John Maynard Keynes: Hopes Betrayed, 1883-1920 (Vol. 1) [Hardcover]

Robert Skidelsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 1986

"Hopes Betrayed" establishes Keynes' historical setting and explains what turned him into a radical economist. He gives an analysis of the economist's sustained assault on conventional wisdom, and shows how Keynes' story is not just that of a revolution in economic theory, but also part of the story of the evolution of modern government. Other books by Robert Skidelsky include "Politicians and the Slump", "The End of the Keynesian Era" and "Oswald Mosley".

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For Keynes, surprisingly, philosophy took precedence over economics. His personal system of ethics, worked out while he was a member of a secret undergraduate Cambridge discussion group, stressed the freedom of individuals to pursue the good egoistically. Since money and morality are so closely interlinked for Keynes, a candid reappraisal of his life might prove instructive. Skidelsky's massive biography (of which this is the first half) peels away the establishment veneer to show us a Bloomsbury intellectual, a homosexual, a conscientious objector in World War I and a latecomer to economics who initially thought that the "dismal science" was of low value. Keynes used his position at the Treasury Department to push for the Allies to fight a limited war. Infatuated with statistics, he kept count in his diary of his sexual encounters with his lover, painter Duncan Grant. Almost too slowly, we watch the Bloomsbury esthete, who put friends and knowledge above all, transformed into the pioneer liberal economist. Billed as the first full-scale biography since Sir Roy Harrod's 1951 Life, this work, when completed, should show what connections, if any, link Keynes's life and his fiscal theories. Skidelsky, a university professor in England, is the author of The End of the Keynesian Era. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 447 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (May 13, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670408107
• ISBN-13: 978-0670408108
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Out of your expectation, September 1, 2002

By 

"juliette0906" (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Maynard Keynes: Hopes Betrayed, 1883-1920 (Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

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.