The Academic Scribblers

By Roger L. Ransom and William Breit

Book Overview

The Academic Scribblers offers a thoughtful and highly literate summary of modern economic thought. It presents the story of economics through the lives of twelve major modern economists, beginning with Alfred Marshall and concluding with Paul Samuelson and Milton Friedman. In a very real sense, this book picks up where Robert Heilbroner's classic The Wordly Philosophers leaves off. Whereas Heilbroner begins with Smith and ends with Joseph Schumpeter, Breit and Ransom bring the story of modern American and British economic theory up to the 1980s. The Academic Scribblers is an elegant summary of modern economic policy debate and an enticement into a happy engagement with the "dismal science" of economics." Originally published in 1998. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691059861
• ISBN13: 9780691059860
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.8" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Makes complex theory understandable

I had the privilege of studying under Dr William Breit at Trinity University in San Antonio, and can attest to his skill in (and dedication to) taking abstruse economic thought and making it comprehensible to -- if not the layman -- at least the student with some grounding in economic principles.(Dr Breit and his partner in crime Dr Kenneth Elzinga perform a similar service in the series of murder mysteries they penned under the name Marshall Jevons -- a pseudonym derived from the names of two of the economists profiled in 'The Academic Scribblers.')Condensing the life work of major economists into articles of a few pages long necessarily involves leaving some things out and seriously compressing others. In spite of this, though, Breit and Ransom give us a comprehensive look at these men and their work -- enough to understand their place in the pantheon of economic thought. They also show how that thought has stood the test of time and the assaults of competing theories. And while the authors' editorializing is light, they are also willing to point out how these economic ideas have been employed in the political arena.In all, a great textbook for an Intro to Economic Thought class, and a valuable tool for someone wishing to understand the paths the 'dismal science' has traveled over time.

Worth the weight to tote to class

For any undergraduate or layperson, the Academic Scribblers is the most lucid uncomplicated look at the work of 12 key economists. If you ever need a good guide to the subject of economics this is it.