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The Wealth of Nations

Name: The Wealth of Nations
Author: Adam Smith

Adam Smith · Public domain text

380,616 words · about 26 h 39 min to read

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The text of The Wealth of Nations comes from Project Gutenberg e-text #3300, cataloged there as “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”. It is in English and public domain in the United States. Project Gutenberg’s header and license text are removed, and RedLectern sets the text out for reading on screen; no words of the book are rewritten or summarized. More formats (EPUB, Kindle) · How RedLectern is built

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From Wikipedia

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, usually referred to by its shortened title The Wealth of Nations, is a book by Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith. Published on 9 March 1776 as Smith's central intellectual project, the treatise sought to examine and explain the underlying political and economic principles by which commercial and industrial societies generate wealth. It has become a fundamental work in classical economics, and been described as "the first formulation of a comprehensive system of political economy".

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article “The Wealth of Nations” (revision 1376077003), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Not written by RedLectern.

Author: Adam Smith (1723–1790)
Language: English
Subjects: Economics
Length: 380,616 words · about 26 h 39 min
Sections: 42 reader sections · Table of contents
Audiobook: Listen free (LibriVox)
Source: Project Gutenberg #3300

Contents (42)

Opening about 7 min
I. OF THE DIVISION OF LABOUR about 15 min
II. OF THE PRINCIPLE WHICH GIVES OCCASION TO THE DIVISION OF LABOUR about 7 min
III. THAT THE DIVISION OF LABOUR IS LIMITED BY THE EXTENT OF THE MARKET about 8 min
IV. OF THE ORIGIN AND USE OF MONEY about 11 min
V. OF THE REAL AND NOMINAL PRICE OF COMMODITIES, OR OF THEIR PRICE IN LABOUR, AND THEIR PRICE IN MONEY about 30 min
VI. OF THE COMPONENT PART OF THE PRICE OF COMMODITIES about 13 min
VII. OF THE NATURAL AND MARKET PRICE OF COMMODITIES about 15 min
VIII. OF THE WAGES OF LABOUR about 39 min
IX. OF THE PROFITS OF STOCK about 19 min
X. OF WAGES AND PROFIT IN THE DIFFERENT EMPLOYMENTS OF LABOUR AND STOCK about 1 min
I. Inequalities arising from the nature of the employments themselves about 33 min
II. Inequalities occasioned by the Policy of Europe about 42 min
XI. OF THE RENT OF LAND about 4 min
I. Of the Produce of Land which always affords Rent about 27 min
II. Of the Produce of Land, which sometimes does, and sometimes does not, afford Rent about 2 h 48 min
Introduction about 4 min
I. OF THE DIVISION OF STOCK about 13 min
II. OF MONEY, CONSIDERED AS A PARTICULAR BRANCH OF THE GENERAL STOCK OF THE SOCIETY, OR OF THE EXPENSE OF MAINTAINING THE NATIONAL CAPITAL about 1 h 23 min
III. OF THE ACCUMULATION OF CAPITAL, OR OF PRODUCTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE LABOUR about 34 min
IV. OF STOCK LENT AT INTEREST about 15 min
V. OF THE DIFFERENT EMPLOYMENTS OF CAPITALS about 28 min
I. OF THE NATURAL PROGRESS OF OPULENCE about 8 min
II. OF THE DISCOURAGEMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN THE ANCIENT STATE OF EUROPE, AFTER THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE about 20 min
III. OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF CITIES AND TOWNS, AFTER THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE about 19 min
IV. HOW THE COMMERCE OF TOWNS CONTRIBUTED TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE COUNTRY about 22 min
IV. OF SYSTEMS OF POLITICAL ECONOMY about 1 min
I. OF THE PRINCIPLE OF THE COMMERCIAL OR MERCANTILE SYSTEM about 1 h 43 min
II. Of the Unreasonableness of those extraordinary Restraints, upon other Principles about 18 min
IV. OF DRAWBACKS about 9 min
V. OF BOUNTIES about 1 h 9 min
VI. OF TREATIES OF COMMERCE about 21 min
I. Of the Motives for Establishing New Colonies about 16 min
II. Causes of the Prosperity of New Colonies about 2 h 18 min
VIII. CONCLUSION OF THE MERCANTILE SYSTEM about 1 h 24 min
I. Of the Expense of Defence about 30 min
II. Of the Expense of Justice about 22 min
III. Of the Expense of public Works and public Institutions about 2 h 37 min
IV. Of the Expense of supporting the Dignity of the Sovereign about 3 min
II. OF THE SOURCES OF THE GENERAL OR PUBLIC REVENUE OF THE SOCIETY about 15 min
II. Of Taxes about 2 h 33 min
III. OF PUBLIC DEBTS about 1 h 16 min

The opening of I. OF THE DIVISION OF LABOUR

The greatest improvements in the productive powers of labour, and the greater part of the skill, dexterity, and judgment, with which it is anywhere directed, or applied, seem to have been the effects of the division of labour. The effects of the division of labour, in the general business of society, will be more easily understood, by considering in what manner it operates in some particular manufactures. It is commonly supposed to be carried furthest in some very trifling ones; not perhaps that it really is carried further in them than in others of more importance: but in those trifling manufactures which are destined to supply the small wants of but a small number of people, the whole number of workmen must necessarily be small; and those employed in every different branch of the work can often be collected into the same workhouse, and placed at once under the view of the spectator.

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