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Wealth of Nations, Thorold Rogers edition

Adam Smith, with notes by James Edwin Thorold Rogers

A later edition of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations with editorial commentary by James Edwin Thorold Rogers.

This edition carries Smith's own economic text alongside later commentary, showing its continued study.

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Plain dark maroon or oxblood cloth cover of a book, with a thin blind-stamped border line near the edges and no visible title or lettering.
Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, ed. James E. Thorold Rogers.

About this source

What it is

This is a copy of Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, edited with notes by the economist James Edwin Thorold Rogers. The cover is a plain cloth binding typical of the period.

Why it matters

Smith's economic ideas continued to be studied, re-edited and compared by later economists such as Rogers, who added his own commentary alongside Smith's original text. This shows how Smith's work became a lasting subject of scholarly debate.

Look closer

  • What can the plain, unmarked cover tell us, or not tell us, about the book inside?
  • Why might a later economist want to add notes to Smith's original text?
  • What is gained, and what is lost, when a book is passed down through editors rather than read in its first form?

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

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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