American economists of the late twentieth century /

Samuels has collected an excellent group of essays about important contemporary US economists. Essays deal with many different types of economists (mainstream neoclassicists, institutionalists, Marxists) who have addressed a wide range of issues, some at the forefront of policy debates and others of interest only within the discipline. Any reader is bound to find some previously unknown application of economic analysis, or some unfamiliar debate concerning one of a variety of topics. The authors of the essays are sympathetic to their subjects, although most offer criticism and objective discussions of the most important areas of their subject's work. Some chapters are written by former students or close colleagues; these are extremely positive, and in some cases warm and affectionate. One of the few weaknesses of this book is an unevenness of style; the warm, subjective tones of some chapters are jarringly different in style from other drier, more analytical chapters. Despite this unevenness, and the near certainty of disagreement about selections, this is a book that anyone interested in the debates or personalities of contemporary economics will enjoy. All levels. J. M. Nowakowski Muskingum College