What do you think?
Rate this book
Economics for Helen
This classic introduction to the basics of economic theory offers a constructive approach to economic education by defining terms and introducing key concepts without using insider jargon and complex theories. The fundamental questions about why the economy fluctuates and how small farmers, small business people, families, consumers, and innovators are affected by these fluctuations are considered. Serious alternatives to modern economic theories are explained, with attention to the realities that have been largely unchanged through the last century.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
8 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Hilaire Belloc
720 books400 followersPeople considered Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc, French-born British writer, as a master of light English prose and also knew widely his droll verse, especially
The Bad Child's Book of Beasts
in 1896.
Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.
Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.
In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.
Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.
Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.
Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.
In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.
Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 14, 2023
VERY good book for the beginner learning economics, especially high school level learners who need something uncomplicated (and not textbook-like). This is an easy enough read, with assistive examples (some of them dated and very British, but still helpful) and a short page-count, nice when you have a lot of other, thicker textbooks to read.
Hilaire Belloc really is good at simplifying these complex economic principles and making them easy and accessible to the common man. In fact, that might be what Belloc meant by "Helen," meaning generally the common man. Although the name Helen doesn't make much sense to describe the regular person...but who knows what he meant, those British are strange (I kid).
Whether he was writing this for Helen his wife, Helen his daughter, or for all of England, the student of economics today can greatly benefit from his words on the different subtopics of this subject.
Also it was VERY useful having a really great teacher who didn't make Belloc's words any more complex than they were (but rather explained them even more), and a conversational, fun (and slightly crazy) online classroom of fellow students who were open-minded in discussion, thoughtful in their comments, and only distracting and off-topic fifty percent of the time.
I think five stars is fitting for this older, yet thorough book on economics.
October 9, 2012
This book is more about ethics/morality than economics. In fact, it has nothing to do with economics. It is essentially a religious primer.
February 28, 2013
excellent primer on common sense economics from a distributist perspective.
March 27, 2023
An excellent short intro to economics from an earlier time. One the one hand, the datedness of the book is amusing, as when Belloc notes that socialism/communism has never been attempted. On the other hand, the age of the book is a great asset, as Belloc is unequivocal in his condemnations of usury and debasing currency through inflating money supply, disconnection from precious metal standards, etc. Basically, the sacred and essential pillars of modern economics come in for a well-deserved beating. Would be great to use as intro text for middle or high schoolers, especially if the example scenarios given could be updated into more familiar contexts and currency values.
August 8, 2015
The following review is a shortened version of one appear at my blog devoted to things Bellocian …
http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2013/...
Much of the writing that occupies Economics for Helen is hardly original thinking – but it is inspired writing.
Let me explain.
Hilaire Belloc was prolific – very prolific, chalking up over 150 books in his lifetime. It is hardly surprising that not everyone of them achieved the same standard. Indeed, Belloc referred to much of his writing as ‘detestable hackwork’, churned out simply to make a living.
No doubt he was being too harsh on those volumes. Many people praise them highly indeed.
Still, Belloc’s self-condemnation reveals something important – that beyond his so-called hackwork, there was a core of books where Belloc cared – evidently very deeply – about what he wrote. He did not write to stave off the wolf at his door – he wrote for love.
Indeed, one could say – he wrote for love of humanity.
Economics for Helen clearly belongs to this heartfelt core of books, written purely for his ideals.
And this is what makes Economics for Helen beautiful – even though, again, much of its contents is indeed common, not original. For here Belloc has aspired to give the layman a primer in economics.
He therefore is simply laying out ideas one might easily find in a hundred other economic textbooks. He explains then, very basic ideas – such as what land, labor and capital really mean. Or what things like the margin of production or economic rent are.
Even if much of the content is not innovative, then, nonetheless the _way_ Belloc treats that content is rich and rewarding. He cared to give the layman a clear, concrete understanding of terms that are all-too-often drowned in abstractions.
And he cared because he saw that economic science was essentially amoral. In itself, it was neither good, nor bad.
But because it could be used by immoral people to cause suffering – on an immense, terrible scale – it was necessary, therefore, that moral people understand and work with economics.
And so Belloc undertakes to educate the layman about the very basics of economics.
He has educated me. Moreover, he has fed my soul in the process.
I must only add that not all the book is like I said. For given the crying need to inject morality into economics, Belloc does exactly that at various turns.
Here the book moves away, then, from its stated goal of a layman’s introduction and begins to explain the moral philosophy behind Distributism (Belloc’s search for a third way beyond Capitalism and Socialism, wherein wealth would be distributed as widely and morally as possible).
