of print" booksearch for, by all means.

Dennis Smith gives a great account of what it was like to be a firefighter in a time and place -- the South Bronx in the 1960's -- that most of us can only imagine.

The book does an excellent job of showing us life through the eyes of men who risked their lives every single day simply for the love of the job and for the satisfaction that they were helping in a place that in many ways was beyond help.

A quick read -- well written and quite thought provoking.

This book, when I first read it in the 70's as a kid, cemented my desire to be a firefighter. It went past the gleaming paint and chrome and really showed me the grit of the job; that it wasn't always the glorious one I had envisioned but more of a thankless one. Dennis Smith's vivid imagery makes you feel like you're in the battle right there with his company. It also shows the toll that firefighting takes on it's participants, the physical as well as the emotional scars the job leaves. Smith takes you through his personal life, discussing his humble childhood and the effect his career has on his adult life.

All in all, a wonderful story that grabs you at the beginning and doesn't let go until the last page.

Dennis Smith takes us into a world seldom seen by the average person. His accounts are gripping and have you believe you're on the hoseline backing up the nozzleman. It is a truly captivating book that shows the reader what really is the root of urban decay. As a fellow firefighter, I couldn't put this book down and have re-read it several times. It is a timeless piece that shows what it's like to be a New York City firefighter. I recommend this to everybody.

...this is still my favorite book because it has a time machine and I wish I could build a time machine or something like it or somebody would come to me from the future. The book was very interesting and I didn't want to put it down. My favorite part was when the old woman flapped her arms and everyone laughed.

I've used this book all year as an independent reading choice in my 6th grade clasroom. It really draws in even the most reluctant reader. The kids like the combination of time travel, comic books, aliens, prehistoric monsters, etc.--just about everything a kid would want in a book. My personal favorite scene is when Brian falls out of the alien spaceship and realizes his corduroy pants had saved him, and they're NOT damaged! Very funny stuff. I think adults will enjoy the book too.

I highly recommend this book. It won the Walt Disney award for Best Adventure Book (a CHILDREN'S CHOICE award). It's about a boy who tries to get a valuable comic book in mint-condition from 1939 and ends up going on a wild journey. The boy's motives are unselfish, having to do with bringing love back into his family (I won't give anything away).

In a time when all sorts of violent and inappropriate things are starting to appear in children's books in the misguided belief that they are required to keep today's kids reading, it's good to see a wholesome adventure book with family values. That it was chosen by the children of America as the best adventure book speaks volumes about what will actually keep kids reading: a good, solid, page-turning adventure that doesn't stop even after you've closed the book at the end.

The illustrations are also spectacular. They are the old-fashioned kind made up of thousands of individual lines, giving the impression that each is an intricate etching. They fit the comic book theme of the novel nicely. An impressive 5 star book.

"Saving Adam" by L. Smith is one evening's read that will stay with you. Told primarily from the viewpoint of a woman for whom perseverance and faith are bywords, I was inspired to read it through to the end in one sitting.

A tad short on some of the writing skills we are accustomed to finding in memoirs, this story works for me. It is told with humor, the language is spare and the protagonist is a woman in charge of her own destiny. It also does not preach. It simply tells the story of a woman who loves and, in doing so, affects the lives of those around her.

One of the other reviewers mentioned that this book should be turned into a movie. Darn right! The central character is any novelist's or screenwriter's dream.

"Saving Adam" is, in short, a poem to the universe without a single poetic phrase between its covers.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"

Saving Adam was a book that can be enjoyed for the purity of human love it provides for the reader. When one is looking for the "perfect" family situation to put a child into, they don't always find what is considered "normal" for everyone. Adam thrived because he was loved, accepted and given the opportunity to grow with his family. Biology doesn't insure that a child will be loved and taken proper care of. I laughed, I cried, I loved every word of Adam's story. It is sad only that he has to wait to be reunited with his Mom in Heaven. They had such little time together, but it was quality. Who could ask for more from a parent/child relationship? I recommend this book to anyone that needs to be reminded how lucky we are to have the loving families that we do and to never take advantage of the love we are given so freely by our families.

