Who published The Wealth of Nations in 1776?

Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations in 1776.

Its full title is An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. The Scottish economist and philosopher published it in London on 9 March 1776, during the Scottish Enlightenment and the early Industrial Revolution. The work examined how production, trade, prices, labor, and institutions shape a country’s prosperity.

Smith’s discussion of the division of labor—famously illustrated by a pin factory—argued that specialization can dramatically raise productivity. He also analyzed markets, capital accumulation, taxation, and the limitations of mercantilist policy. The book became a foundational work of classical political economy, though it was not a simple defense of unrestricted business power.

A common mix-up is assigning the book to David Ricardo, whose major work came later and developed theories including comparative advantage. Karl Marx also studied and criticized Smith, but Marx published Das Kapital nearly a century afterward. Smith’s earlier book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, published in 1759, shows that his ideas included moral and social concerns as well as commerce.