John Maynard Keynes: Fighting for Britain, 1937-1946

Book Description

The first two volumes of Robert Skidelsky's definitive and consummate biography of John Maynard Keynes were hailed as publishing events on both sides of the Atlantic. Already published to acclaim in Britain, this third and final volume covers Keynes's later years from 1937 to his death in 1946. During this period, Keynes's outstanding contribution to the financing of Britain's war effort, to the building of the postwar economic order, and his role in Britain's struggle to preserve its independence within the Atlantic alliance solidified the economist's lasting importance in twentieth-century history. Skidelsky lucidly explains Keynes's economic theories and masterfully evokes the complexities of his personality. The book abounds in lively anecdotes and memorable portraits, notably that of his devoted wife, Lydia Lopokova, whose eccentric but utterly logical post-Keynesian existence is charted in a delightful epilogue. Insightful and intelligent, this is a work that tells the story of a passionate and determined visionary and provides an invaluable overview of issues that remain at the center of international political and economic debate.

Customer Reviews:

In the short run we are still alive.......2004-09-05

The last part of Robert Skidelsky's magnificent biography of J.M. Keynes is a tale about the fall of the British Empire with Keynes as one of its most clairvoyant and active go-betweens trying to avoid the disaster. Great-Britain had won the war but it was bankrupt crushed by its debt contracted to buy US weapons.
This book shows clearly through its analysis of the Bretton-Woods negotiations and the discussions about the conversion of the British debt, that the ultimate goal of the US Administration was to get Britain on its knees and to take its place as world leader.
The US prefered an alliance with the Soviet Union against Britain. Their most important negotiator H.D. White was a convinced Soviet spy.
Keynes defended exhaustingly Britain's role in world matters by begging time for a reconversion of the British industry from a war to a civilian economy and for safeguarding its Commomwealth with its preferential tariff and pound sterling payment system.
The humiliating conditions for its debt conversion imposed by the US would cripple the British economy for years.
The suicidal internecine European wars created a new world hegemon: the US.

Before the war, Keynes defended his 'Treatise' policies, but saw them applied in Germany by a very clever economist, Hjalmar Schacht, who also saved the German economy internationally by creating a bilateral trade system.
Prof. Skidelsky shows us also pregnantly the deterioration of Keynes's physical condition, aggravated by his exhausting travels, difficult (empty handed) negotiations and even hard opposition at home when he was in the US.

One could perhaps slightly criticize the exhaustive excerpts of letters or the extremely detailed evolution of the negotiations in Bretton-Woods or about British debt relief. But, all in all, this is a fascinating read.

Out of your expectation.......2002-09-02

It's unexpectedly well decscibed how's Keynes in his childhood. He's in fact a well-spoken, witty gentleman with its charms inside which is mysterious. How could he become such a great economist, how he invent the theories, how he generated such a beautiful mind. It talked about Keynes' life in Eton College( a fundamental place for him to grow up and how his schoolmates affect him), and more is in King's College,Cambridge( which definitely a crucial turning point in Keynes' life) which included keynes' letter which he sent expressed his point of views, his love to Duncan. His writings were precise but in-depth. Moreover, it also includes a lot of cultural background informations which is like Cambridge traditions.It's a must-read book if you like Keynes.

A Major Force with Enduring Influence.......2001-12-22

In this, the third and concluding volume of his biography of Keynes, Skidelsky offers a brilliant analysis of one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. Skidelsky offers a remarkable discussion of the man (as opposed to the icon) whose influence seems to have fluctuated according to conventional (received?) wisdom with regard to fundamental economic principles. Economists have either agreed or disagreed about the value of Keynes's ideas (often with more heat than light) since the publication of his major work, The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money (1936). As a non-economist, I have only casually observed how his principles have gone in and out of favor as the national economy itself improves, flattens out, weakens, improves, etc. I enjoyed this book because it connected a human being with the principles to which so many others have referred in books and articles. Also because, as international trade accelerates in terms of both scope and depth (largely because of the Internet and the WWW), the role of government in each country will inevitably change...especially governments in those countries which were formerly members of the U.S.S.R. as well as in other countries in Asia, notably China. Thanks to Skidelsky's book, I am now much better prepared to recognize and understand such changes. I wish I had read the second volume in the trilogy (subtitled "The Economist as Savior") before reading this one. Those who read this review are urged to do so. However, judged wholly on its own merits, this final volume (subtitled "Fighting for Freedom") is a first-rate achievement.