If you liked "The Christmas Box", you'll LOVE "Saving Adam"! If you were unimpressed with "The Christmas Box", you'll be VERY impressed with "Saving Adam"! It also contains elements comparable to "A Child Called 'It'" by Dave Pelzer and the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. I've never before seen a book written so masterfully as to contain no places, no dates, no times, no names (other than "Adam") and done successfully. It's hard to tell whether this story is about the boy or the mother. What is clear is that one miracle after another adds up to one miraculous, true story that no one should do without! This book should be mandatory reading for anyone who works with children!

Those who are looking for an answer to the age old question, 'Why should we be moral?' will be, in a sense, disappointed by this book. Smith from the get-go, shifts the question. Instead he asks, 'Why ARE we moral?' Subtle difference? It's bigger than you may think.

Smith takes our moral nature as a given. Humans are born with an innate capacity for sympathy. We identify others as like ourselves and unless otherwise provoked, do not want to hurt others. We also have an innate desire for esteem. We learn early that treating others kindly gains us admiration in the same way that we naturally admire kind people. This is the core of Smiths thesis and from here he puts examines these principles across an array of human behaviors. Why do we tell truths when we could tell undetected lies? Why would we do kindly to others even if esteem of peers is not gauranteed? Why would some die for their family members or their country?

Probably the trait Smith admires most is prudence; the art of knowing what is and is not appropriate action both in our subjective judgement and that of an imagined 'impartial spectator.' The prudent person is able and willing to put herself in the context of other people. 'Although an action seems justified to me, would others see it that way?' 'Would satisfying small desire X of mine be an obstacle to other's fulfillment of larger desires?'

It goes on from there. Smith puts these ideas well to the test going through scenario after scenario. Because of this, I would say this book should be shelved in psychology, not philosophy as it simply tries to give an account of the way we think. Thus the philosopher looking for a forcefully stated, internally consistent and completely reasoned 'moral system' will not find it in these pages. Smith takes us only so far but when asked 'Why do we have these inclinations to be moral and gain esteem,' he simply answers that it is in our nature. This may be the best answer we can hope for, but it will leave some philosophers unsatisfied.

Regarding the length, IT IS TOO LONG!! With a good editor, 200 pages could've easily been cut. I would even say that the last section, examining flaws in existing moral systems is not necessary and can be skipped. Aside from length, it is a joyful read, though. Smith is an excellent writer and certainly better than Hume, Locke and others of the day. As a conclusion, those looking to bridge the chasm in the 'Wealth of Nations' between Smiths simultaneous advocation of free trade and his disdain for unchecked greed in all it's forms...look no further than "Theory of Moral Sentiments."

To truly understand Adam Smith's economic masterpiece "The Wealth of Nations", one must understand its moral foundation. Without Smith's essential prequel, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments", the more famous "Wealth of Nations" can easily be misunderstood, twisted, or dismissed. Smith rightly lays the premise of his economics in a seedbed of moral philosophy -- the rights and wrongs, the whys and why-nots of human conduct. Smith's capitalism is far from a callous, insensitive, greed-motivated, love-of-profits-at-any-cost approach to the marketplace, when seen in the context of his "Moral Sentiments." [Note: This book is a "page for page reproduction" of a two volume edition published in 1817, which is reflected in my pagination references.]

