ABSTRACT
Smith, Adam, The Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith, edited by R.H. Campbell and A.S. Skinner, 6 vols, Oxford: Clarendon Press, and New York: Oxford University Press, 1976-83; vols 2-5 reprinted Indianapolis: Liberty Classics, 1981-82: 1. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, edited by D.D. Raphael and A.L. Macfie, 1976 2. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, part 1, edited by R.H. Campbell, A.S. Skinner and W.B. Todd, 1976
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, part 2, edited by R.H. Campbell and A.S. Skinner, 1976 3. Essays on Philosophical Subjects, edited by W.P.D. Wightman and J.C. Bryce, 1980 4. Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, edited by A.S. Skinner and J.C. Bryce, 1983 5. Lectures on Jurisprudence, edited by R.L. Meek, D.D. Raphael and P.G. Stein, 1978 6. The Correspondence of Adam Smith, edited by Ernest Campbell Mossner and Ian Simpson Ross, 1977
Readers attempting to get to grips with Adam Smith’s Inquiry into the Nature and Consequences of the Wealth of Nations, more commonly referred to as The Wealth of Nations, are more likely to succeed in this endeavour if they see it as a small part of a larger whole that includes The Theory of Moral Sentiments, the Lectures on Jurisprudence, the Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, Essays on Philosophical Subjects, and a planned, but uncompleted, History of Law and Government. These are all collected in a 6-volume edition of Smith’s works, and the six paperback volumes of the Glasgow edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith published by Liberty Classics are highly recommended for students on a tight budget. Reading the original works of famous economists is rarely an activity promoted in universities and schools today and this can only be considered a retrogressive step. Even though Smith wrote in the 18th century, there is a definite relevance, clarity, and freshness to his work that makes any time spent reading him well worth the effort. In addition, reading the original texts helps dispel the many myths that have arisen about him.
