The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Key to Abbreviations and References
• General Introduction
• Introduction
• The History of Astronomy
• The History of the Ancient Physics and the History of the Ancient Logics and Metaphysics
• The History of Astronomy
• Section I: Of the Effect of Unexpectedness, Or of Surprise
• Section II: Of Wonder, Or of the Effects of Novelty
• Section III: Of the Origin of Philosophy
• Section IV: The History of Astronomy
• Of the External Senses
• Of the Nature of That Imitation Which Takes Place In What Are Called the Imitative Arts/of the Affinity Between Music, Dancing, and Poetry
• Of the Affinity Between Music, Dancing, and Poetry
• Of the Affinity Between Certain English and Italian Verses
• Contributions to the Edinburgh Review of 1755–56 Review of Johnson’s Dictionary a Letter to the Authors of the Edinburgh Review
• Review of Johnson’s Dictionary
• A Letter to the Authors of the Edinburgh Review.
• Appendix: Passages Quoted From Rousseau
• Preface and Dedication to William Hamilton’s Poems On Several Occasions
• Account of the Life and Writings of Adam Smith, Ll.d. From the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh [read By Mr Stewart, January 21, and March 18, 1793]

Preface

THIS is Volume III of the new edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith undertaken by the University of Glasgow. It contains the Essays on Philosophical Subjects and Dugald Stewart’s ‘Account of the Life and Writings of Adam Smith’, together with Smith’s contributions to the Edinburgh Review and his Preface to William Hamilton’s Poems on Several Occasions.

The range of subjects covered in this collection is too wide to be edited by any one scholar. The main task of dealing with the essays that are strictly on ‘philosophical subjects’ was entrusted to W. P. D. Wightman. The editors for the remaining pieces were chosen with an eye to their role in the preparation of other, related, volumes. John Bryce, the editor of the Lectures on Rhetoric, has therefore dealt with the essay on ‘English and Italian Verses’, the articles in the Edinburgh Review, and the Preface to Hamilton’s Poems, while Ian Ross, Smith’s biographer and (with E. C. Mossner) editor of the Correspondence, has looked after Stewart’s ‘Account’.

It was also thought desirable to appoint general editors in order to ensure uniformity of practice and to relate the different parts of this volume to each other and to the edition as a whole. We have tried to do so by providing a General Introduction and a number of supplementary notes (enclosed within square brackets). For much of the information in these notes we are indebted to several scholars, including P. Michael Brown, John Bryce, Eric Forbes, A. Rupert Hall, and Donald Malcolm. We owe a special debt to the late Donald Allan, formerly Professor of Greek in the University of Glasgow, for his extensive and invaluable help in dealing with classical sources; many of the supplementary notes concerned with the ancient world have been supplied by him in their entirety.

We should also like to thank Mrs. Theresa Campbell, Mrs. Julie Milton, and Miss Eileen O’Donnell for the care with which they have prepared the typescript at different stages.

Key to Abbreviations and References

WORKS OF ADAM SMITH

References to Corr. give the number of the letter (as listed in the volume of Smith’s Correspondence in the present edition), the date, and the name of Smith’s correspondent.

References to LJ and LRBL give the volume (where applicable) and the page number of the manuscript (shown in the printed texts of the present edition). References to LJ(B) add the page number in Edwin Cannan’s edition of the Lectures on Justice, Police, Revenue and Arms (1896), and references to LRBL add the page number in John M. Lothian’s edition of the Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres (1963).

References to the other works listed above locate the relevant paragraph, not the page, in order that any edition may be consulted (in the present edition, the paragraph numbers are printed in the margin). Thus:

OTHER WORKS