Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read and Listen for Free
Prime Reading
This title is also available to read and listen for free with Prime. Learn More
OR
Kindle Price: $2.80

Save $0.19 (6%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $6.13

Save: $4.14 (68%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Jonathan Swift
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Modest Proposal (AmazonClassics Edition) Kindle Edition

by Jonathan Swift (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,040 ratings
See all formats and editions

The streets of eighteenth-century Dublin were rife with an appalling level of poverty. Desperate mothers regularly begged for alms to feed their children, and although passersby might have occasionally contributed a few coins, no large-scale remedy had proved remotely practical or effective. But where others could only despair, Jonathan Swift found an opportunity and suggested a brilliantly outlandish solution to the historic crisis: fatten up the babies of destitute families, then sell them off as gourmet comestibles for the rich. The needy earn a profit, and the rich eat well…voila!

This sardonic take on elitist social reform is as outrageous and provocative today as it was when it was first written three hundred years ago. It remains a richly layered satire with a serious purpose: to expose the wealthy’s disregard for the plight of the poor and spur the apathetic to action.

Revised edition: Previously published as A Modest Proposal, this edition of A Modest Proposal (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    27 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    AmazonClassics
  5. Publication date
    September 17, 2019
  6. File size
    692 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Jonathan Swift (1664–1745) was a cleric, political activist, editor, poet, essayist, and the notable author of Gulliver’s Travels and A Modest Proposal.

Raised by his influential uncle, Swift received a doctor of divinity degree from Trinity College, Dublin, before moving to England. As a newspaper editor, he championed the political philosophy of the Tory government, which touted traditionalism and social order. After the fall of the Tories, Swift returned to Ireland, where his continued activism was unwelcome. Swift channeled his disillusionment into his writing. His epic work of political and social satire, known today as Gulliver’s Travels, established Swift as the foremost prose satirist of his day.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07WD4NNL3
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ AmazonClassics (September 17, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 17, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 692 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 27 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B08KQQQS31
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,040 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Born in 1667, Jonathan Swift was an Irish writer and cleric, best known for his works Gulliver s Travels, A Modest Proposal, and A Journal to Stella, amongst many others. Educated at Trinity College in Dublin, Swift received his Doctor of Divinity in February 1702, and eventually became Dean of St. Patrick s Cathedral in Dublin. Publishing under the names of Lemeul Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, and M. B. Drapier, Swift was a prolific writer who, in addition to his prose works, composed poetry, essays, and political pamphlets for both the Whigs and the Tories, and is considered to be one of the foremost English-language satirists, mastering both the Horatian and Juvenalian styles. Swift died in 1745, leaving the bulk of his fortune to found St. Patrick s Hospital for Imbeciles, a hospital for the mentally ill, which continues to operate as a psychiatric hospital today.

Jonathan Swift(1667 1745), a poet, satirist, and clergyman, published many satirical works, among them A Modest Proposal. Robert DeMaria, Jr. is Henry Noble McCracken Professor of English at Vassar College. He has published widely on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,040 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Prince C
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
It's a short read. Good satire. Relevant even in modern society. Don't get caught up in the text, it's symbolism.
Helpful
 Report
John P. Jones III
4.0 out of 5 stars “And giving some pleasure to the rich…”
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish essayist and satirist whose work was produced in the early 18th Century. His most famous work is  Gulliver's Travels (Dover Thrift Editions) . As serendipity would have it, I was discussing the issue of immigration, in its many forms, with an Anglo-Irish friend. I offered a satirical as well as an extreme solution – with a straight face – but he was not taken in, and said: “Oh, you mean like selling poor children to the rich, so they can eat them.” In this “instant” age, we shared that commonality of having read Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” written in 1729. I had read it in high school, and decided that a re-read was essential.

Way back then, Ireland had a population of only a million and a half. Swift calculates that there were “200,000 breeders,” and suggested that males be able to “serve” four females, a particular ratio that has a familiar ring. The people are often referred to in the same manner as animals, in terms of breeding, upbringing, and ultimate disposition. Swift frequently uses the term “Papists,” a term no longer in vogue, and indicates that his “modest proposal” would lower their numbers, a goal that he posits as worthwhile and essential.

