Happy Independence Day
“You have a republic, if you can keep it.”—reliably attributed to Benjamin Franklin, at the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. With that as our text in mind for this parlous and yet...
View ArticleHappy Birthday, Adam Smith!
Born June 5, 1723, Kirkcaldy, Scotland: Died Edinburgh July 17, 1790, age 67. Of course few things are quite that simple. June 5 was the date his baptism was recorded at Kirkcaldy church, so his...
View ArticleAdam Smith RIP (232 Years Ago)
July 17, 1790, Edinburgh. He is buried in Canongate Kirkyard on the Royal Mile.
View ArticleA Late Summer Reflection: The Real Adam Smith
And now for something rather different. Not infrequently we’re asked how, or why we named our firm Adam Smith, Esq. The short and true somewhat beside-the-point answer is that it’s a bit of wordplay...
View Article“Adam Smith’s America,” Glory Liu: Book Review
Across my desk a couple of weeks ago came an advance copy of Glory Liu’s Adam Smith’s America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism (Princeton University Press, Princeton...
View ArticleA Summer Diversion (Adam Smith included)
From the wide-ranging and customarily sane Virginia Postrel over at Reason comes a summer bijou: Gadgets and gizmos from Adam Smith’s time. Let’s start with what the self-respecting man about town...
View ArticleGenesis of “Adam Smith, Esq.” as Our Firm’s Name
Over this past summer, a client, who has become a friend, asked us what the “back story” is behind the name of our firm. (Presumably he found the name ingenious or bizarre or some combination...
View ArticleCanongate Kirkyard, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Adam Smith died today, July 17, in 1790, in Edinburgh. He was 67. His gravesite is in Canongate Kirkyard on the “Royal Mile,” Edinburgh’s most famous street by far, which runs from from Edinburgh...
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