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September 2016 Vol. 54 No. 1

This is one of the most important books published this century. Every library should have a copy. Brennan and Jaworski brilliantly argue against the consensus view—accepted on all sides of the political spectrum, from cultural conservatives to left-wing liberals—that there are some goods (such as votes, sex, or kidneys) that should never be bought and sold in the marketplace. Instead, they argue that there should only be restrictions on how things are bought and sold. Thus, for example, vote selling should not be prohibited; there should only be restrictions on how votes are bought and sold. Supporting their views with a wealth of data drawn from economics, anthropology, and sociology, Brennan and Jaworski show that the common view that some goods have an essential “social meaning” that precludes their commodification is false, that the market—and not queuing—is the best means for distributing any good, and that the market encourages, rather than undermines, virtues such as trust and honesty. Despite its theoretical sophistication Markets without Limits is witty, irreverent, and extremely engaging, and so is readily accessible to undergraduates.

--J. S. Taylor, The College of New Jersey

Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.