{"product_id":"the-oeconomicus-xenophon-of-athens-9798257853548","title":"The Oeconomicus: The World's First Book on Economics","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe oldest book on economics ever written, now in clear, modern English for the first time.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 362 BC, Xenophon of Athens - soldier, student of Socrates, gentleman farmer - wrote a dialogue about a question that still matters more than any other in a crisis: What is real wealth? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis answer: wealth is not gold in a vault. It is the ability to make things produce. A horse is wealth to a man who can ride it. Land is wealth to a man who can farm it. Money itself is not wealth if you do not know how to use it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Oeconomicus is the book that gave us the word \u003ci\u003eeconomics\u003c\/i\u003e, from \u003ci\u003eoikos\u003c\/i\u003e (household) and \u003ci\u003enomos\u003c\/i\u003e (management). It is a Socratic dialogue between three men: Socrates, who claims to know nothing about wealth; Critobulus, a rich young man spending faster than he earns; and Ischomachus, a gentleman farmer whose quiet competence has made him one of the most respected men in Athens. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTogether they explore: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat makes something an asset or a liability\u003c\/b\u003e, and why the same object can be either, depending on the owner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the king of Persia ran his empire\u003c\/b\u003e, and why he still planted trees with his own hands\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow to organize a household\u003c\/b\u003e, using lessons from a Phoenician warship\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow to choose and train the right people\u003c\/b\u003e, from a wife to a farm bailiff\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy some farmers prosper while others fail\u003c\/b\u003e, doing the exact same work\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat separates a true leader from a mere boss\u003c\/b\u003e, and why that quality may be divine \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe original 1888 translation by B. J. Hayes reads like Victorian prose, dense and nearly impenetrable for modern readers. This edition preserves every argument, every story, and every idea, but renders them in natural, clear modern English. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTwenty-four centuries old. Still holds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Xenophon Of Athens,Independent Financial Historian\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798257853548\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/18\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 66\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.22lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.16d","brand":"Xenophon Of Athens","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48588503974143,"sku":"9798257853548","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-oeconomicus-xenophon-of-athens-9798257853548","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}