An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy

An Inquiry Into The Principles Of Political Oeconomy: Being An Essay On The Science Of Domestic Policy In Free Nations, In Which Are Particularly Considered Population, Agriculture, Trade, Industry, Money, Coin, Interest, Circulation, Banks, Exchange, Public Credit, And Taxes

by Sir James Steuart

An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy
Title page from An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy, volume two, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary.
Author	Sir James Steuart
Editor	{{{editor}}}
Translator	{{{trans}}}
Published	London: Printed for A. Millar and T. Cadell, in the Strand
Date	1767
Edition	First
Language	English
Volumes	2 volume set
Pages	Vol. 1: xv, [13], 639, [1] p., [1] folded leaf of plates; v. 2: [16], 646, [14] p., [1] folded leaf of plates.
Desc.	4to (29 cm.)
Location	[[Shelf {{{shelf}}}]]
	[[Shelf {{{shelf2}}}]]

Sir James Steuart (1713-1780) was a noted Scottish economist who made exceptional contributions to economic theory. Steuart was considered a pioneer of early economics, and was the first author to use the term “political economy” in the title of a book. In his book An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Economy, he explained the term as:

[just as] economy in general [is] the art of providing for all the wants of a family, [so the science of political economy] seeks to secure a certain fund of subsistence for all the inhabitants, to obviate every circumstance which may render it precarious; to provide everything necessary for supplying the wants of the society, and to employ the inhabitants ... in such manner as naturally to create reciprocal relations and dependencies between them, so as to supply one another with reciprocal wants.

Steuart wrote from the point of view of a moderate mercantilist. At the time it was published, An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Economy was considered to be the most complete and systematic survey of political economy that had ever been written in England. Some even considered it to be one of the first full-fledged economics treatises to appear anywhere.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in contemporary tree calf, rebacked, preserving original gilt spines. Purchased from Donald A. Heald Rare Books.

View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

=External Links

Volume I:Google Books Volume II:Google Books