What do you think?
Rate this book
The Bastiat Collection
Claude Frédéric Bastiat was an economist and publicist of breathtaking intellectual energy and massive historical influence. He was born in Bayonne, France on June 29th, 1801. After the middle-class Revolution of 1830, Bastiat became politically active and was elected Justice of the Peace in 1831 and to the Council General (county-level assembly) in 1832. He was elected to the national legislative assembly after the French Revolution of 1848.
Bastiat was inspired by and routinely corresponded with Richard Cobden and the English Anti-Corn Law League and worked with free-trade associations in France. Bastiat wrote sporadically starting in the 1830s, but in 1844 he launched his amazing publishing career when an article on the effects of protectionism on the French and English people was published in the Journal des Economistes which was held to critical acclaim.
The bulk of his remarkable writing career that so inspired the early generation of English translators—and so many more—is contained in this collection.
If we were to take the greatest economists from all ages and judge them on the basis of their theoretical rigor, their influence on economic education, and their impact in support of the free-market economy, then Frédéric Bastiat would be at the top of the list.
As Murray N. Rothbard noted: "Bastiat was indeed a lucid and superb writer, whose brilliant and witty essays and fables to this day are remarkable and devastating demolitions of protectionism and of all forms of government subsidy and control. He was a truly scintillating advocate of an untrammeled free market."
This book bring together his greatest works and represents the early generation of English translations. These translators were like Bastiat himself, people from the private sector who had a love of knowledge and truth and who altered their careers to vigorously pursue intellectual ventures, scholarly publishing, and advocacy of free trade.
Thus does this collection, totaling 1,000 pages plus extensive indexes, represent some of the best economics ever written. He was the first, and one of the very few, to be able to convincingly communicate the basic propositions of economics.
Bastiat was inspired by and routinely corresponded with Richard Cobden and the English Anti-Corn Law League and worked with free-trade associations in France. Bastiat wrote sporadically starting in the 1830s, but in 1844 he launched his amazing publishing career when an article on the effects of protectionism on the French and English people was published in the Journal des Economistes which was held to critical acclaim.
The bulk of his remarkable writing career that so inspired the early generation of English translators—and so many more—is contained in this collection.
If we were to take the greatest economists from all ages and judge them on the basis of their theoretical rigor, their influence on economic education, and their impact in support of the free-market economy, then Frédéric Bastiat would be at the top of the list.
As Murray N. Rothbard noted: "Bastiat was indeed a lucid and superb writer, whose brilliant and witty essays and fables to this day are remarkable and devastating demolitions of protectionism and of all forms of government subsidy and control. He was a truly scintillating advocate of an untrammeled free market."
This book bring together his greatest works and represents the early generation of English translations. These translators were like Bastiat himself, people from the private sector who had a love of knowledge and truth and who altered their careers to vigorously pursue intellectual ventures, scholarly publishing, and advocacy of free trade.
Thus does this collection, totaling 1,000 pages plus extensive indexes, represent some of the best economics ever written. He was the first, and one of the very few, to be able to convincingly communicate the basic propositions of economics.
1042 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2007
158 people are currently reading
731 people want to read
About the author
Frédéric Bastiat
593 books545 followersClaude Frédéric Bastiat (29 June 1801 – 24 December 1850) was a French classical liberal theorist, political economist, and member of the French assembly.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 6, 2009
Every person in the country, if not world, ought to read these works. Particularly "Seen and Not Seen" and "The Law". Bastiat describes how economies work and how different government regulation affects them very clearly and simply, with clear and simple analogies. He also does a great job at exposing fallacies that are spread by those who oppose free economy. This particular translation is very good, but keep a dictionary handy.
August 9, 2016
Look at the average ratings. Enough said.
Actually, for those of you who don't know the benefits, morality, and ethics of free and unhampered markets, you should really checkout the description for this book and check it out.
Will it challenge your reading skills? If it does, that probably means you are not reading enough.
Will it challenge your view of the world, markets, and the way they work? Probably means you were indoctrinated in public schools for the majority of your life.
But don't take my word for it. Read it for yourself and post comments galore. Would LOVE to have just ONE person argue in the comments section on just one of the Austrian School Economics books that are on here. Would be tough to do.
Again, just look at the ratings and reviews.
Actually, for those of you who don't know the benefits, morality, and ethics of free and unhampered markets, you should really checkout the description for this book and check it out.
