Progress And Poverty

Henry George began with the ethical premise that all people have an equal right to the use of the earth. From that he concluded that exclusive private ownership of land (natural resources) creates unwarranted special privileges. Furthermore, he observed that holding land out of production drives down real wages and the returns to capital equipment. This process is further exacerbated by taxes on production and income that 1) increase unemployment, 2) discourage productive investment, and 3) encourage unproductive land speculation and rent-seeking. To counteract this self-destructive system, George advocated shifting taxes from labor and capital onto the value of land and natural resources. PDF

Progress and Poverty
(2006) Abridged and Edited by Bob Drake

Finally, one of the world’s best-selling books on political economy has been edited and abridged for modern readers.

Many economists and politicians foster the illusion that great fortunes and poverty stem from the presence or absence of individual skill and risk-taking. Henry George, by contrast, showed that the wealth gap occurs because a few people are allowed to monopolize natural opportunities and deny them to others. George did not advocate equality of income, the forcible redistribution of wealth, or government management of the economy. He simply believed that in a society not burdened by the demands of a privileged elite, a full and satisfying life would be attainable by everyone. PDF

Audiobook of Progress & Poverty

After his modernization of Progress & Poverty was published in 2006, Bob Drake produced a recorded version. Link