The Wealth of Nations (Modern Library) [Hardcover]

Adam Smith (Author), Edwin Cannan (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Modern Library | Publication Date: January 25, 1994

Introduction by Robert Reich
Commentary by R. H. Campbell and A. S. Skinner
 
Adam Smith’s masterpiece, first published in 1776, is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of, and the principles behind, modern capitalism. Written in clear and incisive prose, The Wealth of Nations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding of contemporary society; and Robert Reich’s Introduction both clarifies Smith’s analyses and illuminates his overall relevance to the world in which we live. As Reich writes, “Smith’s mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as they were in the late eighteenth century—jobs, wages, politics, government, trade, education, business, and ethics.”
 
Includes a Modern Library Reading Group Guide
 

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Adam Smith's enormous authority resides, in the end, in the same property that we discover in Marx: not in any ideology, but in an effort to see to the bottom of things."
--Robert L. Heilbroner


From the Trade Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Adam Smith's masterpiece, first published in 1776, is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of, and the principles behind, modern capitalism. Written in clear and incisive prose, The Wealth of Nations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding of contemporary society; and Robert Reich's new Introduction for this edition both clarifies Smith's analyses and illuminates his overall relevance to the world in which we live. As Reich writes, "Smith's mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as they were in the late eighteenth century--jobs, wages, politics, government, trade, education, business, and ethics."


From the Trade Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1130 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (January 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679424733
• ISBN-13: 978-0679424734
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 2.1 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (154 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Colonial Period

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

320 of 325 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go with Bantam, February 11, 2007

By 

Amazonian (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wealth of Nations (Bantam Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you're wondering which Wealth of Nations to purchase, get the Bantam paperback. This is Smith's complete and unabridged final version of the Wealth of Nations. It provides footnotes on Smith's wording, the historical context, and the differences between Smith's 5th edition and previous editions. In addition, the margin of the pages contain useful notes which summarize Smith's writing. For the price, this is clearly the superior choice.

Now, if you're wondering whether you should undertake such an endeavor, let me just say that Adam Smith was a professor of rhetoric. He explains everything so precisely, yet so comprehensible. Smith's writing is by no means difficult; I actually found it a surprisingly easy read given its antique nature. Once you get through the first chapter, you get quite used to Smith's writing style. If you put adequate time and energy into it, it's not hard at all.

261 of 275 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Watch Out!, June 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Wealth of Nations (Great Minds Series) (Paperback)

I have no criticism with Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations." My criticism is with the Great Minds Series edition of the book. The Great Minds Series is an abridged version. Huge chunks have been edited out of the book, yet nowhere do they let you know this before making the purchase. I bought this book specifically because I wanted to cite it, and I can't because the parts I wanted to quote have been edited out.

Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" is a worthy book for any private library, but purchase an edition other than the one offered by the so-called "Great Minds Series."

459 of 489 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Great Minds Series version has parts missing!, September 26, 1999

By 

Daniel Krawisz (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wealth of Nations (Great Minds Series) (Paperback)

I was origionally reading the text version of this book on the internet until the printed version came. I was downtroden, sickened, and even frightened to find that the Great Minds Series version of The Wealth of Nations is incomplete, yet gives no indication whatsoever of being so.

The introduction and chapters 2, 3, and 4 of book 3 are simply not there. They are not even listed in the table of contents. There is no discrepency in the page numbers, or any other teletale indication that it is incomplete. It is not written anywhere that it is an abrigement.

I want to point out how careless it is and how misleading to the reader in comprehending the philosophy of Adam Smith to print an incomplete book without any warning.