Will it challenge your reading skills? If it does, that probably means you are not reading enough.
Will it challenge your view of the world, markets, and the way they work? Probably means you were indoctrinated in public schools for the majority of your life.
But don't take my word for it. Read it for yourself and post comments galore. Would LOVE to have just ONE person argue in the comments section on just one of the Austrian School Economics books that are on here. Would be tough to do.
Again, just look at the ratings and reviews.
February 6, 2009
This is such a brilliant writer, collection, translation. I didn't realize at the time I was reading the first book how truly monumental and awesome this book is. The section entitled "Public Works and Services" clearly argues the proper role of government. It has become my political foundation. And for those of you who subscribe to the idea that all truth can be circumscribed into one great whole, there is a real treat on the last few pages of this two volume set. The full text for this book (both volumes) is available freely online at mises.org. See Bastiat's wikipedia page.
This book contains all the important writings of Frederic Bastiat, a French economist of the 19th century. He wrote a lot about how government intervention in economics does nothing but hurt the system. Bastiat himself is responsible for a lot of the arguments that brought us to our current situation of free trade. He is a big pusher of free trade. Anyone wondering why we left the tariff system in favor of free trade should read this book.
This book contains all the important writings of Frederic Bastiat, a French economist of the 19th century. He wrote a lot about how government intervention in economics does nothing but hurt the system. Bastiat himself is responsible for a lot of the arguments that brought us to our current situation of free trade. He is a big pusher of free trade. Anyone wondering why we left the tariff system in favor of free trade should read this book.
August 7, 2008
I read many of Bastiat's essays contained in this two volume set previously, and agree with the publisher's description - "If we were to take the greatest economists from all ages and judge them on the basis of their theoretical rigor, their influence on economic education, and their impact in support of the free-market economy, then Frédéric Bastiat would be at the top of the list."
Much of Volume II is available free online at http://books.google.com/ .
Much of Volume II is available free online at http://books.google.com/ .
October 21, 2023
It really is a 4.5 star. This collection is full of valuable information for anyone from any country. Some parts do get a little tedious, but overall there is so much great information. I learned a bunch of new words as well. The only way I could have gotten more out of it, is if I took detailed notes. It does mention the Christian faith a good bit, but it does not overwhelm the read. I did have to take breaks to absorb all of the information. Below is a breakdown of how I rated it. Please note that my breakdown knowhere near summarizes all of the information that you would learn from this collection.
I. That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen
5 Stars - even though it is set in France, there is plenty of important information for anyone to know about the economy
II. The Law
5 stars - compares law with the economy and morality and warns against the dangers of law becoming an "instrument of plunder"
III. Government
5 stars - goes over the different definitions of government
IV. What is Money?
4 stars - gets a little tedious, but still has many references and comparisons to help the reader understand the sources of money and what is considered money
V. Capital and Interest
5 stars - talks about capital, loans, exchanges, interest, and more with many different examples and comparisons
VI. Economic Sophisms - First Series
5 stars - talks about trade, fairness of labor, how many trades are needed to make one item, and more
VII. Economic Sophisms - Second Series
5 stars - talks Spoliation and what causes it: morality, war, good and evil, politics, religion, etc.
VIII. Harmonies of Political Economy (Book One)
5 stars - Theories, happiness, morality, wants and needs, perils: a letter to the youth
VIIII. Harmonies of Political Economy (Book One)
4 stars - Society as a mechanism. People can either make it stronger or make it deteriorate, chapters are longer which makes it more tedious but it still has a lot of good information, focuses more on land, property, capital, services, and labor and how they tie together in the economy
IX. Harmonies of Political Economy (Book Two) 4.5 stars- how different parts of the society and the economy intertwine. Mostly focuses on wages and where the wages go such as rent, taxes, services, and war. A lot of good information, like the other parts. Some of the chapters are a bit lengthy which make them a bit tedious.
I. That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen
5 Stars - even though it is set in France, there is plenty of important information for anyone to know about the economy
II. The Law
5 stars - compares law with the economy and morality and warns against the dangers of law becoming an "instrument of plunder"
III. Government
5 stars - goes over the different definitions of government
IV. What is Money?
4 stars - gets a little tedious, but still has many references and comparisons to help the reader understand the sources of money and what is considered money
V. Capital and Interest
5 stars - talks about capital, loans, exchanges, interest, and more with many different examples and comparisons
VI. Economic Sophisms - First Series
5 stars - talks about trade, fairness of labor, how many trades are needed to make one item, and more
VII. Economic Sophisms - Second Series
5 stars - talks Spoliation and what causes it: morality, war, good and evil, politics, religion, etc.
