Adam Smiths An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations was the product of the rich tradition of the Scottish Enlightenment but the books fame immediately spread across the whole of Europe. This book looks at the long journey of Smiths ideas from Scotland to peninsular Spain, reconstructing in detail the reception, adaptation, interpretation, and application of Smith's central concepts from 1777 up to 1840.
In light of methodological advances during the last two decades in the history of economic thought and the studies on the late Spanish Enlightenment and early Liberalism, the book tackles a series of significant issues and gaps in the historiography. In particular: this book sheds new light on the role of France as an intermediate step as the ideas spread from Britain southwards; the analysis draws not just on translations but also handwritten materials, book reviews, syntheses, summaries, plagiarism and rebuttals; a wide range of methods of dissemination are considered including the printing press and periodicals, parliamentary debates, academic chairs and societies; the role of individual translators and agents is given due prominence; the political interpretations of the Wealth of Nations and the ways in which the book was incorporated into the work of Spanish economists in the decades following publication are also considered.
This book marks a significant contribution to the literature on the reception of Smiths Wealth of Nations, studies of the Spanish Enlightenment and history of economic thought more broadly.
1. Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations in Spain: a State of the Art
Jesús Astigarraga and Juan Zabalza
Section I. Translations
2. Smith, Campomanes and a Networked Translator: John Geddes and the Early History of English Print in Spain
John Stone
3. Vicente Alcalá-Galiano: an Interpretation of Smith Between the Public Sphere and the State Apparatus
José Manuel Valles Garrido
4. A New Analysis of Martínez de Irujos Compendio de la Riqueza de las Naciones and the Role of Marquis de Condorcet
Simona Pisanelli
5. The First Complete Spanish Translation of Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations: José Alonso Ortizs Riqueza de las naciones (1794)
José Carlos de Hoyos
6. José Alonso Ortiz, Adam Smiths translator: a new interpretation
Jesús Astigarraga
Section II. Influences
7. Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations: The First Spanish Readings in Spain, 1777-1800
Jesús Astigarraga
8. Nuancing Adam Smith. The Wealth of Nations Reception and Influences in Spain, 1800-1820
Jesús Astigarraga, José M. Menudo and Javier Usoz
9. 'Readings' of Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations by Spanish Economists, 1820-1840
José M. Menudo
Section III. Institutions
10. Adam Smith in the Spanish Press, 1780-1808
Jesús Astigarraga
11. Adam Smith in the Chairs on Political Economy in Spain, 1780-1823
Javier San Julián Arrupe
12. Adam Smith and the Cortes of Cádiz (1810-1813): more than Enlightened Liberalism
Javier Usoz
13. Adam Smith in the Economic Debates during the Liberal Triennium (1820-1823), the Second Liberal Exile and Hispanic America
Juan Zabalza
14. Spanish Translations of The Wealth of Nations: Beyond the Enlightenment, 1792-2020
Juan Zabalza
