The papers of the economic historian Earl J. Hamilton are a grab-bag of archival treasure, poorly sorted and demanding from the historian an unlimited faith in the goodness of the gods of serendipity. This post is a course reading list that would have rested safe in the obscurity of Hamilton’s papers, but for a chance encounter. I have taken the liberty of assuming the course title for Economics 334 at the University of Chicago in 1959-60 would match that of 1956-57. The course reading list is a nice example of the intersection of economic history and the history of economics.
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Economics 334: Mr. Hamilton
Assignments to be read before May 20, 1960
- Luigi Einaudi, “The Medieval Practice of Managed Currency,” in A.D. Gayer (Ed.), The Lessons of Monetary Experience, pp. 259-268. HG 255.L63
- W. C. Mitchell, “The Role of Money in Economic Theory,” in The Backward Art of Spending Money, pp. 149-176. HB 33.M 68.
- Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, “Digression concerning Banks of Deposit, particularly concerning that of Amsterdam,” in Book IV, Chapter III, Part I. HB 161. S 65.
- Earl J. Hamilton, American Treasure and the Price Revolution in Spain, Chapter XIII. H31.H33, v. 43
- Earl J. Hamilton, “Prices and Wages at Paris under John Law’s System,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. LI, (1936-1937), pp. 42-70. HB1.Q3
- Jacob Viner, Studies in the Theory of International Trade, Chapters III-V HF1007.V75
- N. J. Silberling, “Financial and Monetary Policy of Great Britain during the Napoleonic Wars,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. XXXVIII (1923-24), pp. 214-33, 397-439. HB1.Q3, v.38
- Lloyd W. Mints, History of Banking Theory, Chapter IV. HG1586.M6
- Walter Bagehot, Lombard Street. HG3000.L82B3
- R. S. Sayers, “The Question of the Standard in the Eighteen-Fifties,” Economic History (a supplement to the Economic Journal), Vol. II, pp. 575-601. HB1.E31
- Rufus S. Tucker, “The Myth of 1849,” in C.O Hardy, Is There Enough Gold? Appendix A, pp. 177-199. HG289.H28.
- J. H. Clapham, The Bank of England, Vol. II, Chapters VI-VIII and Epilogue. HG2996.C6
- Knut Wicksell, “The Influence of the Rate of Interest on Prices,” Economic Journal, Vol. XVII (1907), pp. 213-220. YW16 (reprint)
- O. M. W. Sprague, Crises under the National Banking System, Washington, 1910, pp. 1-107. HB3743.S7
- John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, Book III, Chapter XII. HB171.M635, M636, M644, M653.
- Charles F. Dunbar (Revised and edited by O. M. W. Sprague), The Theory and History of Banking, Chapters VIII (“The English Banking System”), IX (“The French Banking System”), X (“The German Banking System”), XI (“The National Banks of the United States”). HG1586.D9
- J. M. Keynes, A Tract on Monetary Reform, Chapters I-II, IV-V. HG221.K4
- J. M. Keynes, A Treatise on Money, Vol. II, Chapter 30. HG221.K422.
There will be an hour examination on April 29, 1960 covering 1-18 and the lectures.
- Alfred Marshall, Money, Credit, and Commerce, Books II, IV, and Appendix A. HG221.M35
- J. M. Keynes, Essays in Persuasion, Part II, Chaps. 1 and 3; Part III, Chapter 5; Part V, Chapter 2. In the London, 1933 edition these chapters cover pages 77-79, 105-17, 244-70, 358-73. HC57.K471.
- D. H. Robertson, Essays in Monetary Theory, Chaps. I and XII. HB 171.R544.
- Fred H. Klopstock, “Monetary Reform in Western Germany,” Journal of Political Economy, August, 1949. HB1.J7, v. 57.
- J. M. Keynes, A Treatise on Money, Vol. II, Chaps. 35 and 37. HG221.K422
- Earl J. Hamilton, “Prices and Progress,” Journal of Economic History, XII (1952), pp. 325-49.
- J. M. Keynes, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Chapter 23. HB171.K46
- Official Papers by Alfred Marshall, pp. 3-16. HG171.M318.
- The Federal Reserve System: Purposes and Functions
- Rondo E. Cameron, “The Credit Mobilier and the Economic Development of Europe,” Journal of Political Economy, LXI (1953), pp. 461-88.
There will be a three-hour final examination (9:00-12:00) on May 27, 1960 covering all assignments and lectures.
Source: Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Earl J. Hamilton Papers. Box 2. Folder “Academic and Personal Correspondence 1950s-1970s; 1990; and n.d.”
Image Source: University of Chicago Photographic Archive, apf1-02446, Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.