Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke's Political Economy

'Gregory Collins elegantly demonstrates that Edmund Burke, like his great contemporary Adam Smith, understood that commerce, properly conducted, can make individuals and communities not only better off, but better overall. Burke, like Smith, understood that political and economic thinking should intersect in a theory of moral sentiments.' George F. Will, Washington Post 'With care and rigor leavened by an engaging writing style, Gregory Collins has dramatically advanced our understanding of Burke's economic thought. This is an indispensable guide for all future Burke scholars.' Yuval Levin, National Affairs 'A thorough study of Edmund Burke's thought on economics in which every aspect is well-considered, every scholar answered, every point nicely phrased. This is a major contribution to Burke scholarship and to our understanding of the beginnings and principles of modern economics.' Harvey C. Mansfield, Harvard University and Stanford University 'The book is impressive in its thoroughness on Burke on issue after issue, focusing on his words and deeds.' Daniel B. Klein, National Review '... Gregory Collins's Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke's Political Economy is an indispensable resource.' Brad LittleJohn, The American Conservative 'The book is the first serious book-length study of Burke's economic thought ... Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke's Political Economy is written with an eye to modern politics, it presents a historical Burke, reinforced by meticulous research ...' Max Skjoensberg, Dublin Review of Books 'Collins carefully examines the entirety of Burke's economic writings ... The result is the most thorough and nuanced assessment available on Burke's political economy, sure to be an essential resource to all those who study and write on Burke.' John G. Grove, University Bookman 'Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke's Political Economy will likely become a classic among Burke scholarship, and it deserves to take this place because of the rigor of Collin's research but also the interest that people will likely take in his argument.' Nayeli Riano, VoegelinView 'This very thorough and thoughtful book goes a long way toward setting the record straight.' Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution '... illuminating, thorough and scholarly work ...' Renee Prendergast, OSF Preprints '... the definitive account of Burke's economic thought, one which shows how Burke's political economy displays 'an underlying coherence that incorporated elements of prudence, utility, and tradition.'' Samuel Greeg, Law and Liberty '... is probably most important living authority on Burke outside of England today and in his new book Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke's Political Economy, he provides a thorough account of Burke's thought on the issues with which the one-term MP but long-time civil servant grappled with from the Irish question to the British East India Company, from the American colonies to the terror of the French Revolution (the last of which he saw much clearer than any of his contemporaries' Paul Tuns, The Interim 'Collins has produced a work of impressive bulk that not only sheds light on many neglected aspects of Burke's career and writing but also presents extensive statistical data on eighteenth-century trade volumes and price fluctuations.' Ross Carroll, Perspectives on Politics 'In his meticulous scholarly work: Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke's Political Economy, Collins addresses the issue of the shift in Burke's position by focussing in particular on the relation between his economic views and the Smithian tradition of political economy. The Burke-Smith problem - as it has been called - is at the heart of the question of Burke's conservatism.' Biancamaria Fontana, The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought 'Gregory Collins's study of the economic ideas of Burke is a comprehensive achievement. It will set the terms of discussion for a generation on Burke's political economy and its relation to his thinking about manners and morals.' David Bromwich, Yale University, author of The Intellectual Life of Edmund Burke