Project Gutenberg 2002-06-01 Public domain in the USA. 12712 Smith, Adam 1723 1790 An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations Also known as: Wealth of Nations Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wealth_of_Nations Credits: Colin Muir and David Widger "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith is a foundational work in economic theory, written during the late 18th century. This treatise examines the fundamental principles that lead to a nation's wealth, focusing on aspects like labor productivity, the effects of the division of labor, capital accumulation, and the roles that government and commerce play in economic development. At the start of the text, Smith outlines the central themes and structure of his inquiry, emphasizing the crucial relationship between labor and the wealth generated in a society. He argues that the productive powers of labor can be significantly improved through its division, which allows individuals to specialize in particular skills, ultimately leading to increased efficiency and output. Smith illustrates this concept through practical examples, such as the pin-making industry, where the division of labor leads to a drastic increase in production capacity. The opening chapters set the stage for a comprehensive exploration of economic principles, laying a foundation for readers to understand the relevant mechanics that drive economic prosperity. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 47.4 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Economics HB Text Best Books Ever Listings Harvard Classics Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750) Category: Economics 2312711 2025-10-02T06:53:02.486500 text/html 2287518 2025-07-03T06:52:08 text/html 952228 2025-10-02T06:53:15.866903 application/epub+zip 974940 2025-10-02T06:53:04.449469 application/epub+zip 974941 2025-10-02T06:53:03.410468 application/epub+zip 2170167 2025-10-02T06:53:26.225882 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 2108401 2025-10-02T06:53:15.086412 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1444423 2022-09-02T09:22:32.990910 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 2468993 2025-10-02T06:53:01.365482 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 2449096 2025-07-03T06:52:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16680 2025-10-02T06:53:26.369863 application/rdf+xml 14917 2025-10-02T06:53:03.761455 image/jpeg 2214 2025-10-02T06:53:03.584468 image/jpeg 1820373 2025-10-02T06:53:02.646488 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia