Adam Smith: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Volume 3

First published in 1776, The Wealth of Nations is one of the great works of economic thought and a touchstone that has influenced generations of economists across the intervening centuries. The 1805 Playfair edition, presented in this volume, represents the first and most important early critical edition — applying economic history to Smith's economic theory. Playfair wrote supplementary chapters to address upheavals, such as the French Revolution, that had occurred in the decade following Smith’s death in 1790. The edition reproduces the exact text from the expanded 1784 third edition, including the index, with Playfair's chapters and notes marked clearly as supplementary additions.