Smith's first section deals with the "Propriety of Action". The very first chapter of the book is entitled "Of Sympathy". This is very telling of Smith's view of life, and his approach to how men should conduct their lives. "How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it." (p 1:1). Later Smith asserts that this "sympathy, however, cannot, in any sense, be regarded as a selfish principle." (p 2:178)

This propriety of conduct undergirds all social, political and economic activities, private and public. When Smith observes that "hatred and anger are the greatest poisons to the happiness of a good mind" (p 1:44) he is speaking not only of interpersonal relationships but of its moral extensions in the community and world. Smith treats the passions of men with clinical precision, identifying a gamut of passions like selfishness, ambition and the distinction of ranks, vanity, intimidation, drawing examples from history and various schools of philosophy. He extols such quiet virtues as politeness, modesty and plainness, probity and prudence, generosity and frankness -- certainly not the qualities of the sterotypical cartoon of a capitalist robber-baron. Indeed Smith is contemptuous of the double standards employed by cults of celebrity: "The great mob of mankind are the admirers and worshippers...of wealth and greatness" paying lip-service to wisdom and virtue, yet Smith oserves, "there is scarce any man who does not respect more the rich and the great, than the poor and the humble. With most men the presumption and vanity of the former are much more admired, than the real and solid merit of the latter. It is scarce agreeable to good morals or even good language...that mere wealth and greatness, abstracted from merit and virtue, deserve our respect." (p 1:79) Tragically, the wealthy celebrity foists a dangerous pattern upon the public, "even their vices and follies are fashionable;and the greater part of men are proud to imitate and resemble them in the very qualities which dishonour and degrade them." (pp 1:81-82) For Smith, wealth is not the criteria of real success. He laments the political-correctness of his day: "Vain men often give themselves airs...which in their hearts they do not approve of, and of which, perhaps, they are not really guilty. They desire to be praised for what they themselves do not think praiseworthy, and are ashamed of unfashionable virtues....There are hypocrites of wealth and greatness, as well as of religion and virtue; and a vain man is as apt to pretend to be what he is not, in the one way, as a cunning man is in the other." (p 1:82) Smith, the moralist also warns that taken too far such trendy fashions of political-correctness can wreck havoc on society: "In many governments the candidates for the highest stations are above the law; and, if they can attain the object of their ambition, they have no fear of being called to account for the means by which they acquired it. They often endeavor, therefore, not only by fraud and falsehood, the ordinary and vulgar arts of intrigue and cabal; but sometimes by the perpetration of the most enormous crimes...to supplant and destroy those who oppose or stand in the way of their [supposed] greatness." (p 1:83)

With such salient observations Smith embarks in a survey of vices to avoid and passions to govern. He describes virtues to cultivate in order to master one's self as well as the power of wealth. These include courage, duty, benevolence, propriety, prudence and self-love [or as we would say, self-respect]. He develops a powerful doctrine of "moral duty" based upon "the rules of justice", "the rules of chastity", and "the rules of veracity" that decries cowardice, treachery, and falsity. The would-be-Capitalist or pretended-Capitalist who violates any of the rules of moral duty in the accumulation of wealth and power in or out of the marketplace is a misanthrope who may dangerously abuse the wealth and position he acquires. Smith describes a moral base rooted in sympathy not selfishness as the basis for an economic system which has been labeled Capitalism. The real Capitalist operates without purposely harming other men, beasts or nature; in this sense capitalism is more a stewardship than an insensitive, mechanistic mercantilism or a crass commercialism. This book is a vital component to any reading of "The Wealth of Nations". "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" is the life-blood or soul of "The Wealth of Nations". Without "Moral Sentiments" one is left with an empty, even soulless, economic theory that can be construed as greedy and grasping no matter how much wealth may be acquired.

In contrast to extreme rationalists and proponents of the selfish gene theory, Adam Smith argues that the beginnings of morality are innate, in the sense that our connection to other human beings makes us sensitive to their needs and sentiments. Morality is thus learned through experience of feeling (sentiments) that connect us to others (thus the title: theory of moral sentiments).

This is an outstanding book, full of magnificent observations about human life and values. Smith provides the theoretical underpinnings for the workings of a capitalist system by rejecting the idea that selfishness and self-interest are synonymous. For Smith's ideal to exist, humans would have to pay attention to the development of moral conscience. It is a startling conclusion, and allows us to comprehend more fully Smith's other great work, The Wealth of Nations. If the Amazon.com rankings allowed a ten, this would be a ten!