The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smithby Adam Smith
Shares rank 6 of 19 economics books by recommenders
Recommended as the foundational case for competitive free markets, with later books restating its findings. One critic finds its chapters on regulation repetitive and ranting.
Recommended as the foundational case for competitive free markets, with later books restating its findings. One critic finds its chapters on regulation repetitive and ranting.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Foundational case for competitive free markets
“A core premise of the book is basically that competitive free markets are good”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message” Findings restated in later books
“quite a few of the findings are basically restatements from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “Brown student maps the hidden global labor powering AI” Observations on trade and labor
“People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “Why do people hate the tech industry? (2023)” Pairs well with modern business reading
“Read Zero to One and perhaps a few chapters out of Wealth of Nations.”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “The End of Rationing”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Repetitive rants against regulation
“The whole chapter is full of incessant, obsessive ramblings against regulation”
Comment from 22 Aug 2026 in “Paul Atkins Misreads Adam Smith and the American Founding”
Other economics books people recommend
The four most recommended other economics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital in the Twenty-First Centuryby Thomas Piketty | 12 | 6 | 67% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Why Nations Failby Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Progress and Povertyby Henry George | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Free to Chooseby Milton Friedman | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| The Wealth of Nationsby Adam SmithThis page | 4 | 1 | 80% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“quite a few of the findings are basically restatements from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations”
“Read Zero to One and perhaps a few chapters out of Wealth of Nations.”
“The whole chapter is full of incessant, obsessive ramblings against regulation”
“People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion”
“A core premise of the book is basically that competitive free markets are good”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.