Life -- Kirkcaldy boy, 1723-1746 -- "The most useful, happiest and most honourable period of my life", 1746-1759 -- Enlightened interlude, 1760-1773 -- "You are surely to reign alone on these subjects", 1773-1776 -- Working to the end, 1776-1790 -- Thought -- Reputation, fact and myth -- Smith's...

Adam Smith (1723-90) is perhaps best known as one of the first champions of the free market and is widely regarded as the founding father of capitalism. From his ideas about the promise and pitfalls of globalization to his steadfast belief in the preservation of human dignity, his work is as...

In 1776 Adam Smith (1723-90) wrote The Wealth of Nations, a book so foundational it has led to him being called the 'father of economics'. Today he is associated with the promotion of self-interest, a defence of greed and a criticism of any governmental 'interference' in market transactions...

This reader in the history of economic thought challenges the assumption that today's prevailing economic theories are always the most appropriate ones. As Leland Yeager has pointed out, unlike the scientists of the natural sciences, economists provide their ideas largely to politicians and...