Adam Smith's enormous authority resides, in the end, in the same property that we discover in Marx: not in any ideology, but in an effort to see to the bottom of things.

Adam Smith’s masterpiece，first published in 1776，is the foun-dation of modern economic thought and remains the single mostimportant account of the rise of,and the principles behind，moderncapitalism．Written in clear and incisive prose，The Wealth of Nationsarticulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding ofcontemporary society；and Robert Reich’s new Introduction forthis edition both clarifies Smith’s analyses and illuminates hisoverall relevance to the world in which we live．As Reich writes．“Smith’s mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today asthey were in the late eighteenth century--jobs，wages，politics，government，trade，education，business，and ethics．”

ROBERT REICH is University Professor at Brandeis University andMaurice Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy in itsHeller Graduate School．His books include The Work of Nations,Locked in the Cabinet，and The Future of Success．

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

INTRODUCTION BY ROBERT REICH

INTRODUCTION AND PLAN OF THE WORK

BOOK Ⅰ

CHAPTERⅠ

CHAPTER Ⅱ

CHAPTER Ⅲ

CHAPTER Ⅳ

CHAPTER Ⅴ

CHAPTER Ⅵ

CHAPTER Ⅶ

CHAPTER Ⅷ

CHAPTER Ⅸ

CHAPTER Ⅹ

CHAPTER Ⅺ

BOOK Ⅱ

CHAPTER Ⅰ

CHAPTER Ⅱ

CHAPTER Ⅲ

CHAPTER Ⅳ

CHAPTER Ⅴ

BOOK Ⅲ

CHAPTER Ⅰ

CHAPTER Ⅱ

CHAPTER Ⅲ

CHAPTER Ⅳ

CHAPTER Ⅰ

CHAPTER Ⅱ

CHAPTER Ⅲ

CHAPTER Ⅳ

CHAPTER Ⅴ

CHAPTER Ⅵ

CHAPTER Ⅶ

CHAPTER Ⅷ

CHAPTER Ⅸ

BOOK Ⅴ

CHAPTER Ⅰ

CHAPTER Ⅱ

CHAPTER Ⅲ