A fascinating book, and something that should be mandatory reading for all graduate-level economics students prior to their taking advanced theory classes. A careful reading of this book will give the reader insight into the current state of the profession, an understanding of how it became so, and, perhaps, a more sympathetic view of the "supporting cast" of economists.

One is struck by the wide disparity in the quality and content of these essays. Some are quite insightful: either shedding light on a particular economist's field(s) of interest, or else opening the particular economist's psyche for the reader to see. Tibor Scitovsky's piece is an excellent example of writing that does both; the reader comes away with knowledge of the intellectual underpinnings of Scitovsky's work as well as some clarity into what motivated him in the first place. His is, in my opinion, the most thought-provoking piece in the book. Also notable, William Baumol's essay is a clearly written, lucid exposition of his worldview, and even the most ideologically opposite reader comes away with an appreciation for Baumol the man.

Other essays are turgid and difficult to wade through (like much of economic writing, I'm afraid). Maurice Allais' work was so uninteresting as to make me wish I were reading something else. To be fair, it must be noted that Allais' piece was translated and may have been brilliant in the original French.

Some of the economists obviously took lightly the task of setting their life philosophies in print, while others took advantage of the opportunity to try to wrest validation for their now-discredited theories. Samuelson's piece, in particular, came across as shrill and catty, resulting to the often-used but rarely effective (except in the academic world) tactic of criticizing an opponent with an a priori sense of correctness (by which I mean including in the criticism the inflection that "everyone who's anyone already believes this, I'm just doing the world a favor and putting it in print." Samuelson does himself much disservice by attacking his betters, especially Hayek and Friedman, in this manner.)

A pleasant surprise was discovering that the life philosophies of some of the economists from whom I least expected it turned out to be interesting and enjoyable to read. Shigeto Tsuru's essay falls into this category. Although I disagree with almost all of his economic work, Tsuru demonstrates his intellectual consistency and helps the reader to understand his motivation, as well as admire his intellectual honesty in staying true to his ideals.

One final note: It is striking the amount of influence certain economists held over this generation, and by extrapolation, hold over the world as we know it. One wonders what shape the world would be in if Joseph Schumpeter, J.M. Keynes, A.C. Pigou and a few others had chosen other professions.

I enjoyed reading this book because it comprises twenty-two essays in which economists illustrate their lives and personal philosophies. The economists who come from quite different points of the ideological extent display inspiring intellectual depth and breadth of knowledge. They expose their life philosophies and consider on their conceptions of human nature, society, justice and the source of the creative impulse. The self-portraits expose details of the economists' personal and professional lives that capture the meaning of the total person. Furthermore, they illustrate the result of their labor, and they change one's notions of what an economist can do or be. Overall, I found this book very interesting and I believe it should be in the collections of all academic libraries.

Most celebrities have to wait until the end of their careers to publish their autobiographies. In this book edited by Michael Szenberg, twenty economists in mid-career bring together personal accounts of their work and lives. The result is a rich set of biographies, addressing issues such as the effects of politics on work and vice versa, family life, creativity in and inspired by the workplace, the study of law and economics, and the conducting of research, and the role of women in this male-dominated field. I think Passion and Craft presents a delightful glance into the minds and lives of some of the most interesting economists of our time. I believe it will be exciting reading for economists as well as all other social scientists, and students considering a career in economics.