By Timothy Shenk
Even Maurice Dobb's critics, and there have been many, said that he used to be one of many world's most important Communist economists. From his outpost on the collage of Cambridge, the place he used to be a protégé of John Maynard Keynes and mentor to scholars starting from Eric Hobsbawm to Amartya Sen, Dobb made himself into one in every of British communism's most effective intellectuals. in the past, this notable existence has been all yet forgotten. but following Dobb's existence from his start in 1900 to his loss of life in 1976 does greater than simply recuperate the occupation of 1 of contemporary Britain's so much paradoxical thinkers. It finds a stunning heritage that casts new mild at the connections that certain economics, politics, and gear jointly within the 20th century—a heritage whose legacy nonetheless endures, lengthy after the Soviet Union's fall.
Reviews:
"A fantastic and richly illuminating depiction of Dobb's existence and ideas, written within the most sensible culture of scholarship at the background of financial notion. In delivering a wealth of recent information regarding Dobb, Shenk arrives at notable new insights in regards to the transformation of either Marxist scholarship and the economics occupation in the course of his lifetime." - Angus Burgin, Johns Hopkins University
"A significant account of the existence and considered Maurice Dobb. but, this publication strikes a ways past traditional biography to discover, in such an relaxing and fascinating means, the whole background of financial concept. via Dobb's novels, performs, letters, lectures, released works, and unpublished ruminations, Shenk invitations the reader in the course of the small window of Maurice Dobb's attention-grabbing existence, which has a extraordinary view onto the heritage of the 20th century." - Johanna Bockman, George Mason University
"Timothy Shenk has written a full of life and soaking up account of a primary determine within the terribly gifted workforce of mid-twentieth century Cambridge Marxists. he's to be thanked for furnishing us with this kind of clean and lucid research of a seminal life." - Robin Blackburn, college of Essex
"This awesome biography of Maurice Dobb is soaking up and instructive. the writer has captured uncannily Maurice's character and his remarkably complete and stressful political lifestyles. Timothy Shenk is to be congratulated on writing this kind of high-quality paintings of scholarship, which i believe certain Maurice, although he could were embarrassed, may however have licensed of." - Geoffrey Harcourt, collage of Cambridge
"graceful and considerate . . . Maurice Dobb: Political Economist (Palgrave, 2013), by means of Timothy Shenk, grabbed my curiosity and held it to the very end." - David Warsh, writer of information and the Wealth of Nations
"an impressive accomplishment . . . Maurice Dobb: Political Economist is one of the most crucial books at the historical past of capitalism released this 12 months, and it's going to be assigned to each seminar devoted to the exploration of that turning out to be sub-field. just like the top non-academic writers at the historical past of monetary suggestion (the New Yorker’s John Cassidy involves mind), Shenk possesses the infrequent present of without difficulty translating tricky theorizations of the industry into transparent English." - Kurt Newman, U.S. highbrow heritage weblog