A RARE first edition of Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is estimated to fetch anything between £30,000 to £50,000 at auction in Edinburgh.

The 1776 book by the ­Kirkcaldy-born moral philosopher, which is regarded as a fundamental work in classical economics, is described as a "fine example" and will be sold by Lyon & Turnbull on September 4.

Simon Vickers, the auction house's book specialist, said: "After a spell abroad tutoring Henry Scott, the young Duke of Buccleuch, Smith returned to Kirkcaldy and devoted much of the next 10 years to writing The Wealth of Nations."