# Is "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" by Adam Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith (Printed for A. Millar, London; and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, Edinburgh, 1759) is identified by: One volume, thick octavo (c. The census claim is correct as to the 1759 Millar first, but the imprint is joint — London (Millar) and Edinburgh (Kincaid and Bell) — and a description naming Millar alone is incomplete.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- One volume, thick octavo (c
- 202 × 123 mm), published April 1759 in a recorded edition of 1,000 copies
- The imprint reads 'Printed for A. Millar, in the Strand; and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, in Edinburgh
- MDCCLIX.' — the Edinburgh names are an integral part of the first-edition imprint, not a later addition
- Collation: [xii], 551, [1] errata
- The key point is a pagination anomaly that regularly misleads buyers into thinking a copy is defective: pp
- Publisher imprint reads Printed for A. Millar, London; and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, Edinburgh

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Adam Smith |
| Publisher | Printed for A. Millar, London; and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, Edinburgh |
| Year | 1759 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | One volume, thick octavo (c |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
One volume, thick octavo (c. 202 × 123 mm), published April 1759 in a recorded edition of 1,000 copies. The imprint reads 'Printed for A. Millar, in the Strand; and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, in Edinburgh. MDCCLIX.' — the Edinburgh names are an integral part of the first-edition imprint, not a later addition. Collation: [xii], 551, [1] errata. The key point is a pagination anomaly that regularly misleads buyers into thinking a copy is defective: pp. 317–336 are omitted from the pagination as issued — the numbering simply jumps, no text is missing, and no leaves have been removed. A half-title is called for, and an errata leaf is called for at the rear; both are commonly absent from made-up copies, so their presence is a meaningful completeness check. No edition statement appears on the first-edition title-page. References: ESTC T141578; Kress 5815; Goldsmiths 9537.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim is correct as to the 1759 Millar first, but the imprint is joint — London (Millar) and Edinburgh (Kincaid and Bell) — and a description naming Millar alone is incomplete. The work was written and first published in English in London, so no UK/US or original-language precedence question arises; American printings are much later and are not collected as firsts. The real precedence trap is internal to the edition sequence: the sixth edition of 1790, extensively revised by Smith in the last year of his life and adding the whole of Part VI, is the definitive text and the basis of nearly every modern edition — so the 'standard text' and the true first are different books, and 1790 sets are often offered in language that blurs the distinction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club editions for a 1759 title. The most reliable tell is where the title-page stops: the first edition's title-page ends at 'The Theory of Moral Sentiments'. From the third edition (1767) onward, the title-page and contents add 'To which is added a Dissertation on the Origin of Languages' — Smith's 'Considerations concerning the First Formation of Languages', which had first appeared separately in The Philological Miscellany in 1761. A widely repeated error assigns that addition to the second edition of 1761; the sources consulted place it at the third edition of 1767. Accordingly, any Theory of Moral Sentiments whose title-page mentions the Languages dissertation, or which carries any edition statement, is 1767 or later.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Theory of Moral Sentiments* by Adam Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-theory-of-moral-sentiments
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.