Preface and acknowledgments to the second edition - Editorial

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, The,  Nov, 2003  by R.V. Andelson

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The first edition of this book was published in 1979, to coincide with the centenary of Progress and Poverty. It filled an obvious gap, and met with a gratifying reception. A quarter of a century has passed, and it is now out of print.

Rather than simply issue a reprint edition, the decision was made to expand and revise the work:

1. Because of the importance of John Bates Clark in spearheading the movement to collapse land into capital in economic theory, I decided that an entire chapter should be devoted to him, instead of his being covered, as in the first edition, in a combined chapter also devoted to Simon Nelson Patten. The new chapter is the work of Kris Feder, whose doctoral research focused on the land-capital issue.

2. The material on Patten was rewritten by its author, Charles Collier, to form a separate chapter of its own.

3. Mason Gaffney has contributed a chapter that addresses a well-placed pragmatic objection by Edwin Cannan.

4. The first edition did not contain a separate chapter on Frank Knight, because his critique of George consisted mainly of one relatively brief article; instead, he was covered in a chapter devoted mainly to Murray Rothbard. However, the influence of that article has been such that I came to believe that a chapter on Knight would be justified. * Happily, Nicolaus Tideman (who earned his Ph.D. at Knight's department at Chicago, although after the latter's retirement) and Florenz Plassmann agreed to write it.

5. In the first edition, Spencer Heath was also treated briefly in the chapter devoted primarily to Rothbard. Fred Foldvary, whose publications have been largely focused on the proprietary community concept of which Heath was a seminal exponent, has contributed a separate chapter on him.

6. Because he devoted more space to criticizing George than did any other academic economist since Clark, Rothbard, I came to realize, warranted a free-standing chapter of his own, However, I did not wish to impose the tedious burden of disentangling him from Knight and Heath upon the venerable author of the combined chapter, C. Lowell Harriss. Fortunately, I was able to prevail upon Harold Kyriazi, who had already come to grips with Rothbard's criticisms in his admirable little book, Libertarian Party at Sea on Land, to undertake it.

7. F.A. Hayek's objection to the Single Tax is expressed in a mere paragraph, yet it is subtle and original, and the prestige of his name makes it important. I became aware of this during the question period after a lecture I delivered in Zurich in 1993, and addressed it in an article that the American Journal of Economics and Sociology has kindly permitted me to reprint in this book. It may be viewed as a sort of mea culpa on my part, inasmuch as my treatment of Hayek's objection, in the concluding chapter of the first edition, was inaccurate, having been based upon a common but superficial reading of it.

8. Except for a few scattered references, one looks in vain for explicit mention of George and his ideas in the copious writings of Garrett Hardin. Yet his much-reprinted essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons," is widely interpreted as directed against Georgism. In "Commons Without Tragedy," title chapter of a book I edited in 1971, I demonstrate that Hardin has been misconstrued in this respect--a judgment with which Hardin himself agrees. It has been abridged for inclusion in the present edition.

9. Like Rothbard, the charismatic Robert LeFevre was a potent influence in the development of the libertarian movement. Damon Gross, himself a libertarian, examines his critique of Georgism.

10. Finally, Mary M. Cleveland looks at the treatment of George by Mark Blaug, a respected historian of economic thought whose most important work on the subject did not appear until after the publication of the first edition.

Needless to say, my concluding chapter has been revised to reflect some of the new material, as well as changes that have taken place over the past quarter century. It incorporates some passages from my Editor's Introduction to the third edition of Land-Value Taxation Around the World (the maiden volume in this series), which appeared in 2000.

This new edition, like the first, is not an anthology but rather the joint effort of a team assembled, assigned, cajoled, and coordinated by myself. Except for the passages just mentioned and four essays of my own that initially appeared elsewhere, all the chapters were expressly written either for this volume or for its predecessor.

My technological inadequacies would have proved insurmountable had it not been for the computer assistance of my kind friends, Alan Blackwood, Beverley Childress, Rod Jordan, and Tom Petee. I thank them for their generous contribution of time and knowledge. I also thank Steve Yates, without whose intelligent help the manuscript would not have met the publisher's deadline, and Laurence S. Moss, the series editor, who was understanding and supportive throughout. Pat Aller's extraordinary work in preparing the Index cannot be overpraised.