Life of Adam Smith

An exhaustive biography follows the subject from provincial upbringing through studies at Glasgow and Oxford, early friendships and correspondence, and a career as a lecturer and university administrator. It examines participation in Edinburgh and Glasgow clubs and debates, the development and publication of moral and economic arguments including a major work on moral sentiments and a later public statement of economic doctrines, and various personal and administrative controversies. Relying on letters, college records, and contemporary testimony, the account reconstructs chronological events, intellectual development, and practical engagements in academic and civic life.