author
M. (Germain) Garnier
1754–1821
A French economist, translator, and public figure of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras, he is best remembered for helping bring Adam Smith’s ideas to French readers. His career moved between politics, finance, and scholarship, giving his writing a practical edge.
1 Audiobook
An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
by Adam Smith, M. (Germain) Garnier
About the author
Born in Auxerre in 1754, Germain Garnier trained in law and began his career in Paris before moving into public life during the French Revolution. He served in several important administrative and political roles, later becoming a senator and, under the Restoration, a Peer of France.
Garnier is most often remembered as an economist and translator. He produced an influential French translation of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and wrote on money and political economy, helping introduce and shape economic debate in France at a time of major upheaval.
Alongside his political work, he was also active as a writer and learned figure, and he was associated with the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres late in life. He died in Paris in 1821.