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The Theory of Moral Sentiments, tenth edition, volume 2

Adam Smith

Volume two of a later printed edition of Adam Smith's book on ethics, held by the Asiatic Society of Mumbai.

This volume preserves Smith's own words on moral philosophy, the subject that first made him famous.

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Back cover of a dark grey cloth-bound book with a white barcode label reading 00059894 and a tan paper label printed 'NOT TO BE ISSUED OUT OF THE LIBRARY.' The cover is otherwise plain.
Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 10th edition, vol. 2. Asiatic Society of Mumbai.

About this source

What it is

This is the second volume of a tenth edition of Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments, his work on ethics and human behaviour. It is held by the Asiatic Society of Mumbai and was digitised with support from the Government of Maharashtra.

Why it matters

Before Smith became known for economics, he was a philosopher who wrote about sympathy, judgement and morality. The survival and continued printing of this book in later editions shows how widely his ideas on ethics were read and reprinted long after he wrote them.

Look closer

  • What does the plain, functional cover of this copy suggest about how it was used, as opposed to displayed?
  • Why might a library mark a book 'not to be issued out of the library'?
  • What might be missing when we only see the physical object and not the text inside?

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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Title page of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith, LL.D. and F.R.S., formerly Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Glasgow. In two volumes, Vol. I. London, printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, in the Strand, MDCCLXXVI.Book

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The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith · 1776

Scan of the title page of the 1759 first edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith, Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Glasgow. Centered ornament below. Imprint reads London: Printed for A. Millar, in the Strand, and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, in Edinburgh, MDCCLIX.Book

Primary source

The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Adam Smith · 1759

Black and white engraving of a standing man in profile wearing a tricorn hat, powdered wig, and long buttoned coat, holding a cane, beside a round table with books and an inkstand. Bookshelves and a checkered floor are behind him. Caption below reads 'The Author of the Wealth of Nations'. Signed 'RAY' and dated 1790 at lower left.Painting

Primary source

Adam Smith, 1790

John Kay · 1790

Oil painting of a man in a powdered white wig and dark high-collared coat with blue-tinged shading, turned to the left, against a dark brown background. He has a slight closed-mouth expression.Painting

Secondary source

The Muir Portrait of Adam Smith

Unknown · c. 1790

Evening photo of Panmure House, a stone building with lit windows and a glass-fronted entrance at street level, with a sign reading Adam Smith's Panmure House. Dusk sky, paved street in foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Panmure House

1691-1693 (built); Smith resided 1778-1790

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