Product Description : The Oxford Handbook of Adam Smith (Oxford Handbooks) Adam Smith 172390 is a thinker with a distinctive perspective on human behaviour and social institutions He is best known as the author of the An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations 1776 Yet his work is namechecked more often than it is read and then typically it is of an uninformed nature that he is an apologist for capitalism a forceful promoter of selfinterest a defender of greed and a critic of any interference in market transactions To offset this caricature this Handbook provides an informed portrait Drawing on the expertise of leading Smith scholars from around the world it reflects the depth and breadth of Smiths intellectual interests After an introductory outline chapter on Smiths life and times the volume comprises 28 new essays divided into seven parts Five sections are devoted to particular themes in Smiths corpus his views on Language Art and Culture his Moral Philosophy his Economic thought his discussions of History and Politics and his analyses of Social Relations These five parts are framed by one that focuses on the immediate and proximate sources of his thought and the final one that recognizes Smiths status as a thinker of worldhistorical significance indicating both his posthumous impact and influence and his contemporary resonance While each chapter is a discrete contribution to scholarship the Handbook comprises a composite whole to enable the full range of Smiths work to be appreciated