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Students' Edition of The Wealth of Nations, Books 1 and 2

Adam Smith · 1884

An 1884 abridged student edition of Smith's famous economics book, made to make his ideas accessible to younger readers.

This abridged edition presents Smith's own economic writing, adapted for student use after his death.

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Students' Edition of The Wealth of Nations, Books 1 and 2PDF · 172 pages
Adam Smith, Students' Edition of The Wealth of Nations, Books 1 and 2, 1884.

About this source

What it is

This is a students' edition of Books 1 and 2 of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, abridged and published in 1884, long after Smith's death in 1790. The preface explains it aims to state Smith's principles of Political Economy clearly, with footnotes correcting and explaining ideas as the science had developed since his time.

Why it matters

Smith's original work was known for being long, repetitive and full of digressions, so abridged editions like this one helped later generations study his economic ideas more easily. It shows how Smith's work continued to shape teaching long after his lifetime.

Look closer

  • Why might an editor choose to shorten and simplify Smith's original writing?
  • What does the preface's criticism of Smith's style tell us about how his writing was viewed later?
  • How might abridging a text change the way readers understand the author's original ideas?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Adam Smith on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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