David Ricardo -- An Introduction
David Ricardo (1772-1823) was one of the most important British economists of the period around 1800. He was a businessman from the age of fourteen; in finance, made a large fortune, and retired from business at 42. From about 1799, Ricardo entered into controversy with the major British economists in a series of books and pamphlets and in his book, The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1817).