This book focuses on the interaction between practising economists and previous generations of economists. Because economic problems, such as crashes, tend to recur and are only partially understood, it may be profitable read the work of previous generations in a collaborative spirit. Sometimes this can offer a different perspective on current preoccupations and cause us to reconsider the scope of our much criticised subject. The book gathers together earlier work by the author which appeared in various academic books and journals with the addition of six new chapters.The collection makes for a lively, informative and thought-provoking collection. It will interest anyone with an interest in the history of economics and of economic thought.

This book provides original and, it is argued, often symbiotic treatments of mainstream figures such as Bentham, Malthus, Edgeworth, Walras, Pigou and Marshall and of "neglected" figures such as John Tozer and Alfred Russel Wallace.