One of the foundational texts of modern economics, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the principles of free market capitalism. The author explores the workings of markets, trade, and wealth accumulation, and provides a critique of mercantilism, the dominant economic theory of his time. This edition also includes a life of the author and a comparison of his ideas to those of the French economists.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.