A list of excellent books on political economy and the source of much of the ideas found in Juggernaut. While it is certainly not comprehensive, it is a great foundation of the essentials needed for any general understanding of our politico-economic condition. They are listed in order of their subjects’ place in Juggernaut, and not necessarily their relevance or publication date. The list can also be found on Amazon.

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School of Salamanca by Marjorie Grice-Hutchinson

The fount of modern economics can be found in the works of the Spanish Scholastics at the University of Salamanca.

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Two Treatises of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke

The foundation of personal liberty in the modern era.

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The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

The quintessential work on specialism and the division of labor.

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The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, et al.

Awe-inspiring.

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Principles of Economics by Carl Menger

The foundations of economics from a theory of goods to money.

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The Theory of Money and Credit by Ludwig von Mises

Starting where Menger left off, Mises explains modern economics from money to credit and banking.

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The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind by Gustave Le Bon

Fundamental look into collective thinking.

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The Revolt of the Masses by Jose Ortega y Gasset

A philosophical look at the consequences of modern interdependency.

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The Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner

Mind-blowing in its starkness.

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Capital: A Critique of Political Economy by Karl Marx

Essential to any understanding of socialist thinking.

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The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes

Powerful insight from the 20th century’s most influential economist.

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That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen: The Unintended Consequences of Government Spending by M. Frederic Bastiat

Seminal critique of government intervention.

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Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by John VonNeuman

Highly mathematical, and yet crucial to understanding modern competition.

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The History of the Standard Oil Company by Ida M. Tarbell

Muckraking at its most lucid and poignant.

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The Servile State by Hilaire Belloc

Brilliant survey of the transition from feudal economics to Capitalism to the Welfare State.

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The Rise and Fall of Elites: An Application of Theoretical Sociology by Vilfredo Pareto

Penetrating insight from one of the most well-renowned thinkers of his day.

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Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville

Indispensable to any American library.

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The Republic Of Plato by Plato

One of the great pillars of Western Civilization.

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Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics by Henry Hazlitt

A concise and still monumental case against the Welfare State.

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The Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek

Striking survey of the natural inclination toward totalitarianism and a new form of serfdom.

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Free to Choose: A Personal Statement by Milton and Rose Friedman

Magnificent survey of the value of economic and political freedom.

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Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell

Full of powerful insight and backed with compelling empirical evidence for free markets.

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Government’s End by Jonathan Rauch

Phenomenal study into the perpetual nature of the Welfare State.

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How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities by John Cassidy

Perhaps the best analysis of the 2008 crash with excellent information about the modern economy in general.

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Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse by Thomas E. Woods

Common sensical and very entertaining.

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Too Big to Fail: The Hazards of Bank Bailouts by Gary H. Stern

Far-seeing and yet widely overlooked.

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Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action by Elinor Ostrom

Powerful argument for a convincing solution.

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A Blueprint for Prosperity Market-based Alternatives to the Obama Blueprint for Change by Robert Donovan

Concise and level-headed approach to necessary reform.

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Money, Bank Credit, and Economic Cycles by Jesus Huerta de Soto

Comprehensive survey of the legality of fractional reserve banking.

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Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Individualism encapsulated in a brilliant, lyrical study.