adam smiths masterpiece first published in 1776 is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of and the principles behind modern capitalism written in clear and incisive prose the wealth of nations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding of contemporary society and robert reichs introduction both clarifies smiths analyses and illuminates his overall relevance to the world in which we live as reich writes smiths mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as they were in the late eighteenth centuryjobs wages politics government trade education business and ethicsintroduction by robert reich commentary by r h campbell and a s skinner includes a modern library reading group guide