A curated list of 15 of the most famous and influential political books of all time, with links to purchase them from independent bookstores via Bookshop.org.
Plato's foundational work on justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory.
The Republic
A 16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. It is often called the first work of modern political philosophy.
The Prince: Second Edition
Thomas Hobbes's masterpiece on the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory.
Leviathan
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 1762 book in which he theorized about the best way to establish a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society.
The Social Contract
Adam Smith's magnum opus, published in 1776, is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important book on the subject ever written.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman | Online Library of Liberty
A foundational political document that outlines the goals and theories of communism, analyzing class struggle and the problems of capitalism while calling for a revolutionary transformation of society.
