Rare text by Adam Smith on display in his hometown
Published: 9 December 2024
Commentary
A rare book featuring handwritten notes by Adam Smith is now on display in his hometown of Kirkcaldy.
A rare book featuring handwritten notes by Adam Smith is now on display in his hometown of Kirkcaldy.
The annotated volume, which was part of the economist and philosopher’s library, is part of ongoing work into Smith’s annotations begun in 2014 by Craig Smith, Professor of the History of Political Thought at the University of Glasgow, with the National Library of Scotland. It can be viewed at Kirkcaldy Galleries.
Curators say the markings in a text by philosopher John Locke offer intriguing insights into Smith’s developing intellect.
Adam Smith studied at the University of Glasgow from 1737 to 1740 and the book is thought to have been read by him as part of his moral philosophy course. Last year the University led on celebrations for Smith’s tercentenary, bringing together people from across the world to explore his thinking and legacy.
This is the first time Smith’s copy of Two Treatises of Civil Government has been exhibited since 2016 – the year it was restored with support from the Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries. It is also the book’s first showing since scholars confirmed that the penned markings are highly likely to be Smith’s.
Professor Craig Smith says the markings can help researchers learn more about Smith’s interests and shed new light on his train of thought.
“Adam Smith loved books, and he used the library he assembled to research his famous works,” said Professor Smith, who first encountered the annotations in 2014 after a colleague had discovered them.
Between 2014 and 2017, experts from the University of Glasgow and the National Library of Scotland pored over margin notes in several of Smith's books and compared the handwriting with his letters. They concluded that many of the annotations were Smith’s.
“Smith was a careful reader and these annotations show that he was a close reader of Locke’s work, giving us insight in how he criticised and was influenced by him,” said Professor Smith.
The book was one of the first artefacts gifted to the Kirkcaldy museum, which celebrates its centenary in June next year.
The 1728 edition, which is on display until 31 January, is Locke’s critique of 17th-century political theorist Sir Robert Filmer.
Galleries curator Jane Freel said: “The text’s underscored lines and margin notes could be read as Smith’s way of understanding Filmer’s point-of-view, as well as helping him to better comprehend certain sections of the text.”
“Annotating books was common in the 18th century, reflecting the Enlightenment practice of ‘thinking’ through a text rather than memorising it or skimming over the surface.”
Adam Smith actively destroyed his papers and unpublished works, so books from his library – especially those with his annotations – are of great interest to Smith scholars. His library is now distributed across the globe, including in Japan, where the University of Tokyo holds one-tenth of his books – 315 titles.
Professor Smith and his Glasgow colleagues have been working with scholars in Tokyo to create the world’s most extensive online resource dedicated to Adam Smith, which goes live next year.
This report was originally posted on the University news website.
First published: 9 December 2024