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Synopsis Mill's Principles of Political Economy, is one of the most widely read of all books on economics in that period. Mill intended the work as both a survey of contemporary economic thought and as an exploration of applications of economic ideas to social concerns. It was not a book merely of abstract science, but also of application, and treated political economy not as a thing by itself, but as a fragment of a greater whole. These two interests nicely divide the text into the first three more technical books on production, distribution, and exchange and the last two books, which address the influences of societal progress and of government on economic activity (and Vice Versa). He also shared concerns with others about the moral impact of industrialization. His recommendations for the economic organization for society, like his political and social policies, always paid careful attention to how institutions, laws, and practices impacted the intellectual, moral facts and well-being of the individuals operating under or within them.