This book is considered by William Stanley Jevons to be the "cradle of political economy".It is also considered the first complete treatise on economics, with numerous contributions to the science.

This is the most important work of Richard Canrillon, it is regarded as the first complete treatise on economics. There are there parts in this book, discussing different aspects in economics. It is a cornerstone upon which all subsequent economic theory has been built.

Richard Cantillon (1680s – May 1734) was an Irish-French economist and author of Essay on the Nature of Trade in General, Although little information exists on Cantillon's life, it is known that he became a successful banker and merchant at an early age. Essai remains Cantillon's only surviving contribution to economics.