‎Richard G. Lipsey / Peter O. Steiner / Douglas D. Purvis‎
‎Economics‎

‎An Essay on the Nature & Significance of Economic Science. - [DEFINING 20TH CENTURY ECONOMICS]‎

‎London, Macmillan & Co., 1932. 8vo. In the original green embossed cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Printed on thick paper. A few scratches to back board. Otherwise an very fine copy. XII, 141, (3) pp.‎

‎First edition of Robbins's landmark publication, in which he sought to define more precisely economics as a science. With the present publication he became instrumental in shifting Anglo-Saxon economics from its Marshallian direction which eventually caused the breakthrough of neo-classical (Walrasian) definition of economics. The work is ""one of the most cited, if not most read, books on the subject in the period 1932-60, and it influenced greatly economists' views about the nature of their discipline."" (The New Palgrave). The definitions of economics presented here ""were widely accepted by the world of academic economists and are still propagated"" (The New Palgrave).Robbins put forth two central themes, both having a lasting and deep influence upon economics of the 20th century, the first being: ""That economic science could be clearly demarcated from those discussions of economic issues that involved value judgments - by which latter term Robbins meant evaluation statements of the form 'better or worse' where inter-personal comparisons of utility were involved. He also argued that there was a clear demarcation between economic science and other branches of social enquiry such as social psychology, sociology, politics and so on.""The second major theme was that the subject matter of economic science was not a particular activity (for example, Cannan's view that economics was the science of wealth), but rather an aspect of all human conduct. This aspect was the 'fact' of economic scarcity - a manifestation of unlimited ends on the part of individuals and society and means of satisfying those ends that were limited in supply. In word so often quoted in economics text Robbins defined economic science as 'that science that studies the relationship between ends and means that have alternative uses' - a definition that is more than reminiscent of Menger's exposition of the economizing process."" (The New palgrave)Lionel Robbins (1898 - 1984) was a British (mainly theoretical) economist and head of the economics department at the London School of Economics. In macroeconomics Robbins's was a firm exponent of the Hayek's - and the Austrian school in general - teachings whom he brought to the London School of Economics in 1928. His liberal view was expressed when he famously, together with Joseph Schumpeter, advocated that nothing should be done about the 1929-depression and that it had to run its course since this alone would create a lasting development out of the depression. ‎

‎An Essay on the Nature & Significance of Economic Science. - [PRESENTATION COPY - DEFINING 20TH CENTURY ECONOMICS]‎

‎London, Macmillan & Co., 1932. 8vo. In the original green embossed cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Printed on thick paper. A few pages with light marginal pencil annotations. A small tear to p. VII. Otherwise a very fine copy. XII, 141, (3) pp. With author's presentation inscription to front free end-paper: ""Apologia pro vita sua / L .C. R.""‎

‎First edition, presentation-copy, of Robbins's landmark publication, in which he sought to define more precisely economics as a science. With the present publication he became instrumental in shifting Anglo-Saxon economics from its Marshallian direction, which eventually caused the breakthrough of neo-classical (Walrasian) definition of economics. The work is ""one of the most cited, if not most read, books on the subject in the period 1932-60, and it influenced greatly economists' views about the nature of their discipline."" (The New Palgrave). The definitions of economics presented here ""were widely accepted by the world of academic economists and are still propagated"" (The New Palgrave).Robbins put forth two central themes, both having a lasting and deep influence upon economics of the 20th century, the first being: ""That economic science could be clearly demarcated from those discussions of economic issues that involved value judgments - by which latter term Robbins meant evaluation statements of the form 'better or worse' where inter-personal comparisons of utility were involved. He also argued that there was a clear demarcation between economic science and other branches of social enquiry such as social psychology, sociology, politics and so on.""The second major theme was that the subject matter of economic science was not a particular activity (for example, Cannan's view that economics was the science of wealth), but rather an aspect of all human conduct. This aspect was the 'fact' of economic scarcity - a manifestation of unlimited ends on the part of individuals and society and means of satisfying those ends that were limited in supply. In word so often quoted in economics text Robbins defined economic science as 'that science that studies the relationship between ends and means that have alternative uses' - a definition that is more than reminiscent of Menger's exposition of the economizing process."" (The New palgrave)Lionel Robbins (1898 - 1984) was a British (mainly theoretical) economist and head of the economics department at the London School of Economics. In macroeconomics Robbins's was a firm exponent of the Hayek's - and the Austrian school in general - teachings whom he brought to the London School of Economics in 1928. His liberal view was expressed when he famously, together with Joseph Schumpeter, advocated that nothing should be done about the 1929-depression and that it had to run its course since this alone would create a lasting development out of the depression. ‎

‎The Economics of Salmon aquaculture‎

‎Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston, Melbourne, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1990, Broché, 118 pages. Bon état ‎

‎The Alphabet of Economic Science. Part one (all that appeared). Elements of the Theory of Value or Worth. - [ECONOMICS BASED ON MATHEMATICAL METHOD]‎

‎London & Naw York, Macmillan and Co, 1888. Small 8vo. Orig. olive full cloth. Spine worn, otherwise fine. Hinges a bit weak. XIII, (3), 142, (2, -advertisements) pp. + 10 folded plates.‎

