Adam Smith in the city of light

Adam Smith’s travels in Europe have been retold many times, but little is known about his comings and goings in Paris. He began his sojourns in the French capital by permanently resigning his professorship; he concluded them by mourning the death of one of the teenage boys who had been entrusted to his care. In total, Adam Smith made three separate visits to Paris. His first visit occurred in February of 1764 and lasted less than a fortnight ( Rae 1895 : 174; Ross 2010 : 210), but his second and third stays lasted much longer – from February to July 1766 and then from September to October 1766 – interrupted only by a short interlude in Compiègne in August. Part 1 of our work revisits Smith’s first foray in Paris in February 1764. Part 2 explores Smith’s second sojourn in Paris, from February to July 1766. Part 3 then concludes by revisiting Smith’s last days in Paris.