John Maynard Keynes: Fighting for Freedom, 1937-1946

Average customer rating:

In the short run we are still alive
Large enough to offer details

John Maynard Keynes: Fighting for Freedom, 1937-1946
Robert Skidelsky
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Business | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Social Scientists & Psychologists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0142001678

Book Description

The eagerly awaited final volume of Robert Skidelsky's definitive biography of John Maynard Keynes covers the period from 1937, when Keynes had become the world's most influential economist, to his death in 1946. It focuses on Keynes's contribution to the financing of Britain's war effort, the building of the postwar economic order, and his role in Britain's struggle to preserve its independence within the Atlantic Alliance. Insightful and intelligent, this is a work that tells of one of the most important men of the twentieth century and provides an invaluable overview of matters that remain at the center of political and economic discussion.

Customer Reviews:

In the short run we are still alive.......2004-09-05

The last part of Robert Skidelsky's magnificent biography of J.M. Keynes is a tale about the fall of the British Empire with Keynes as one of its most clairvoyant and active go-betweens trying to avoid the disaster. Great-Britain had won the war but it was bankrupt, crushed by its debt contracted to buy US weapons.
This book shows clearly through its analysis of the Bretton-Woods negotiations and the discussions about the conversion of British debt, that the ultimate goal of the US Administration was to get Great-Britain on its knees and to take its place as world leader.
The US preferred an alliance with te Soviet Union against Britain. Their most important negotiator H.D. White was a convinced Soviet spy.
Keynes defended exhaustingly Britain's role in world matters by begging time for a reconversion of the British industry from a war to a civilian economy and for safeguarding its Commomwealth with its preferential tariff and pound sterling payment system.
The humiliatig conditions for its debt conversion imposed by the US would cripple the British economy for years. The suicidal internecine European wars created a new world hegemon: the US.

Before the war, Keynes defended his 'Treatise' policies, but saw them applied in Germany by a very clever economist, Hjalmar Schacht, who also saved the German economy internationally by creating a bilateral trade system.
Prof. Skidelsky shows us also pregnantly the deterioration of Keynes's physical condition, aggravated by his exhausting travels, difficult (empty handed) negotiations and even hard opposition at home when he was in the US.

One could perhaps slightly criticize the exhaustive excerpts of letters or the extremely detailed evolution of the negotiations in Bretton-Woods or about British debt relief. But, all in all, this is a fascinating read.

Large enough to offer details.......2003-11-10

There was a time when John Maynard Keynes was not the most famous living economist. Then he was. Then, after he died, he seemed to be more useful than Karl Marx to anyone who was interested in how modern economies actually operate in the best times, when statistics actually reflect the level of some real activities. Two earlier biographies by Robert Skidelsky cover the years in which Keynes gained in stature and wrote his General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936), described by Joseph Schumpeter as "the dying voice of the bourgeois crying in the wilderness for the profits it dare not fight for." (FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM 1937-1946, p. 4). This final volume starts with the problems with his heart that, after ten years of making Keynes an invalid, deprived the world of his advice at a time when situations continued to change at a pace which needed someone to keep applying different aspects of the General Theory in time to keep most elements of society from feeling that they were being swindled. He never had enough power to make a miraculous demonstration of anything, but the spread of American wealth after World War Two made many professionals think that it was possible, if not already proved, that happy days could keep reappearing here again far more optimistically than Joseph Schumpeter's dour statement.

Economics has become a science which is widely taught at a college level. Robert Skidelsky seems comfortable with writing about the political struggles involved, the nature of intellectual controversies in the field, and he is generous in his comments about Friedrich von Hayek, author of THE ROAD TO SERFDOM, and Milton Friedman, who emphasized other aspects of political economy. The years 1937-1946 had major problems of their own, and there is far more attention in FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM paid to the people that Keynes had contact with and responsibilities to. The Preface to the American Edition is dated 6 October, 2001. Already the author was prepared to apply a lesson of this book to our life and times:

"To be reminded of the realities of alliance politics, even in the case of such close partners as Britain and the United States, is timely in the aftermath of the tragic events of 11 September, when the United States is working to construct a global coalition against terrorism. In 1940, it was British vulnerability which threw it into the arms of the United States. America did not fail its fellow-democracy; but also used the occasion to settle old scores, and secure pole position in the post-war international order." (p. xv).

