Henry George
Progress and Poverty, Volumes I and II
An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth
"Progress and Poverty, Volumes I and II" by Henry George is a treatise published in 1879 that investigates a troubling paradox: why does poverty persist and even worsen alongside economic progress and technological advancement? George examines why economies cycle through booms and busts, arguing that land speculation and rising rents capture wealth that might otherwise flow to workers. His proposed remedy—a single tax on land values—sparked the Progressive Era and influenced reform movements worldwide, selling millions of copies and reshaping political thought across multiple continents.