The Wealth of Nations is a most unusual book, as important for what it has meant as for what it is. In it's own right, it is outstanding as a lucid and penetrating examination and explanation of the complex mechanisms of the marketplace that govern economic systems. The first truly scientific argument for the principles of political economy, the book was recognized upon publication as a landmark of human thought. Since it's original publication, The Wealth of Nations has become required reading for anyone who seeks to understand the economic mechanisms that order and shape our world. It has provided a point of departure for other economic theories that have challenged Adam Smith's basic premises, and thus it remains consistently pertinent to any discussion of modern economics and politics. Certainly, The Wealth of Nations is as important and living a contribution to human thought today as when it was first published in 1776. The Modern Library edition of The Wealth of Nations is complete in one volume and includes the famous Edwin Cannan Introduction and notes, introductory comments by Max Lerner, and a full index.