The Collected Scientific Papers of Paul A. Samuelson

Book excerpt: It is a measure of Professor Samuelson's preeminence that the sheer scale of his work should be so much taken for granted, observes a reviewer in the Economist who goes on to note that a cynic might add that it would have been better for Professor Samuelson to write less merely to give others a chance to write at all.These volumes contain virtually all of Professor Paul A. Samuelson's contributions to economic theory through mid-1964 - a total of 129 papers. Included are his classic articles on such topics as revealed preference, factor-price equalization, and public goods; as well as some articles which until now have only been privately circulated or "buried" in Festschriften, such as "Market Mechanisms and Maximization" and "The Structure of a Minimum Equilibrium System." The articles have been grouped together into five books, compiled in two volumes. The books, in turn have been divided into sections, each of which contains articles on the same or closely related topics. Within the sections the articles are arranged chronologically. The graduate student and professional economist will welcome The Collected Scientific Papers of Paul A. Samuelson as a valuable addition to their libraries.