The Disenchantment at the United Nations

While he was in Mexico, the first proofs arrived in New York of Kalecki’s new book, Theory of Economic Dynamics. The book arose from an enquiry in May 1948 by Kalecki to his publisher, George Allen and Unwin as to ‘whether there is any chance of your reprinting ESSAYS IN THE THEORY OF ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS and STUDIES IN ECONOMIC DYNAMICS in the near future. As a matter of fact I have had many enquiries on the subject. If your paper quota does not permit it, perhaps it would be possible to make an arrangement with another firm. (As far as I recall a book of Mrs. Robinson published initially by Macmillan has been now reprinted by Blackwell.)’ Allen and Unwin eventually wrote back to say that they might consider a reprint, but that the small number of orders made it difficult to give priority to the book of essays, and would Kalecki consider perhaps an entirely new book, and not essays, which are difficult to sell, but ‘a single connected whole.’ Kalecki wrote back on 2 August 1948, ‘I have no intention to replace my Essays in Economic Fluctuations by an entirely new book.’ He asked Allen and Unwin to consider ‘my negotiating the reprint of my books with another British firm and possibly with an American firm with regard to the U.S. market.’ This evoked a response from the publisher to the effect that new orders had been received, and supply conditions had improved (‘due to the general falling off in the sale of books.’) By the end of October 1948, Kalecki had started work ‘on the preparation of corrections for the new edition of my Essays in Economic Fluctuations, and I shall send them to you as soon as I have them ready. In the main the corrections amount to replacing the statistical data not so much by bringing them up to date as by using new estimates that have been made available since 1939.’