TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.

Because Bastiat’s system has both a destructive and a constructive purpose—a negative as well as a positive design—it is perhaps only right, given his great reputation as an economist, to allow English readers to judge his system as a whole. Therefore, this translation of the Economic Sophisms original: "Sophismes" is intended to be a companion volume to the translation of the Economic Harmonies original: "Harmonies".

I do not need to say anything further here by way of a preface, as the gifted author has explained the purpose of the work himself in a short but clear introduction.