VIII. Harmonies of Political Economy (Book One)
5 stars - Theories, happiness, morality, wants and needs, perils: a letter to the youth
VIIII. Harmonies of Political Economy (Book One)
4 stars - Society as a mechanism. People can either make it stronger or make it deteriorate, chapters are longer which makes it more tedious but it still has a lot of good information, focuses more on land, property, capital, services, and labor and how they tie together in the economy
IX. Harmonies of Political Economy (Book Two) 4.5 stars- how different parts of the society and the economy intertwine. Mostly focuses on wages and where the wages go such as rent, taxes, services, and war. A lot of good information, like the other parts. Some of the chapters are a bit lengthy which make them a bit tedious.
December 8, 2020
I read That Which is Seen, The Law, Government, What is Money, The First section of Economic Sophisms, and some of Harmonies of Political Economy Part I. At some point I will return and only read the Harmonies of Political Economy I and II. Very intriguing classical liberal theorizing that is well written and captivating but also VERY repetitive. I feel like he simply cannot get off of the topic of protectionism, especially in the Sophisms! Lastly, each individual piece essentially commences with often the same introductory thoughts and mode, so much so that it often feels like deja vu. I actually found that if you have been faithfully moving through the volume than the first parts of Harmonies (1,2,3, and 4) have ALL been explicated in previous writings of the text. I WILL read this TOTALLY but for now I need a break. And I did absolutely move through the most essential (and shorter) pieces. Truly, you MUST, no matter your ideology, read What is Seen and Not Seen and The Law. MUST!
December 22, 2017
Great collection of Bastiat's work. His writing is witty and well-reasoned, and at times becomes a beautiful love letter to liberty. This was written so long ago and yet the subjects discussed and opinions expressed maintain a poignant relevance to political discourse today.
February 17, 2024
« همان طور که باغبان بوالهوسانه درختان را به شکل هرم، سایبان، مکعب، گلدان، چتری و سایر اشکال در می آورد نویسنده ی سوسیالیست نیز به طرز غریبی انسان ها را به شکل گروه، زنجیره، کانون، کانون فرعی، سازه مشبک، سپاه کارگری و دیگر گونه ها در می آورد و همان طور که باغبان برای شکل دادن به درختان خود به تبر، داس، اره و قیچی نیاز دارد نویسنده ی سوسیالیست نیز به نیرویی برای شکل دهی به انسان نیاز دارد که آن را تنها در قانون می تواند بیابد. به همین دلیل او قوانین تعرفه، مالیات، اعانه و مدرسه را تدوین می کند. »
کلود فردریک باستیا ( ۱۸۵۰ - ۱۸۰۱ )
اقتصاددان لیبرال کلاسیک، فرزند تاجری برجسته بود که در شهر بایون فرانسه متولد شد. در هفده سالگی تحصیل را رها کرد و وارد شرکت تجاری عمویش شد. در همان دوران با نوشته های اقتصاددان لیبرال کلاسیک فرانسوی « ژان باتیست سه » آشنا شد و زندگی و تفکراتش دستخوش تغییر گردید. پس از آن بود که زندگی اش را صرف آموزه های لیبرالیسم و گسترش ایده هایش در فرانسه کرد. وی در ابتدا تمایلات سوسیالیستی داشت اما با مطالعه در زمینه ی لیبرالیسم و مفهوم تجارت آزاد، از سوسیالیسم و حمایت از تولید داخل فاصله گرفت و از مدافعان جدی لیبرالیسم شد.
کتاب « جستارهایی درباره لیبرالیسم کلاسیک » شامل سه رساله از باستیا است که تحت تٱثیر انقلاب ۱۷۸۹ و همچنین انقلاب های ناموفق بعد از آن، همینطور متٱثر از دیدگاه های اقتصاددانان لیبرال فرانسوی و بریتانیایی و شیوه حکومت داری در ایالات متحده آمریکا نوشته شده است.
رساله ی نخست با نام « حکومت » شرح شیوه ی صحیح و معقول حکومت داری از دید باستیا است. در این رساله نویسنده نقدی لیبرالیستی از انقلاب های ۱۷۸۹ تا ۱۸۴۸ فرانسه به دست می دهد و نتیجه ی این انقلاب ها را روشن و نتیجه بخش نمی بیند.
