Originally published in 1955, Eugene Rotwein's collection of David Hume's economic writings has become the criterion by which to measure studies of Hume's thinking on economics. Rotwein, in his extended introduction, masterfully examines the connection between Hume's various writings--economic, political, philosophical, and historical. This edition is graced with a new introduction by Margaret Schabas.

Hume belonged to the same generation as that of his friend and fellow countryman Adam Smith. Hume's writings on economics, however, unlike those of Smith's, comprise a relatively small...