----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- Larry Moss raises the interesting issue of authorial attribution when a book "evolves" through a succession of authors and co-authors. I agree with him that there is indeed an ethical issue involved in deleting original authors and retaining only the latest author or co-authors, and I look for guidance from other responses to Larry's query. The book that Larry refers to at the beginning of his message is "Evolution of Economic Thought" by Stanley L. Brue (not Bruce), which in the year 2000 came out in its sixth (not fifth) edition. It is a text that I have enjoyed using for some years. At the beginning of the section on "Acknowledgments" in its Preface, Brue states: "Longtime admirers of this textbook will recognize Jacob Oser's legacy within it. Although Professor Oser was not alive to participate in the past three editions, it retains the features, style, and, in many places, the actual words of the early editions. It has been an honor for me to carry on Professor Oser's work over the past 12 years." I have found no mention of "good reasons" by the publisher for dropping Oser's name. A possibly good reason for doing this, both in this case and others mentioned by Larry, is that the revisions made in the latest edition go beyond what one of the original authors (Oser) would have approved of, or would have wanted to be associated with. To that extent, and especially after the death of the original author, it seems to me justified to omit his or her name, as long as his or her influence is acknowledged as Brue did in this case. An even more extreme example of changes in authors is the popular text on "International Economics" that Charles Kindleberger published in 1953, and that I remember from my graduate school days. At one point Peter Lindert became his co-author. Subsequent editions showed Lindert as the sole author, then Lindert and Thomas Pugel became co-authors, and now, in its 12th edition, Pugel is the sole author. In the Preface, Pugel states: "We are all very happy that the book reaches its golden anniversary with this edition. I also enjoy the mirth of a literary improbability -- I am the author of a book that was first published in the year I was born". Perhaps this practice is more appropriate for textbooks than for scholarly books, as long as the readers are made aware of all previous authors. Andrea Maneschi ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]