The McLeod Business Library, in collaboration with W&M Libraries Special Collections Research Center, is proud to present an exhibit honoring the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Published on March 9, 1776—just months before the Declaration of Independence—this landmark work profoundly influenced America's founders and the economic principles that shaped a new nation.
Through December 2026, McLeod Library visitors can view W&M's first edition copy of The Wealth of Nations in its original binding. The exhibit also features two rare pieces that highlight Smith's impact on the teaching of political economy at William & Mary: W&M President Bishop James Madison's preparatory notes, which include references to The Wealth of Nations, and a student's lecture notes from 1799 that speak to the prominence of the text in the curriculum at that time.