در رساله ی دوم با نام « قانون »، باستیا منتقدان لیبرالیسم را به چالش می کشد و افرادی که به دنبال مهندسی اجتماعی هستند را نقد می کند. نویسنده سوسیالیسم را « چپاول قانونی » می نامد و توضیح می دهد که چطور وجود قانون و نحوه ی قانون گذاری منجر به عقب گرد و پسرفت شهروندان می شود.
رساله ی سوم با عنوان « آن چه دیده می شود و آن چه دیده نمی شود » به حوزه ی اقتصاد سیاسی تعلق دارد. باستیا در این رساله معتقد است هر امر سیاسی دارای دو وجه است که سیاستمداران و صاحبان قدرت با استفاده از تبلیغات و عوام فریبی، وجهه ی دروغین و به ظاهر زیبای این امر را به شهروندان عرضه می کنند تا خود را همواره در موضع قدرت نگه دارند در حالی که وجه تخریب گر و تاریک امر سیاسی را در خفا نگه می دارند.
کلود فردریک باستیا متفکری روشنگر، تیزبین و پیشرو در زمان خود بود که اندیشه هایش تا به امروز همچنان الهام بخش مدافعان آزادی اقتصادی است. ترجمه ی کتاب قابل قبول است و مترجم توضیحات و پانوشت های کافی را به متن اضافه کرده است.
کلود فردریک باستیا ( ۱۸۵۰ - ۱۸۰۱ )
اقتصاددان لیبرال کلاسیک، فرزند تاجری برجسته بود که در شهر بایون فرانسه متولد شد. در هفده سالگی تحصیل را رها کرد و وارد شرکت تجاری عمویش شد. در همان دوران با نوشته های اقتصاددان لیبرال کلاسیک فرانسوی « ژان باتیست سه » آشنا شد و زندگی و تفکراتش دستخوش تغییر گردید. پس از آن بود که زندگی اش را صرف آموزه های لیبرالیسم و گسترش ایده هایش در فرانسه کرد. وی در ابتدا تمایلات سوسیالیستی داشت اما با مطالعه در زمینه ی لیبرالیسم و مفهوم تجارت آزاد، از سوسیالیسم و حمایت از تولید داخل فاصله گرفت و از مدافعان جدی لیبرالیسم شد.
کتاب « جستارهایی درباره لیبرالیسم کلاسیک » شامل سه رساله از باستیا است که تحت تٱثیر انقلاب ۱۷۸۹ و همچنین انقلاب های ناموفق بعد از آن، همینطور متٱثر از دیدگاه های اقتصاددانان لیبرال فرانسوی و بریتانیایی و شیوه حکومت داری در ایالات متحده آمریکا نوشته شده است.
رساله ی نخست با نام « حکومت » شرح شیوه ی صحیح و معقول حکومت داری از دید باستیا است. در این رساله نویسنده نقدی لیبرالیستی از انقلاب های ۱۷۸۹ تا ۱۸۴۸ فرانسه به دست می دهد و نتیجه ی این انقلاب ها را روشن و نتیجه بخش نمی بیند.
در رساله ی دوم با نام « قانون »، باستیا منتقدان لیبرالیسم را به چالش می کشد و افرادی که به دنبال مهندسی اجتماعی هستند را نقد می کند. نویسنده سوسیالیسم را « چپاول قانونی » می نامد و توضیح می دهد که چطور وجود قانون و نحوه ی قانون گذاری منجر به عقب گرد و پسرفت شهروندان می شود.
رساله ی سوم با عنوان « آن چه دیده می شود و آن چه دیده نمی شود » به حوزه ی اقتصاد سیاسی تعلق دارد. باستیا در این رساله معتقد است هر امر سیاسی دارای دو وجه است که سیاستمداران و صاحبان قدرت با استفاده از تبلیغات و عوام فریبی، وجهه ی دروغین و به ظاهر زیبای این امر را به شهروندان عرضه می کنند تا خود را همواره در موضع قدرت نگه دارند در حالی که وجه تخریب گر و تاریک امر سیاسی را در خفا نگه می دارند.
کلود فردریک باستیا متفکری روشنگر، تیزبین و پیشرو در زمان خود بود که اندیشه هایش تا به امروز همچنان الهام بخش مدافعان آزادی اقتصادی است. ترجمه ی کتاب قابل قبول است و مترجم توضیحات و پانوشت های کافی را به متن اضافه کرده است.
