339. Smith (Adam) An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, 2 vol., second edition, vol. II half-title as called for, small paper repair p.41, contemporary full brown calf, rebacked with the original spines laid-down, red & black leather lettering labels, [Goldsmiths 11663; Kress B.154], 4to, W. Strahan; and T. Cadell 1776.
est. £3500 – £4000
The second edition is the rarest of the early editions of Wealth of Nations , of which only 500 copies were printed. A number of these sheets for this edition may well have been used from the original first edition.
“The Wealth of Nations is not a system, but as a provisional analysis it is completely convincing. The certainty of its criticism and its grasp of human nature have made it the first and greatest classic of modern economic thought." - PMM.