The Wealth of Nations

The Wealth of Nations is a cornerstone book written by economist Adam Smith. Most people cite this book for the "invisible hand" that Smith imagines. Wikipedia Gutenburg Amazon

This book has entered the public domain and so is available for free.

Freakanomics points out that this book can be cited by the political left or right, and that "The Invisible Hand" isn't mentioned much at all. Ep#525

They recommend that The Theory of Moral Sentiments is a much better book.

During the time of it's publishing, there were famines and shortages. This book re-imagined the distribution of wealth and helped define most western democracy.