October 21, 2015
Collected Works are a good work for the person who would be interested in the foundations of a free market economy. Although the development of these ideas can be found in Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest & Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics, I would recommend to read the classics, unless someone has a little time. People who already have a basic knowledge of the Austrian School of Economics, in many places may be bored because the author deals mainly with criticism of protectionism. But I think that That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen is a must for everyone. I recommend this work for those uninitiated in the ASE.
//Polish
Dzieła zebrane są dobrym dziełem dla osoby, która byłaby zainteresowana podstawami wolnorynkowej ekonomii. Chociaż rozwinięcie tych idei można znaleźć W Ekonomia w jednej lekcji, to i tak polecam poczytać klasykę, chyba że ktoś ma mało czasu. Osoby które mają już podstawową wiedzę z zakresu Austriackiej Szkoły Ekonomii, w wielu miejscach mogą się nudzić, ponieważ autor zajmuje się głównie krytykowaniem protekcjonizmu. Jednak uważam że Co widać i czego nie widać jest obowiązkową pozycją dla każdego. Polecam to dzieło dla osób niewtajemniczonych w ASE.
//Polish
Dzieła zebrane są dobrym dziełem dla osoby, która byłaby zainteresowana podstawami wolnorynkowej ekonomii. Chociaż rozwinięcie tych idei można znaleźć W Ekonomia w jednej lekcji, to i tak polecam poczytać klasykę, chyba że ktoś ma mało czasu. Osoby które mają już podstawową wiedzę z zakresu Austriackiej Szkoły Ekonomii, w wielu miejscach mogą się nudzić, ponieważ autor zajmuje się głównie krytykowaniem protekcjonizmu. Jednak uważam że Co widać i czego nie widać jest obowiązkową pozycją dla każdego. Polecam to dzieło dla osób niewtajemniczonych w ASE.
August 8, 2015
Reading Bastiat will teach you to fully analyze every problem. So many of the Big Government policy failures I wrote about in
Hillary Clinton's Village
occurred because the well-intentioned architects of these policies just didn’t think all the way through the impact of their proposed policies to consider their secondary effects and unintended consequences. The Family and Medical Leave Act is the quintessential example. Bastiat reminds us that the only difference between a good economist and a bad one is that the bad economist considers what is seen. The good economist also considers what must be foreseen. If every legislator with a “bright idea” understood this, then their legislative remedies to our problems would have far fewer negative unintended consequences. We would waste a lot less money if every member of Congress read Bastiat’s collected works.
September 5, 2011
Bastiat is one of history's leading economists and philosophers. This read was a bit heavy at times (translated from the French) but contained hundreds of powerful nuggets able to be used to refute the fallacies that have persisted over the centuries, now manifesting themselves in Keynesian economic thought and socialist political philosophy. Bastiat (starting with his "The Law") is a must read for anybody interested in liberty.
February 19, 2013
Bastiat was an Economist who was ahead of his time, and perhaps, ahead of ours. He traces out the nature of value, both in its extent and origins, the nature of capital, and the true limits of just government. His answers to complaints are well thought out and thorough. Rarely has the natural growth of wealth and the absurdity of those who oppose its creation been more decisively spelled out. The issues covered reflect his time, but ours equally well. Well worth the read.
September 6, 2011
I've only read volume one of the collection so far and it is astoundingly good. Of course as a collection unintended by the author it is extremely repetitive but the author had a remarkable knack for exposing economic follies. Unfortunately it seems that today's politicians are either unaware of these follies and the fallacies which support them or they are cynically indulging in them.
October 18, 2015
Original thoughts on political economy addressing many economic sophisms, many of which persist today. My favorites were That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, The Law, the Candlemakers Petition.
I read these two volumes gradually over the course of 2013-2014.
I read these two volumes gradually over the course of 2013-2014.
September 23, 2010
Bastiat Collection by Frederic Bastiat (2007)
March 25, 2018
I am putting this book to the side for awhile to free up time for other things. The old style of language and my lack of economics knowledge made it a slow read, but it was super interesting. My FIL let me borrow it and asked me to read it. I’m glad he did. I’ve found some of the essays in ebook format. I’ve given him back the hard copy, but I’m certain I’ll pick Bastiat’s writing back up in the future.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews