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57 EVERETT, Alexander Hill. Autograph letter signed, to Henry Charles Carey. Boston: 21 October 1835 American economics emerges A choice letter between two of the leading American economists of the day, testimony to the emergence of an American school of economics that was explicitly conceived as an alternative to the orthodoxy of British classical economics. The letter was initiated through the recent publication of Carey’s first book, Theory of Wages (1835), which he had sent to Everett for review. Carey was evidently eager for the approval of Everett, who had established his reputation as a pioneering economic thinker with his New Ideas on Population, with Remarks on the Theories of Malthus and Godwin (published in 1823), in which he reconceived population growth as a positive dynamic factor in economic development, as opposed to the pessimism of Malthus. Everett responds favourably to Carey’s publication, and is particularly pleased with Carey’s attack on Malthus: “I perceive from the parts of your work which I have looked into that you are an opponent of, or at least no believer in the doctrines of Malthus. This constitutes the great dividing line between the two modern schools of political economy and I cannot conceive that two persons who agree respecting this could differ upon any question of much importance”. Everett goes on to outline his own theory of wages, in distinction to those of Malthus, summing up his views as “the wages of labour are its products”. From his perusal of Carey’s
56 EVERETT, Alexander Hill. Nouvelles Idées sur la Population, avec des remarques sur les théories de Malthus et de Godwin. Paris: Jules Renouard, Sautelet, 1826 Presentation copy First edition in French of this major early American response to Malthus, presentation copy, inscribed on the half-title: “À l’académie suédoise, hommage de l’auteur, par les soins de M. Jullien, de Paris” (“To the Swedish Academy, from the author, by the care of Mr. Jullien, of Paris”). Alexander Hill Everett (1792–1847) was an American diplomat who served in Europe as chargé d’affaires to The Hague from 1818 to 1824, and minister to Spain from 1825 to 1829. His New Ideas on Population was first published in Boston in 1823 and reprinted at London the same year. Schumpeter notes that Everett “was perfectly right to call his book New Ideas on Population (1823). For his main point, viz., that increase in population means increased production of food and is likely to induce improvements in the methods of its production, was new in his day, much more so at any rate than anything Malthus ever said” (p. 553). Octavo. Original paper wrappers printed in black. Small Swedish library stamp and deaccession mark to head of front wrapper. Spine partly split at head, faint spotting to endpapers; a very good copy. ¶ Joseph A. Schumpeter, History of Economic Analysis , 1994. £650 [113397]
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