Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations – 250 years

On 9 March 2026, we mark exactly 250 years since Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations was published in London. The book beautifully illuminated how prosperity is created “by an invisible hand” – through specialization, exchange, competition, and the institutions that allow ordinary people to coordinate their activities.

Was it a coincidence that the modern era of sustained economic progress began to gather pace in the period that followed? Smith was not the first advocate of free enterprise. But he was the most impactful. In Adam Smith, free enterprise had not merely an exponent but a moral authority. Smith’s framework – his spirit – remains a wise and wholesome guide to modern betterment – and a powerful antidote to today’s reflex for control, protectionism, and political allocation. Join us for an appreciation of Adam Smith’s