A major episode in this book recounts how an economic genius approaches the United States of America on behalf of a bankrupt country at the end of a big war to get debts pushed far enough into the future to be able to convince himself `If we don't make it by then, we're sunk anyway,' only to be asked why he didn't bring along the trade representatives. Countries which did not get involved in the current endless war might have leaders who read the British edition, which was published in 2000. Even at the beginning of this book, Keynes thought a government was foolish to commit itself to a war before the overwhelming mass of its people were convinced that the war was absolutely necessary, even after he felt that the Munich Agreement had been a pathetic trick.

This book describes Keynes as being conservative, and the picture it paints of his legacy continues the tradition of maintaining a bias in favor of economic stability. The Truman-Eisenhower years had a durable mix. "Setting tax rates to achieve an employment target consistent with a low rate of inflation was properly Keynesian; . . . It was to keep inflation under control by methods which did not bring about the collapse of the secular boom." (p. 505).

"However, U.S. fiscal restraint broke down in the 1960s. In 1962, the second-generation Keynesian economists who came in to office with President Kennedy were convinced that the long-predicted slump was at hand. A further stimulus to action was the quite unwarranted fear that the Soviet Union would win the Cold War economically and politically, without any need for a hot war. So the scene was set for the big Kennedy-Johnson tax cuts and `Great Society' programmes." (p. 505).

Economists might be familiar with the description of what followed, but the attempt to maintain a coherent theory is admirable when we get to: "Friedman's own attacks were launched from within Keynes's own macroeconomic citadel, but, by ruthlessly applying the maximizing logic to individual behavior, he gave two of the Keynesian `functions' -- the consumption function and the demand for money function -- properties of stability which they had lacked in their Keynesian form." (p. 506).

The picture of the doctor responsible for treating Keynes's heart, James Plesch, is labeled "the doctor who brought JMK `back to life', and whom he called `the Ogre'." (facing page 166). This is a typically British nickname for a Jewish Hungarian who left Germany in 1933 and settled in England. (p. 40). The author and I suspect that he was more thorough than British doctors. "There is no reason to doubt Keynes's own view that it was Prontosil which had brought about his dramatic improvement. Unfortunately, it was subsequently discovered that Prontosil was effective against the green streptococci lodged in the throat but not against those already firmly established in the valves of his heart." (p. 43). He lived through World War Two. He was losing money in the stock market before the war, as some people must have realized that weird things were about to happen to the economy. Keynes died before some of the big changes that were afoot. The American dream in this book: "Henry Wallace, who had fallen asleep, woke up to ask why Britain could not trade Indian independence for a write-down of Indian debt." (p. 414).

Average customer rating:
John Maynard Keynes (Fighting for Britain 1937-1946)
Robert Skidesky
Manufacturer: Papermac
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUT75K

Average customer rating:
JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES, VOLUME 3: FIGHTING FOR BRITAIN, 1937-1946
robert Skidelsky
Manufacturer: Macmillan Co. London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IX0072

Average customer rating:
John Maynard Keynes: Fighting for Britain, 1937-1946
Robert; Tyler, Royall Skidelsky
Manufacturer: Viking Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBU1YC

Book Description

Who is the best baseball player of all-time? Why everyone knows it was Babe Ruth, he built Yankee Stadium and only rescued the game after the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Or was it Ted Williams? He was the last batter to hit .400 in a season and wrote books on the art of hitting. What about Willie Mays or Ty Cobb. Or even Pete Rose the all-time hits leader?

Think the argument is moot? Well author Ken Shouler doesn't. In his book The Real 100 Best Baseball Players of All-Time...and Why! all of the above players are considered, but only one can be considered as the best. Statistics are the groundwork. The criteria is accomplishments not lifestyle and this isn't some tepid alphabetical list either.

Williams or DiMaggio, Ruth or Aaron, Mays or Mantle, the arguement of who was better has gone on for generations. Shouler makes his case that one player is better than another and why. Each of the top 100 players are ranked and evaluated by looking not only at their numbers but at their impact on the game as well.

The Real 100 Best Baseball Players of All-Time...and Why! is a combination of facts, quotes and anecdotes, with complete statistics on all the top 100 players as well as black and white photos throughout.

You may be surprised at who is at the top, who is on the list and who got left off, but if you do disagree we'll welcome your argument, but be prepared, the burden of proof falls on your shoulders.

