"Few historians have such a thorough understanding of the development of American capitalism. The extensive knowledge and critical perspective that emerge from these writings will provide a unique and indispensable contribution to the debate. The book is one of a kind."-- Francesco Boldizzoni, Norwegian University of Science and Technology "Levy has an admirable ability to distill difficult economic theories to their essence, evaluate their usefulness, and then find historical applications. He does not simply point out shortcomings. Instead, he resuscitates ideas, concepts, and theories from the past that were lost on the cutting-room floor as neoclassical economics was formalized. This book will serve as an inspiration and guide to those who seek to develop new categories and theoretical frameworks designed to grapple with the 'real economy.'"-- Carl Wennerlind, Barnard College "The Real Economy poses deep, difficult questions, for economists, historians, and everyone interested in the risky, uncertain economy of modern times--and illuminates all of them, in a brilliant array of historical investigation.

"-- Emma Rothschild, author of Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment "Contemporary economics is not about the economy but about methodologies that sketch a highly incomplete picture of the economy. In this brilliant set of essays, Levy develops a counternarrative that draws on big names in economic thought, including Thorstein Veblen and John Maynard Keynes, and explores themes that are rarely touched by mainstream economists, such as uncertainty, money, and the separation of corporations into for-profits and nonprofits. A must-read for anybody in search of the real economy."-- Katharina Pistor, author of The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality "With dazzling erudition, Jonathan Levy takes readers on an expansive tour of the elusive terrain we call the 'economy.' Levy's creative reading of Keynes's General Theory through Freud is by itself worth the price of admission. An important contribution."-- Greta R. Krippner, University of Michigan "Few thinkers in recent years have bridged the fields of history and economics more creatively than Jonathan Levy.

The Real Economy is a brilliant book: it is at once a foundational look at the concept of 'the economy,' and a trenchant history of economic change and economic policy in the twentieth century. I learned something new on every page."-- Sunil Amrith, author of The Burning Earth: A History.