The Incredible Bread Machine
The Incredible Bread Machine is a book originally written by R.W. Grant in 1966 and revised in 1999. It concludes with a poem, also by Grant, about Tom Smith and his Incredible Bread Machine.
The poem is designed to illustrate how a wonderful invention, like a machine that can bake bread for under a penny, can run afoul of government regulation and bureaucracy.
The full version of the poem can be found on YouTube, recited by R.W. Grant.
In 1974, a group of students affiliated with World Research Inc. wrote their own book, also called the Incredible Bread Machine. The book includes an abbreviated version of the poem. Later a film based on this book was created.
Their version of the book is available as a PDF at the Mises Institute.
Reagan's several Radio Commentaries are based on reading this second book, not the original. Reagan would read the poem 3 separate times on the air and talk about it a couple more.
Poem: 75-02-B5, 75-20-B4, 77-23-B5
Other mentions: 76-03-B2, 76-18-A6
This Wiki's administrator, however, purchased a copy of the 1999 edition and was so taken by the topics discussed, he researched, wrote, and recorded 5 episodes of a COVID era podcast about it.
Part 1: The Laissez Faire Capitalism That Never Was
Part 2: The Three Principles of Capitalism and the Free Society
Part 3: The Principles Ignored—How Political Force Disrupts Our Lives
Part 4: The Principles Applied—Alternatives to Political Force
Part 5: What Now?
Links
The Incredible Bread Machine
Quandry House, publishers of the R.W. Grant books
X/Twitter account associated with The Incredible Bread Machine
