The Affluent Society

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1958. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. 8vo. [9], x-xii, [3], 2-368, [2] pp. Orange cloth with silver lettering on the front board and spine. ANB, Alexander J. Field, "Galbraith, John Kenneth". The Affluent Society is Galbraith's best-known book. It builds on one of his early publications, titled American Capitalism. In The Affluent Society, Galbraith describes what was then the American economy: an economy which prioritized the production of consumer and military products by the private sector. Galbraith also discusses the advertising industry, a tool which he saw as increasing consumer wants for such products. He also elaborates on the credit system, which helped corporations increase and manage the volume of their sales. Ultimately, this economy increased consumerism, but reduced the ability of the household to save extra income. The author laments the U.S. Government of the post-war era, as he saw them preoccupied with military expenditures rather than investment in schools, arts, and public services. Galbraith's books are accessible to educated readers, not just economists. His poignant insight into the American economy made him one of the most important intellectual figures of the twentieth century. He was an economic advisor to every Democratic President from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton. A Keynesian, Galbraith argued against tax cuts, and believed that a government should invest in its citizens' infrastructure, health, art, and even in research and development for new and helpful technologies. His opponents often referred to his views as radical, but he is largely remembered as a progressive economist who acutely understood the institution that is the American private sector. A Near Fine book with a small concavity to the crown of the spine; jacket is price-clipped with a few hints of edge wear and rubbing.