It was good political satire in 1729. It ended so abruptly, and open-endedly that I had to independent check to determine if this Kindle version did not omit the ending – as was done in regards to a Shakespearean play I had read. But no, this version is complete. As for the satire, with our current crop of political leadership, it would be increasingly difficult to differentiate a satirical quip from an (dis)honestly held policy statement. As for Swift’s proposal, I modestly provide 4-stars.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Katharine Florence Tomberlin
5.0 out of 5 stars So cruel, but so logical...
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2012
Verified Purchase
I first heard about this satire in an English class when I was in 9th grade, and now I've finally had the chance to read it. I was not disappointed. First of all, it was beautifully written, well structured and well organized. Such things are to be expected of one of the greatest satires ever written.

What I enjoyed most about this work however was the incredible amount of logic present. Swift presented his arguments neatly and concisely, and in an amoral world, his views may have been taken seriously. I also loved the little quips about the gentry and England within the essay, chastising their domination and ruthless usurpation of rights and property.

This is a rather gruesome essay, but keep in mind the addition of children to the food supply was not Swift's intention; this essay was an attempt to call attention to the horrible condition of peasant life in Ireland at the time. Anyone who enjoys history will find this essay fascinating, if not entertaining.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
katie
5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
A Modest Proposal is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. Swift suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food for the rich.
This satirical hyperbole mocks heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as Irish policy in general in that time.
Swift goes through great lengths to support his argument, even so far as suggesting various preparations and financial calculations for proper pricing of said "food".
To understand this book, you must understand the economic situation of the Swift's times. It was the start of a new industrial age of the 18th century and it was believed or the motto was "people are the riches of the nation". The general faith in the ecomony was that if workers were made higher wages, they wouldn't work as hard, thus they worked hard for little to no money. Furthermore, in the mercantilist view "no person was TOO young to be in the industry" Humane attitudes of the workers were basically disregarded and workers were viewed as nothing more than a commodity. Swifts essay is a hard, satarical jab at the state of the ecomony and the great divide between the rich and poor.

Most people were probably "forced" to read this in high school, but probably skimmed threw enough to pass the pop quiz you English teach no undoubtedly gave out. As an adult, I highly recommend revisiting this great piece of literature and it's almost scary and almost uncanny way of pointing a satirical finger at the plight we face today.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Thomas G. Cummings
3.0 out of 5 stars A short satire piece based on the Irish famine
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024
Verified Purchase
Even realizing that this is pure satire based on difficult times in early Dublin it is still a little too dark for me.
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun & funny story.
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
The satire that Me. Swift put to paper is something that people need to read. There is thought, argument & a decisive reasoning as to how this would have been implemented. I'm not saying it should but a definet intresing and enjoyable writing.
Helpful
 Report
Don Kidwell
4.0 out of 5 stars "A young, healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food...
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2015
Verified Purchase
...whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled." Never in my life would I have guessed that the same author of the classic "Gulliver's Travels" could come up with this outright horror tale. Obviously it's meant as satire, but talk about raising the hairs on the back of my neck! How about this passage for sheer terror "A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good on the fourth day." Had to save the second half of the book for dessert as my hunger for horror is quite quenched for now, but definitely a most satisfying book that will yet linger on my palate well after the oh so brief taste!
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
TitaMongKuripot
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Purest form of SATIRE
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
If you have weak stomach for satire stay away from this book. This is no easy ready for me. I would probably have nightmare from this. So, fair warning.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
1001obsessive
5.0 out of 5 stars Fancy a snack?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
What is not to enjoy about this pungent pamphlet? In a mere 26 pages, Swift makes a simply stunning indictment against the callousness of the landed gentry and gives the reader a most interesting idea for a simple dietary solution to the woes of the poor! Brilliant, cruel and funny.
Report
hwoodruff
5.0 out of 5 stars An Easy to Download and Read Classic
Reviewed in Australia on April 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
A classic that was easy to download and an easy read that I can tick off my list of 1001 books to read before I die list.

Actually quite thought provoking given the time it was written and now. Not sure if it would be considered politically correct or on the school book list unless the content was used at a university or tertiary level for a thought provoking discussion about race, gender equality, social hierarchy and their historical significance in the given context.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Ishaque Hasan Mumshad Shaik Mohammed
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on November 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
Swift bhai, I grew up reading you. My children are enjoying your writings now
Report
Renato Santos Trettel
4.0 out of 5 stars E o subtítulo?
Reviewed in Brazil on February 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
Faltou o subtítulo, e há alguns problemas com a grafia (publick, por exemplo).
Mas o texto de Swift é uma excelente reflexão crítica para os dias de hoje.
Report
Sol
2.0 out of 5 stars Truculento
Reviewed in Spain on June 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
No pude con él, la historia es demasiado truculenta para mi gusto. No es que el libro sea malo, simplemente es un relato demasiado gore.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report