‎The rare first edition of this important work on mathematical economics, one of Wicksteed's main works, in which he sets out to solve ""some of the most crucial problems of Political Economy on which the foremost Economists have disputed unavailingly for generations for lack of applying the mathematical method. A glance at the ""Index of Illustrations"" will show that my object is to bring Economics down from the clouds and make the study throw light on our daily doings and experiences, as well as on the great commercial and industrial machinery of the world."" (Preface, p. X).Philip Henry Wicksteed (1844-1927) was en English theologian, classicist and medievalist now primarily famous for his contributions to economics. He studied classics at University College in London and Manchester New College and later on became interested in Economics, primarily in an attempt to resolve social problems with the aid of economic theories. He was one of the fist disciples of Jevons and continued his ideas of marginal utility theory. Though not highly influential in his own time, Wicksteed came to influence many great economists of the later generation, e.g. Ludwig von Mises and the ""Austrians"" of that generation. ""I wish that space permitted me to do justice to the personality of Philip Henry Wicksteed (1844-1927) as it radiated upon me, in 1906, during and hour's chat on the lawn in front of his house at Wantage - his repose that owed nothing to callousness, his benevolence that was not weakness, his simplicity that went so well with his refinement, his unassuming modesty that did not lack dignity. As it is, I can merely record that this theologian, who was a lecturer on Dante, stood somewhat outside of the economic profession - one of the reasons why his work, particularly excellent on the pedagogical side, did not leave a more discernible mark."" (Schumpeter, History of Economic Analysis, p. 831). His books did sell very poorly at the time of their appearance, which is why several of the early ones on economics are now so rare.He did, however, publish significant economic works, which, though to a large extent based on Jevons' theories, came to stand out as valuable and interesting in themselves. ""The general complexion of his system is Jevonian -he was in fact the only Jevonian theorist of note- but he shook off so many old things that still stuck to Jevons' exposition and added so many corrections and developments -partly under Austrian influence- that he may be said to have worked out something that, though of course a revision of the marginal utility system, was his own."" (Schumpeter, History of Economic Analysis, p. 832).It was due to his concern for ethics and the ideologies behind the modern commercial society that this excellent theologian turned to economics and tried to make comprehendible the inequalities of wealth and income. He became a lecturer on economics at the University of London in a program intended to teach adults who had not been able to go to university.In this fairly small but important work, Wicksteed aims ""at giving what theologians might call a ""saving"" knowledge of the fundamental proposition of the Theory of Value;"" for this, but no more than this, is necessary as the first step towards mastering the """"alphabet of Economic Science"""". (Chapter I, p. (1)).‎

‎The Distribution of Wealth. A Theory of Wages, Interest and Profits. - [FOUNDING WORK OF NEOCLASSICAL MICRO-ECONOMICS - ""A LANDMARK TREATISE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMICS""]‎

‎London, The Macmillan Company, 1899. 8vo. In the original full cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Traces after removel of label on lower part of spine. Library labels pasted on to pasted down front free end-paper. Embossed library stamp to titbel page (not affecting text). Otherwise a fine copy. XXVIII, (2), 445, (3) pp.‎

‎The scarce first edition of Clark's seminal work - a cornerstone of neoclassical micro-economics -, which is considered ""by any reasonable test, a landmark treatise in the development of economics"". (New Palgrave). Clark ""is regarded in some quarters as the one great American economist of the calibre of Smith and Mill"". (Cohen, American Thought: A Critical Sketch, p. 117).Clark here presented his famous theorem: Given competition and homogeneous factors of production labor and capital, the repartition of the social product will be according to the productivity of the last physical input of units of labor and capital. This theorem is one of the pillars of neoclassical micro-economics and was popularly formulated by Clark himself: ""[W]hat a social class gets is, under natural law, what it contributes to the general output of industry.""""Very early in his career Clark began to work on the problem of factor shares (possibly because of his interest in Henry Georg) and concluded that the treatment of land rent as a surplus whose size is not determined by marginal productivity was gross error. The most complete statement of his views on distribution is in [The present work]. [...] Despite its flaws (which include the universal measure of value) 'the Distribution' is a remarkable book and, by any reasonable test, a landmark treatise in the development of economics.The 'Distribution represents an advance on the prior art in two important respects. It offers a discussion of the relation of statics to dynamics - the terms was introduced into economics by Clark - superior to that of previous treatments. And it offers, for the first time, a complete and lucid exposition of the neo-classical theory of distribution."" (The New Palgrave)""One of the classics on the subject. ""Aims ""to show that the distribution of the income of society is controlled by a natural law, and that this law if it worked without friction, would give to every agent of production the amount of wealth which the agent creates."" (A Select Bibliography of Modern Economic Theory, 1870-1929, P. 69). John Bates Clark (1847 - 1938), American neoclassical economist, was one of the pioneers of the marginalist revolution and opponent to the Institutionalist school of economics, and spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University.Mattioli 687Einaudi 1114Katalog der Karl Menger-Bibliothek 431‎