ABSTRACT
Since the bicentennial of the Wealth of Nations (WN) in 1976, significant contributions have been made to our biographical and bibliographical knowledge of Adam Smith and his most famous book. Yet, important aspects of the story of the publication and reception of the WN remain untold or misunderstood, despite the appearance of a number of stimulating revisionist studies during the past two decades (Teichgraeber 1987, 2000; Rashid 1982, 1998). This article will revisit this subject, using new documents as well as new interpretations of previously known evidence. It will also attempt to show how the emerging discipline of book history can throw new light on this topic.
