SMITH, Adam “The Wealth of Nations” [Adam and Charles Black, 1839]

SMITH, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black; London: Longman & Co., 1839. A New Edition, corrected throughout and greatly enlarged, with a Life of the Author, an Introductory Discourse, Notes, and Supplemental Dissertations by J. R. McCulloch. 8.5" x 5.75, lxiii + 648pp. Engraved portrait frontispiece. Recent three-quarter red morocco over marbled boards, raised bands, gilt-ruled spine with gilt ornaments, spine lettered in gilt, , edges speckled. Light rubbing at corners and spine ends, a few small scuffs to the leather, joints sound; foxing to the engraved portrait and occasional light spotting to text, otherwise clean and tight. Very Good+.

This expanded McCulloch edition became one of the principal 19th-century scholarly presentations of Smith’s foundational work in political economy, incorporating extensive editorial commentary and biographical material. The substantial format and dignified morocco binding reflect the period’s canonization of Smith as a cornerstone of economic thought.