For example, Belloc takes pains to explain why Usury – as interest on an unproductive loan – is a moral monstrosity (whereas interest on a productive loan is something entirely different).
He explains then, if I have oil in the ground, but need funds to recover it, there is no moral reason why the bank should not also profit from my oil extraction. This is because both the bank and myself are _producing_ wealth – turning raw material into something human beings can actually use.
This, then, is a productive loan. But Belloc clarifies why so much bank lending is unproductive and therefore immoral, indeed savage.
Belloc wrote this book around 1923. Today, our economics would seem further removed from his moral vision than ever. His Distributism would seem all-but-impossible.
Yet this is no excuse to surrender a moral vision or to stop thinking morally about economics. This book very much deserves to be read today. Which is why I post this here and blog regularly about the great Belloc ...
We shall only add that this IHS Press edition beautifully supplements Belloc’s original text in some fine ways. There are several very helpful prefaces from the directors at IHS Press as well as Alberto Piedra and Edward A. Mc Phail. The book also features beautiful old illustrations, richly evocative of the rural and traditional life Belloc sought to preserve.
One can find other editions of Economics for Helen – but I particularly recommend this edition from IHS Press for the evident love with which they have sought to re-present Belloc to the world.
http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2013/...
Much of the writing that occupies Economics for Helen is hardly original thinking – but it is inspired writing.
Let me explain.
Hilaire Belloc was prolific – very prolific, chalking up over 150 books in his lifetime. It is hardly surprising that not everyone of them achieved the same standard. Indeed, Belloc referred to much of his writing as ‘detestable hackwork’, churned out simply to make a living.
No doubt he was being too harsh on those volumes. Many people praise them highly indeed.
Still, Belloc’s self-condemnation reveals something important – that beyond his so-called hackwork, there was a core of books where Belloc cared – evidently very deeply – about what he wrote. He did not write to stave off the wolf at his door – he wrote for love.
Indeed, one could say – he wrote for love of humanity.
Economics for Helen clearly belongs to this heartfelt core of books, written purely for his ideals.
And this is what makes Economics for Helen beautiful – even though, again, much of its contents is indeed common, not original. For here Belloc has aspired to give the layman a primer in economics.
He therefore is simply laying out ideas one might easily find in a hundred other economic textbooks. He explains then, very basic ideas – such as what land, labor and capital really mean. Or what things like the margin of production or economic rent are.
Even if much of the content is not innovative, then, nonetheless the _way_ Belloc treats that content is rich and rewarding. He cared to give the layman a clear, concrete understanding of terms that are all-too-often drowned in abstractions.
And he cared because he saw that economic science was essentially amoral. In itself, it was neither good, nor bad.
But because it could be used by immoral people to cause suffering – on an immense, terrible scale – it was necessary, therefore, that moral people understand and work with economics.
And so Belloc undertakes to educate the layman about the very basics of economics.
He has educated me. Moreover, he has fed my soul in the process.
I must only add that not all the book is like I said. For given the crying need to inject morality into economics, Belloc does exactly that at various turns.
Here the book moves away, then, from its stated goal of a layman’s introduction and begins to explain the moral philosophy behind Distributism (Belloc’s search for a third way beyond Capitalism and Socialism, wherein wealth would be distributed as widely and morally as possible).
For example, Belloc takes pains to explain why Usury – as interest on an unproductive loan – is a moral monstrosity (whereas interest on a productive loan is something entirely different).
He explains then, if I have oil in the ground, but need funds to recover it, there is no moral reason why the bank should not also profit from my oil extraction. This is because both the bank and myself are _producing_ wealth – turning raw material into something human beings can actually use.
This, then, is a productive loan. But Belloc clarifies why so much bank lending is unproductive and therefore immoral, indeed savage.
Belloc wrote this book around 1923. Today, our economics would seem further removed from his moral vision than ever. His Distributism would seem all-but-impossible.
Yet this is no excuse to surrender a moral vision or to stop thinking morally about economics. This book very much deserves to be read today. Which is why I post this here and blog regularly about the great Belloc ...
We shall only add that this IHS Press edition beautifully supplements Belloc’s original text in some fine ways. There are several very helpful prefaces from the directors at IHS Press as well as Alberto Piedra and Edward A. Mc Phail. The book also features beautiful old illustrations, richly evocative of the rural and traditional life Belloc sought to preserve.
One can find other editions of Economics for Helen – but I particularly recommend this edition from IHS Press for the evident love with which they have sought to re-present Belloc to the world.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews