"Democracies" are inherently despotic (see de Toqueville) and despots despise capitalism. A limited republic (lower case here) promotes equitable wealth.
A recent acquisition has (so far) been very approachable - a recommendation I got from a blog post that I can't recall..
"A Brief History of Numbers" by Leo Corry, Oxford University Press 2015. A fairly rigorous presentation from a strongly historical perspective. Excellent for this math hobbyist.