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Secondary sourceBook1922

Wealth of Nations, Cannan Edition

Adam Smith, edited by Edwin Cannan · 1922

A 1922 scholarly edition of Adam Smith's economics book, edited with notes and index by Edwin Cannan.

This is a later scholarly edition of Smith's own economics text, showing its lasting influence after his death.

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Title page of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, edited by Edwin Cannan, Volume I, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd., London, Third Edition. Title in black and red type on a cream background.
Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, ed. Edwin Cannan, Methuen & Co., London, 1922.

About this source

What it is

This is a later printing of Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, edited with an introduction, notes and an enlarged index by Edwin Cannan. It was published by Methuen & Co. in London in 1922, as the third edition of Cannan's work.

Why it matters

Smith's book, first written in the 18th century, became one of the founding texts of economics. Editions like this one, prepared by later scholars such as Cannan, show how his ideas kept being studied, explained and reissued long after his death.

Look closer

  • Why might publishers keep producing new editions of a 150-year-old book?
  • What does an editor's introduction and notes add that the original text does not have?
  • What might change between Smith's original wording and a modern edited version?

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

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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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