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Primary sourceBook1776 (text); modern audio reading

The Wealth of Nations, Book 1

Adam Smith · 1776 (text); modern audio reading

A volunteer audio reading of the opening book of Adam Smith's famous work on economics.

This audio presents Smith's own written words on economics, though read by a modern volunteer, not Smith himself.

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Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, Book 1, 1776. LibriVox volunteer reading by Stephen Escalera (modern recording, not Smith's voice).

About this source

What it is

This is a LibriVox volunteer audio recording of Book 1 of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, written by Adam Smith and first published in 1776. The reading was recorded by a volunteer, Stephen Escalera, and is not Smith's own voice.

Why it matters

Smith's Wealth of Nations is widely considered the first modern work of economics, written at the start of the Industrial Revolution during the Scottish Enlightenment. This audio version makes Smith's dense written text more accessible for listening and close study, though listeners should remember it is a modern reading, not a historical recording.

Look closer

  • Why is it important to know this is a modern reading, not Smith's own voice?
  • What ideas does Smith introduce at the very start of the book?
  • How might listening to the text change your understanding compared to reading it silently?

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.

More Adam Smith sources

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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

Primary source

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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