Few writings are more often cited as a cornerstone of modern economic thought than those of Adam Smith. Few are less read.
The sheer strength of his great work,
The Wealth of Nations
, discourages many from attempting to explore its rich and lucid arguments. In this brilliantly crafted volume, one of the most eminent economists of our day provides a generous selection from the entire body of Smith's work, ranging from his fascinating psychological observations on human nature to his famous treatise on what Smith called a "society of natural liberty,"
.
Among the works represented in this volume in addition to
are
The History of Astronomy,
Lectures on Jurisprudence
,
The Theory of Moral Sentiments
, and Smith's correspondence with David Hume.
Before each of Smith's writings Robert Heilbroner presents a clear and lively discussion that will interest the scholar as much as it will clarify the work for the non-specialist. Adam Smith emerges from this collection of his writings, as he does from his portrait in Professor Heilbroner's well-known book, as the first economist to deserve the title of "worldly philosopher."