Customer Reviews:

Hardly the best.......2005-07-27

Shouler's system has more holes than substance. Here's just one: Babe Ruth, John Montgomery Ward (165 wins, 2.10 ERA, 540 steals, over 2000 hits), Cy Seymour and others who were both pitchers and position players are rated ONLY for their pitching OR their hitting ! This is comparable to rating a pitcher such as Dennis Eckersly only as a reliever, or only as a starter !

Baseball's Greatest Players.......2002-10-29

No sport provokes arguments over its best of all time more than baseball, and this book is a great argument-starter. Ken Shouler definitely supports his choices for the greatest of all time, and wisely separates pitchers and position players. I think he believes a little too strongly on slugging average, but his choices are defendable. And he puts Cal Ripken Jr in the top 30, where he belongs, unlike The Sporting News, which placed him at 78. And although I think he overvalued players like Ted Williams and Pete Rose and undervalued players like Honus Wagner and Tris Speaker, I totally agree with Ruth #1 and Gehrig #3. Overall, a great baseball book!

A book for the baseball purest!.......2000-01-20

Baseball is by far the most discussed sport in America and with the coming of the new millennium everyone wants to give you the listing of the 100 best players of all time. Well stop listening to others and grab this book and let ken Shouler explain his choices.

In 320 pages you are blessed by the author's ability to not only give you the best 100, but also show you why they are the best. The book is broken down in the 75 best players and the 25 best pitchers and for the first time someone is right on track.

Using statistics rather than popularity, Shouler shows how Babe Ruth really is the best of all time. I read this book in just over two hours and have re-read it several times since. A fascinating piece of work and one of the most complete books I have ever read.

Greats like Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, Mays, Schmidt, Hornsby, Foxx, Cobb, Brett, Carlton and 90 others are covered in this certain collector items for every baseball or sports fans. This may be the one book all others are measured by - well done!

Well-Argued and Well-Supported, but Not Perfect.......1999-08-30

Ken Shouler's list of 100 top baseball players comes with statistics and arguments to back up each of his claims. Shouler is particularly partial to onbase percentage and slugging percentage, as are most Sabermetricians. The list Shouler produces is convincing, and well articulated. The problem with Shouler's list is that he does not adjust enough for changes in the game across eras. The 1930's saw the highest offensive outputs of any decade until the 1990's. The big numbers put up by hitters in the thirties leads Shouler to vastly overrate Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. Players in pitching rich eras are likewise penalized, most notably Mickey Mantle. Shouler notes that Mantle hit over 100 RBIS only four times. But if we normalize those stats to a league where 750 runs a years is the average, Mantle ends up with 10 seasons over 100 RBIS. But no system has been able to fairly evaluate these changes over time until the recent publication of the Win Shares system in the New Bill James Historical Abstract. While I found the Win Shares system more useful, I still found Shoulers' book an excellent reference and a good guide to judge against other lists of top players. Highly recomended!

the best argumentative book about the greatest players that.......1998-12-11

This book is not about pizazz. It does not merely use opinion to rank the 100 best players of all-time. Rather, it makes use of statistics, compelling arguments, clear writing and reasoning and charts to make the case that Ruth is the greatest, Williams second and so on.

The Real 100 Best Baseball Players of All Time...and Why!

Average customer rating:

The Real 100 Best Baseball Players of All Time...and Why!
Ken Shouler
Manufacturer: Addax Pub Group Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OM3IA8

Customer Reviews:

Worth Searching Out.......2000-08-31

I've heard that this book is now a sought-after collector's item. If so, it is definitely worth searching out for fans of the original Star Wars movie, much more so than most of the other tie-in merchandise from that film. The black-and-white ink drawings offer many insights into the design and creation of the film's legendary ships and vehicles (the door to the Millenium Falcon was apparently quite a challenge!) They also have aesthetic qualities in their own right.

A must for the True Fan.......2000-08-23

This is a book of pre-production drawing and character development for the original Star Wars. It is a must of a child of the 70's - 80's who was in love with the Star Wars universe. I really glad I found this book. I always wanted it growing up, but my parents thought an expensive book of pictures was worthless. I really enjoyed this book and it is interesting to see how different versions of ships and equipment show up in the later films.

Average customer rating:

The Star Wars Sketchbook
Joe Johnston
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NQNRJM

Book Description

SimplyShe Note cards offer a refreshing modern way to stay connected by putting exactly the right words in exactly the right package. Its truth-based humor is at once compassionate, ironic, insightful, and universal. Finally a card line that says it like it is.

Average customer rating:

As good as it gets.......

