Adam Smith revolutionized economic theory with his 1776 work An Inquiry
into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. He proposed rules
governing labor, supply, and demand; and describes division of labor,
stockpiling of wealth, lending, and interest. Smith also discusses how
economies lead to opulence. Wealth of Nations also offers a defense for
free-market capitalism. Any student of economics should be familiar with
the concepts and laws that Smith developed, as much of economic theory
is still based upon his work. This Cosimo Classic is an unabridged
reprint of the 4th edition, published in London in 1786, and contains
both Volume I and Volume II together in the same edition. Scottish
economist and philosopher ADAM SMITH (1723-1790) helped set standards in
the fields of political economics and moral philosophy, playing a key
role in the early development of the scholarship of economics. His other
writings include Essays on Philosophical Subjects.