The Works of Irving Fisher

---

Editor: William J Barber
Consulting Editor: James Tobin

The Pickering Masters

This 14-volume edition contains the key works, allowing modern readers access to the major issues in Fisherian economic thought, and traces the key developments over the period of Fisher’s life.

Irving Fisher (1867-1947) is widely recognised as one of the main architects of the ‘pillars and arches’ of twentieth-century economics. During his lengthy career he made pioneering and lasting contributions to general equilibrium theory, and to the theory of capital and interest, to monetary economics and to the analysis of macro-economic instability. He also offered advice on economic policy to public officials and sought to rally public opinion behind a variety of social causes.

Editorial introductions drawing heavily on previously unpublished archival material set each of the major works in context, and editorial postscripts survey their reception by contemporaries.

Contents

Volume 1
Mathematical Investigations in the Theory of Value and Prices (1892); ‘The Mechanics of Bimetallism’, Economic Journal (1894); Appreciation and Interest (1896)

Volume 2
The Nature of Capital and Income (1906)

Volume 3
The Rate of Interest (1907)

Volume 4
The Purchasing Power of Money (1911), new and revised edition (1926)

Volume 5
Elementary Principles of Economics (1912)

Volume 6
Stabilizing the Dollar (1920) and related contributions

Volume 7
The Making of Index Numbers (1922; second edition, 1927)

Volume 8
The Money Illusion (1928) and related writings

Volume 9
The Theory of Interest (1930)

Volume 10
Booms and Depressions (1932) and related matter

Volume 11
100% Money (1935); revised edition, 1936; re-issued 1945)

Volume 12
Contributions to the theory and practice of public finance

Volume 13
Fisher as crusader for social causes

Volume 14
Correspondence and other commentary on economic policy, 1930-1947

Reviews

‘These superbly edited volumes are a fitting tribute to one of the greatest, some would say the greatest, economist that America has produced…the editorial work on those 14 volumes is a model of its kind: the introductions say just enough and not too much to motivate the items included, and the choice of letters to reprint from the various archives serves to illuminate Fisher’s writings and to bring home to the reader how closely he was in touch with other economists and politicians around the world. William Barber, Robert Dimand, Kevin Foster and James Tobin are to be congratulated on a thankless task skilfully executed.’
– Mark Blaug, Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology

‘Every university library, and many departmental reference rooms, ought to acquire it without delay.’
– David Laidler, The Economic Journal

Return to top