Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 20

The Wealth of Nations, A New Edition, by Adam Smith, Three Volume Set, 1812

$5,000
£3,808.04
€4,389.33
CA$6,994.97
A$7,861.88
CHF 4,094.26
MX$95,619.90
NOK 52,391.07
SEK 49,682.17
DKK 32,759.03
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Smith LL.D F.R.S., Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. A New Edition, to Which is Prefixed an Account of the Life of the Author, and A View of His Doctrine Compared with that of the French Economists. London: Cadell and Davies; F.C. and J. Rivington; Otridge and Son; F. Wingrave; Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; John Richardson; J. Booker; B. Crosby; E. Jeffrey; W. Stewart; Black, Parry, and Kingsbury; S. Bagster; J. Mawman; J. Asperne; and R. Scholey, 1812. Three volumes, octavos. Bound in full leather, rebacked, with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to spines. Marbled paper edges. Presented is a handsome 1812 printing of Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Complete in three volumes, this edition was printed by Strahan and Preston in London, for fifteen publishers, including Cadell and Davies, F.C. and J. Rivington, Otridge and Son, and others. This “New Edition,” with its additions on Smith's life and a comparison of his doctrine with that of French economists, provides a comprehensive understanding of Smith's work and its context. It is presented here in full brown leather boards, rebacked, with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spines, and marbled paper edges. A foundational book in classical economics, Smith’s book explores the mechanisms by which nations build wealth, including the division of labor, free markets, and the role of prices in resource allocation. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations was first published on March 9, 1776 by W. Strahan and T. Cadell. No printing records are known to survive, but Tribe notes that “the press run was either 500 or 750 copies.” Strahan and Cadell published four more editions in Smith’s lifetime, including a quarto-sized second edition in 1778, a 1784 third edition, the first in three volumes, and a fourth and fifth edition in 1786 and 1789, respectively. After Smith’s passing, Strahan and Cadell published five more editions before the then-28 year statutory copyright expired in 1804. With the end of the legal copyright protections in 1804, other publishers rushed to produce their own editions and capitalize on the book’s enormous success. Four new editions were published in 1805 alone. Notably, a three volume edition was printed in Glasgow at the University Press for Mundell & Son and Arch Constable & Co., Edinburgh, with additional “Comprehending the Life of the Author, and A View of the Doctrine of Smith, Compared with that of the French Economists.” Tribe called this edition “most significant, since it contained a translation of [comte Germain] Garnier’s ‘Comparative View’ and ‘Method’ from his 1802 French edition, together with a ‘Life of the Author.’” This soon became the pattern for many subsequent editions, including this 1812 edition by Cadell and Davies, et al. CONDITION: Very good condition overall. Complete in three volumes. Octavos. Bound in full leather, rebacked, with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spines. Marbled paper edges. Interior pages with some scattered foxing, light rubbing and wear. xliii, 499; viii, 523; vii, 515 pp, [20 pp advertisements]. Dimensions: ~8 7/8" H x 5 1/2" W x 1 3/8" D (each volume). Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 8.88 in (22.56 cm)Width: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)Depth: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
  • Style:
    George III (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Leather,Paper,Embossed,Gilt
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1812
  • Condition:
    Repaired: Rebacked in leather, with new spine. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Minor fading.
  • Seller Location:
    Colorado Springs, CO
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BK12131stDibs: LU909745251032

More From This Seller

View All
The History of the Discovery and Settlement of America by W. Robertson, 1835
By William Robertson
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Robertson, William, Frost, John. The History of the Discovery and Settlement of America, With an Account of His Life and Writings, To which are added Questions for the Examination of...
Category

Antique 1830s American Early Victorian Books

Materials

Leather, Fabric, Paper

"American Commonwealth" by James Bryce, First Edition, Three Volume Set, 1888
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Bryce, James. The American Commonwealth. London: Macmillian and Co., 1888. First edition three volume set. Three-quarter morocco leather boards with deckled edges. Presented in custom matching slipcase. This first edition, three volume set of The American Commonwealth was published in London by Macmillian and Company in 1888. The books are bound in three-quarter straight grain morocco leather and maroon linen boards with gilt embossed and banded spine. The top edges are trimmed and edged with gilt while the other page ends are left deckled. All three volumes are presented in a custom archival matching slipcase. James Bryce...
Category

Antique 1880s British Books

Materials

Paper, Leather

Journals of the First and Second Continental Congress, by R. Aitken, Vol I, 1776
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Journals of Congress. Containing the Proceedings From Sept. 5. 1774. to Jan. 1. 1776. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by R. Aitken, 1777. Volume I. First Edition. 8vo. Rebound in ¼ br...
Category

Antique 1770s American American Colonial Books

Materials

Leather, Fabric, Paper

History of the Discovery of America by Henry Trumbull, 1832
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Trumbull, Henry. History of the Discovery of America: Of the Landing of our Forefathers at Plymouth, and of Their Most Remarkable Engagements with the Indians in New-England, From Th...
Category

Antique 1830s American Early Victorian Books

Materials

Leather, Fabric, Paper

The Great Republic by the Master Historians, Edited by Charles Morris, 4 Vols
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Morris, Charles (editor). The Great Republic by the Master Historians. New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago: The R. S. Belcher Co., 1902. Rebound in 3/4 brown leather and marbled boards, wi...
Category

Antique Early 1900s American Books

Materials

Leather, Paper

The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by N. Dwight, 1860
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Dwight, Nathaniel. The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. New York: A. S. Barnes & Burr, 1860. Later printing. Octavo. Rebound in ¼ leather and cloth boards, wi...
Category

Antique 1860s American Federal Books

Materials

Leather, Paper

You May Also Like

John Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 3 Volumes 1798 and 1801
Located in Morristown, NJ
(3) Vols., John Locke, Esq. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding; with Thoughts on the Conduct of the Understanding. Printed for Mundell & Son and J. Mundell, 1798 (Vol. I) and 17...
Category

Antique 1790s Scottish George III Books

Materials

Gold Leaf

Set Of Antique Fiction Books, Popular Tales, Maria Edgeworth, English, Georgian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a set of 3 antique fiction books, Popular Tales by Maria Edgeworth. An English language, hard bound 3 volume set of novels, dating to the Georgian period, published 1814. A prolific novelist of adult and children's literature, Maria Edgeworth (1768 - 1849) was born in Oxfordshire before moving to Ireland. Her best-known work Castle Rackrent was an Irish Catholic...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century British Georgian Books

Materials

Paper

3vols Antique Reference Books, English Furniture of the 18th Century, Cescinsky
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique 3 volume set of reference books - English Furniture of the Eighteenth Century, by Herbert Cescinsky. Published circa 1920. Fascinating guide to the craft and aes...
Category

Early 20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Books

Materials

Paper

3 Volumes. Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England.
Located in New York, NY
3 Volumes. Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England. Bound in full tree calf. The covers and raised band spines are gilt-tooled with red and green morocco labels. All the ...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century English Books

Materials

Leather

Cervantes - The Adventures of DON QUIXOTE - London, 1820 - 4 vols. illustrated
Located in Middletown, NY
London: Hurst, Robinson & Co., 1820. Richard Westall illustrations 4 volumes, small 8vo; 6 3/8 x 4 inches (160 x 100 mm); xx, 371; 388; 367; 436 pp. Each volume contains an illustra...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English Books

Materials

Gold Leaf

Set of Old Bound Books Dating from the 19th Century France
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Set of old religious books dating from the 19th century. From an old protestant library near Le Havre in France. These books are called " Sermons ". These beautiful books are perfect...
Category

Antique 1870s French Books

Materials

Paper