Should I read the Wealth of Nations or an economics textbook?

Start with the wealth of Nations. It was written in the day when you had to substantiate what you where saying, so it is tedious in it's detail. Work through it. The other thing is that it was written in 1776, the same year as our Declaration of Independence. read more

Read a textbook. If this description of Mankiw’s book is accurate, he covers the important parts of The Wealth of Nations, adds more on top, and uses examples more relevant to today. A modern book would also probably be easier to read than something written in 1776. read more

For example, Alexander Hamilton was influenced in part by The Wealth of Nations to write his Report on Manufactures, in which he argued against many of Smith's policies. Interestingly, Hamilton based much of this report on the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, and it was, in part, Colbert's ideas that Smith responded to with The Wealth of Nations. read more

getAbstract believes that no serious economist can do without this exhaustive work, originally published in five volumes as An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. This classic is a pragmatic and accessible milestone in the history of economics. read more