12 h 41 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 41 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What keeps a republic alive when land, law, and power pull in different directions?
In The Commonwealth of Oceana, James Harrington asks what kind of republic can last. He mixes political argument, history, and invention in Oceana, an imagined England, where the Lord Archon builds a new constitution. The challenge is to make government stable without placing rulers above the law.
Harrington begins with a bold claim: power follows property, especially land. From there, he builds practical rules for sharing authority. A senate proposes laws, the people decide, and another body carries them out. Secret ballots and rotating offices help guard against corruption.
What you’ll discover
- The roots of power Follow Harrington’s argument that the division of land shapes who governs a nation.
- Laws above rulers Explore a republic designed to place law above the will of individual rulers.
- A balance worth protecting See why Harrington wants land spread among many citizens to keep a republic steady.
- Government with separate tasks Examine a constitution that separates proposing laws, deciding on them, and carrying them out.
- Safeguards against corruption Discover how secret votes and rotating offices aim to keep public power in check.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love political theory, the history of republics, and the design of institutions. If you enjoy Machiavelli, Plato, Venice, or the roots of American constitutions, Harrington offers a rich plan to explore.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Fair rules make fairness practical
- Political power follows landed property
- Separate proposing from deciding
- Keep land from gathering into dominance
- Secret votes and rotation protect equality
- Citizens must assemble and defend themselves
- Emergency power needs firm limits
- Equality can remove the roots of conflict
- Judge a constitution by its arrangements
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Commonwealth of Oceana
by James Harrington · 1656
Two girls share a cake, and a whole republic grows from that rule: one divides, the other chooses.
Challenging5–10 hours to readEnglish
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Two girls share a cake. One cuts and the other chooses.
The Commonwealth of Oceana at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 5 min5 h 40 min fast, 8 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 101,400 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1656by James Harrington
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Power follows the balance of landed property
Harrington opens with a claim that shapes everything after it. Government rests on dominion, and dominion means property, above all land. Whoever holds the most land holds the real power in a nation.
He sorts governments by this test. If one man owns about three quarters of the land, as the Turkish sultan does, the state is an absolute monarchy. If a small nobility owns most of it, the state is a mixed monarchy. If the land is spread among the whole people, the state is a commonwealth.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1656
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 8 h 15 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Harrington, James. The Commonwealth of Oceana. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-commonwealth-of-oceana.
Harrington, J. (2026). The commonwealth of Oceana. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-commonwealth-of-oceana (Original work published 1656)
Harrington, James. The Commonwealth of Oceana. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-commonwealth-of-oceana.
@book{harrington2026commonwealth,
author = {Harrington, James},
title = {The Commonwealth of Oceana},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-commonwealth-of-oceana},
note = {First published 1656}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Commonwealth of Oceana
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Commonwealth of Oceana about?
It describes an imagined republic called Oceana, standing for England. A general named the Lord Archon writes a complete constitution, based on land laws, secret ballots, a senate, a people's assembly, and a citizen army.
Who is Leviathan in Harrington's book?
Leviathan is Harrington's name for Thomas Hobbes, whose book of that title defended sovereign power. Harrington argues against him often, saying that laws and balanced property, not a single sword, hold a state together.
What is the agrarian law in Oceana?
It is a rule that limits how much land one person may own, set at two thousand pounds a year in Oceana. Estates are divided among sons so no family grows strong enough to dominate the whole people.
The author
James Harrington
1611–1677 · English political theorist
James Harrington was an English political theorist. He was born in Upton, Northamptonshire, in 1611 and died in Westminster, London, in 1677. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford, and travelled in continental Europe. He wrote The Commonwealth of Oceana, which was published in 1656.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
