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The Wealth of Nations Paperback – October 5, 2012

by Adam Smith (Author)

822 customer reviews

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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."

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"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.

About the Author

ADAM SMITH was born in a small village in Kirkcaldy, Scotland in 1723. He entered the University of Glasgow at age fourteen, and later attended Balliol College at Oxford. After lecturing for a period, he held several teaching positions at Glasgow University. His greatest achievement was writing The Wealth of Nations (1776), a five-book series that sought to expose the true causes of prosperity, and installed him as the father of contemporary economic thought. He died in Edinburgh on July 19, 1790.

Paperback: 482 pages
Publisher: Simon & Brown (October 5, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 161382081X
ISBN-13: 978-1613820810
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 822 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1647 in Books > Business & Money > Economics > Theory
- #2563 in Books > Business & Money > Biography & History > Economic History

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Ben

G.O.A.T.

December 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

I am an avid reader and I have to say, this is the greatest book I've ever read.

This book holds the keys to national prosperity. It's almost unfathomable to me that one book can teach so much. You will learn about what an economy is, trade, wages, banking, monetary policy, taxes, public debts, agriculture, history, the list goes on and on.

This book is must-read.

Now a review of this specific edition: The font is quite small which makes it hard to read. This is especially a consideration for a 586 page book. I suggest finding another (rather than this Simon & Brown).

35 people found this helpful

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Karen Niles

As timely today as when it was written in the 1770's.

January 5, 2015

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I have read Wealth of Nations a couple of times and decided to download a copy to my phone so I can have it on hand always. Saying that, I still feel if you want to know how we (the middle class) got in such a financial quandary nowadays, I say go back to the best tutorial ever written, (so far). Adam Smith's insight into the business man's mind is as point on today as it was in the 1700's. He warned us then, what is happening now; fiat money, collusion, government favoritism, etc. Problem is, people would have to pick up a book and read about the darker side of the business world and the effect it has on the 'consumer', 'citizen', and 'environment'. It is difficult to influence a population with one book; when the population is bombarded 24/7 with business propaganda. As Smith says, "I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good." Today, I watch with amazement as every industry, (oil, auto industry, agri-business, etc.), advertise how 'green' and 'pro-consumer' they are.

83 people found this helpful

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Pseudonymus

One of the most influential thinkers of our time

September 20, 2013

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The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is truly an epic classic in our time. This 1000+page is obviously not that easy to read. (Especially in the part that he discusses Silver, etc.) Some of the ideas are ones that we've become very familiar with in our modern lives, not only in the field of economics, but also in politics, religion, law, and finance.

Particularly interesting were his thesis on "Division of Labor"(page 15), rules of market place based on self interest(page 23-24), description of banking crisis (page 395), free trade (page 572, with the famous "invisible hand"), property rights (page 684), description of Founding Fathers in US (page 790), free market principle (page 873), rule of law (page 901, 1157), role of government (page 919), human nature and incentives (page 965), freedom of religion (page 1000-1001), progressive tax system (page 1065), government debt (page 1171), currency devaluation (page 1185).

Many of the ideas that form a basis of American/Western society can be traced back to the ideas found in Wealth of Nations, which would be no small feat. (Rules of the market place, rule of law, property rights, freedom of religion comes to mind.)

I would recommend it to anyone who has the will and time to peruse this superb volume.

12 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Outdated but Ahead of its time

May 20, 2018

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This book, written in 1780s, is outdated and appropriately so. The use of the language can be arcane at times, the examples likewise. At times I could read a passage over ad nausium, yet it would be vex me all the same. And it verbosity is compared to modern standards, on another level. sentences that are composed of five or more lines is constant. However, as you read you it will begin to be revealed why it has received so much approbation. It covers many of the topics that are, nowadays, considered fundamental constitutes of classical economics, and indeed many news books are probably much better suited for teaching about basic economics, but as relic of the past and for its tremendous influence i give it five stars.

One person found this helpful

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2charitable

What's there to Say that hasn't been already

June 7, 2014

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It's Adam Smith. It's Wealth of Nations. It's foundational. There's nothing to critique about the book in this paltry review that all shed worthwhile light on the text itself that hasn't been more intelligently and fully examined over the last few hundred years by thousands of economists and thinkers around the world.

However, as far as the Kindle version is concerned, and I'm only specifically talking about the format/medium of this text, that's just ok. Most of these free Kindle books leave a lot to be desired and this is no different. Since it wasn't translated we don't have to argue over the quality of the interpretation, however it is a dense tome and I find these require a little more navigation for full digestion. A lot of flipping back and forth, checking out the index, notes, table of contents, previous chapters, etc. And all of this is a bit challenging to do on the Kindle. Nevertheless, the text seems to fine. Scanned alright. So if you want to casually explore the thoughts of Smith on a less than ideal platform, here you go. As a scholar, I'd prefer a hard copy.

7 people found this helpful

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A.H.

Classic economics text

June 1, 2014

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This text by Adam Smith summarizes capitalism in it's purest sense. How markets move, why they move, and thought experiments on how variables affect the outcomes. It's famous for a reason. It's a bit hard to get through in some parts, but this is a good version of the text for students. Pick it up and let your life be changed.

11 people found this helpful

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hertz hanan

Wealth of Nations

August 31, 2018

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This is a must read for anyone interested in the creation of wealth. This revision had me spellbound taking me on a time warp trip with his research into a historical past before the time of writing. The answers to the world’s economic problems of to-day maybe found in the pages but are overlooked by the modern views of society, socialistic / communistic ideologies and a warping of word meanings. From man’s beginnings there have always been those that have found it easier to take that which was not theirs, be it the historical royalty, clergy, modern politician or intelligentsia, the reason has always been the same, they deserve it. Removing incentive and insecure private property rights from the equation by taxing the world’s true wealth producing minority to support all others will in the end collapse all forms of progress and wealth creation. I could happily re-read from page one, just to be sure no small morsel was overlooked.

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Khan al-Ofuseemi

Received damaged

March 24, 2018

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One star only because the book was received damaged. The front page was torn at the spine - most of the way. For the price it is not worth returning, so I will get some glue and try to glue it back together.

2 people found this helpful

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