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[Front Matter and Editorial Introduction]: This section contains the title pages, editorial board information, and a preface for the 'Klassiker der Nationalökonomie' series. It introduces Thomas Hobbes as a universalist of science and a controversial systematic thinker of political theory, framing the critical analysis of his work within a historical and economic continuum. [Obituary for Horst Claus Recktenwald]: An obituary for Professor Horst Claus Recktenwald, the managing editor of the series. It details his academic career at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, his contributions to Adam Smith scholarship, his leadership in international financial science associations, and his role in the 'Klassiker der Nationalökonomie' facsimile series. [Hobbes' Image of the World and Knowledge: An Economic Reorientation]: Horst Claus Recktenwald provides an economic reorientation of Hobbes' work. He argues that while Hobbes' political theory is paramount, his work contains foundational economic principles such as exchange value based on supply and demand. Recktenwald connects Hobbes' 'more geometrico' method to modern Public Choice theory and contrasts Hobbes' pessimistic view of human nature with Adam Smith's 'system of natural liberty.' The section critiques Hobbes' absolute state as a precursor to modern totalitarianism while acknowledging his logical consistency. [Epigrammatic Judgments on Hobbes]: A collection of quotes and short assessments of Thomas Hobbes' personality, method, and work from various historical and modern thinkers. Includes perspectives from Diderot, Hallam, Tönnies, Strauss, Marx, Engels, Dilthey, Goethe, and Oakeshott, highlighting the diverse and often conflicting interpretations of Hobbesian thought. [The Pure and the Evil Power: Thomas Hobbes and the State]: Hans Maier analyzes Hobbes' political philosophy, focusing on his role as the founder of the modern concept of state sovereignty. Maier explores Hobbes' application of the 'mos geometrico' (mathematical-geometrical method) to politics, his reductionist anthropology centered on fear and self-preservation, and his legal theory which prioritizes effective order over abstract justice. The essay examines the transition from the 'natural state' (war of all against all) to the 'civil state' through the construction of the Leviathan. [The Image of the State in Hobbes's Political Philosophy]: This section analyzes Hobbes's transition from the traditional contract theory in 'De Cive' to the radical 'Leviathan'. It explores the concept of the state as a 'mortal God' and an artificial man created for security, emphasizing the principle 'Auctoritas non veritas facit legem'. The author discusses the symbolic nature of the Leviathan, the subordination of the church to the state, and the historical context of religious civil wars that necessitated a powerful sovereign to ensure peace and pragmatic survival. [Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan and Economic Analysis in Political Science]: Laurence S. Moss argues for Hobbes's central place in the history of economic analysis, specifically within the 'Public Choice' tradition. He reinterprets Hobbes's 'State of Nature' as a model for strategic interaction and decision-making under uncertainty. The essay connects Hobbesian thought to modern concepts like utility maximization, the 'mini-max' strategy, and the emergence of social institutions as coordinating rules for human behavior. [The State of Nature as an Economic and Normative Model]: Moss examines Hobbes's 'State of Nature' as a scientific model used to demonstrate the necessity of sovereign power. He contrasts this 'Inferno Model' (describing a social hell to be avoided) with the modern economic 'Nirvana Model' of perfect competition. The section also discusses Hobbes's insights into human short-sightedness (time preference) and the rhetorical use of the social contract as a thought experiment to justify political obligation. [The Problem of Social Organization and Public Goods]: This segment addresses the logical challenge of how self-interested individuals can establish a sovereign. Moss identifies this as an early formulation of the 'public goods' problem and the 'Tragedy of the Commons'. He explains Hobbes's preference for monarchy based on lower transaction costs for decision-making and discusses how the sovereign creates the necessary legal framework for property rights and contracts, which cannot exist spontaneously in the state of nature. [Economic Policy, Power, and Value in the Leviathan]: Moss analyzes Hobbes's views on economic policy, including taxation based on consumption (benefit principle), the circulation of money (analogous to blood), and the role of monopolies. He highlights Hobbes's subjective definition of value—where a person's worth is their market price—and how this influenced later thinkers like Mandeville and Smith. The section concludes that Hobbes's work is a foundational text for understanding the trade-off between absolute liberty and economic prosperity. [John Aubrey's Biography of Thomas Hobbes]: A contemporary biographical sketch of Thomas Hobbes by John Aubrey. It provides intimate details of Hobbes's life, from his birth during the Spanish Armada scare to his education at Oxford and his service to the Earl of Devonshire. Aubrey recounts Hobbes's late discovery of geometry at age 40, his writing process for 'Leviathan', his interactions with figures like Francis Bacon and King Charles II, and his personal habits, including his diet, exercise, and singing for lung health. [Chronology, Bibliography, and Genealogy of National Economists]: This final section contains a detailed timeline of Hobbes's life and publications, a bibliography of his major works and selected secondary literature, and a 'Genealogy of National Economists'. The genealogy places Hobbes in a temporal context alongside major thinkers from Plato and Aristotle to Marx, Menger, and Marshall, illustrating the development of economic thought through the centuries.