This book collects together for the first time Anthony Brewer's work on the origins and development of the theory of economic growth from the late eighteenth century and looking at how it came to dominate economic thinking in the nineteenth century. Brewer argues that many of the earliest proponents of economics growth theory had no concept of it as a continuing theory.

This book looks at many of the key players such as Smith, Hume, Ferguson, Steuart, Turgot, West and Rae and is tied together with a rigorous introduction and a new chapter on capital accumulation.