Schumpeter's Widow Edits Husband's Economics Book

When Professor Joseph A. Schumpeter died last January, he left unfinished about 200 pages of what may prove to be his major work.

Tentatively entitled "History of Economics Analysis," the book promises in itself to be a major event in the history of economic thought, according to Professor Gottfried A. Haberler and other of Schumpeter's former colleagues. The manuscript is currently being edited by Professor Schumpeter's widow, and will be ready for publication sometime next winter.

The "History of Economic Analysis" is divided into five parts, some of which are still in handwritten form and some even unfinished. Part I is a lengthy introduction discussing the values of studying economics, the science of economics, and the sociology of economics.

Greece Through World War I

Parts II, III, and IV present a detailed account of economic thought from Graeco-Roman times through the Middle Ages and down to World War I. Philosophy, sociology, history, and literature are woven into the book as few economists besides Schumpter could coordinate them. Part V, unfortunately left fragmentary, discusses recent trends in economic theory and ties them to past developments.

Mrs. Schumpeter is well qualified for the task of editing the vast amount of material left by her husband. She is an editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics and has a Ph.D. in Economics from Radcliffe, where she edited the Radcliffe News 30 years ago.

However, it takes several people to check the vast amount of crudities involved in Schumpeter's work: Assistant Professor Richard M. Goodwin is handling the mathematical theory sections, and other members of the Economics Department are helping Mrs. Schumpeter in various ways.

The book, probably two large volumes, will be published in America by the Oxford University Press and in England by Allen and Unwin.