A classic text on miniature wargaming

A classic text on miniature wargaming

Charge!: Or, How to play war games
Peter Young
Manufacturer: A. S. Barnes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 049807384X

Customer Reviews:

As good as it gets..............2000-04-12

Having started wargaming nearly 4 decades ago this book was associated with one of those growing up experiences which one never forgets. Beautifully written by Peter Young (late Commanding Officer of No.3 Commando, 1st Special Service Brigade which landed on the Normandy beaches on the morning of 6 June 1944 and later Brigadier Young DSO, MC, Commander 3 Commando Brigade - I know because I'm currently a company commander in 3 Cdo Bde !) and wondefully illustrated throughout. The rules are simple and surprisingly realistic. It's all there, musketry, movement, morale, artillery even engineering is considered. For the beginner in the horse and musket period there are few books which could convey the sheer enjoyment and despair which can result from an evenings wargaming and for the experienced gamer, well, I still use it to this day. Despite its age this book is as relevant today as it was when written 30 years ago. Highly recommended.

A classic text on miniature wargaming.......2000-02-23

I first encountered a copy of this little-known treasure over 20 years ago. Although in the intervening years I have had the opportunity to play many miniatures games with a number of rule sets, I have found that Young and Lawford's text is not only a very playable "beer and pretzels" Seven Year's War/Napoleonic rule set, but the book itself is a very enjoyable read. Young, a well-known WWII veteran (his British paratroop unit jumped in behind the Normandy beachhead) and prolific author on military historical topics, injects a typically English brand of wry humor in his illustrations of different rules, using vignettes between the crafty "Smith" and the ever-hounded but resilient protagonist "Jones" (thinly disguised pseudonyms for Young and Lawford). The exchanges between the two as they dispute troop maneuvers, melees, musketry duels and all-out battles is entertaining in and of itself, as well as illustrative of the kind of banter encountered between close friends playing a sometimes intense, but always amicable game. The rule set lends itself to new gamers in it's initial simplicity, as well as to veterans in the advanced rules set. The unit scale and other details are similar and/or compatible with Charles Grant's "The War Game" rules. Overall the book is an excellent reference for the serious gamer, a decent set of uncomplicated, fun rules, and a plain old good book to read.

A classic text on miniature wargaming.......2000-02-23

Book Description

AutoCAD "X" For Dummies is being updated to reflect the new features in the latest release of AutoCAD.

Customer Reviews:

AutoCAD for a "Newbie" Ninny.......2007-01-20

This book really makes AutoCAD fool proof. The only problem is, you need to read the boof BEFORE you load your program!
Pay attention too the details.

Makes AutoCad harder than it is. .......2006-11-19

I would not recommend this book. There are other Autocad books better at teaching autocad. If you want a good book on AutoCad try "AutoCAD 2004 and AutoCAD LT 2004: No Experience Required".

Autocad 2006 for Dummies Review.......2006-03-10

Anyone who has attempted to use Autocad in the past knows that it is a very formidable task. At the present time I have only gotten into a few chapters of Autocad for Dummies. What I have read so far is written in plain English and is very easy to understand. I have high hopes for the rest of the book. As with any technical course, the material must be read and reread a number of times to absorb it completely. It is structured in a logical manner and addresses a wide spectrum of AutoCad techniques which I find very helpful. I am confident that with the help of this book, I will eventually be able to produce a usable drawing. Looks to be a good buy!!!

Great Place to Start.......2006-03-09

AutoCAD is an powerful program. This books takes you into the world of AutoCAD with baby steps. AutoCAD for Dummies throws in a line of humor on every page which keeps the reader from getting stressed about all there is to learn. If you read this book, practice on AutoCAD and then read some more - you'll be a pro soon. To learn AutoCAD also plan to go to some classes !!

well suited for a beginner.......2005-09-05

Middlebrook writes in a deliberately breezy and informal style that is characteristic of the Dummies series. He explains the very latest 2006 version of AutoCAD. Necessarily, in an introductory book, he does not go very deep into the full extent of AutoCAD. But given just a minimal maths background on your part, you should be able to quickly lay out simple two and three dimensional objects using his advice. That maths mostly involves a good grasp of trigonometry and algebra.

If you are already familiar with the 2005 or earlier recent versions of AutoCAD, then avoid this book. You already know enough that you should get a more advanced text on 2006.

Average customer rating:

AutoCAD 2006 for Dummies
David Byrnes
Manufacturer: HUNGRY MINDS (TWLD)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K4TML4

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books