“A fascinating, readable biography of Friedrich Hayek. . . The book punctures some long-standing myths about Hayek . . . [and] deserves a wide audience.”
The Economist
“An engrossing story . . . [and] as detailed an account of the first half of Hayek’s life as anyone could ask for.”
Literary Review
“A propulsive read. The authors are expert guides to Hayek’s intellectual evolution. . . . [but] they are also perceptive guides to Hayek’s private life. . . . Caldwell and Klausinger have triumphantly succeeded.”
Prospect
“No one is likely to repeat this feat. . . . This is the definitive Hayek for our times.”
Robert Skidelsky | Spectator
“The story, presented here with more detail than anyone has previously unfolded, is a simple and tragic one. . . . [Hayek’s] was a spectacular achievement, but one, in the end, that could not have been made by a gregarious man of deep friendships and profound personal commitments.”
Times Literary Supplement
"Anybody curious about [Hayek] is well served by the exhaustive account written by two historians of economic thought."
New Statesman
“A gloriously detailed and thoroughly reliable account of the first half of Hayek’s life.”
London Review of Books
"The first volume of what will surely be the definitive biography of Friedrich von Hayek. . . a deeply impressive work."
Project Syndicate
"In mind-stunning detail . . . Caldwell and Klausinger tell everything about Hayek's youth you wanted to know but were afraid to ask."
Deirdre Nansen McCloskey | Reason Magazine
"The Hayek who emerges from this text is somewhat of a charming loner who maintained distance between himself and all but a small number of individuals . . . The fullness of Caldwell and Klausinger’s picture of Hayek’s life and ideas owes much to their comprehensive study of primary sources."
Law & Liberty
"Much has been written about Hayek’s work, but Hayek: A Life, 1899-1950 by Bruce Caldwell and Hansjoerg Klausinger stands as the definitive intellectual biography of Hayek."
History of Economic Ideas
"The biography excels in the way it embeds Hayek in his familial and social setting, and it demonstrates the extent to which his work was shaped, mainly in critical response, to the major intellectual developments of his age. Caldwell and Klausinger tell the story by providing a rich context of Hayek’s intellectual endeavors, first in Vienna and subsequently in London."
Independent Review
"One of the best biographies of any economist, covers anything you might wish to know, and with conceptual understanding. This is a fantastic book."
Marginal Revolution
"Caldwell and Klausinger have created an authoritative and superbly researched biography about one of the greatest intellectuals of the twentieth century . . . Based on tireless archival work, the authors have painstakingly assembled innumerable existing details regarding Hayek’s life and scientific work from an astonishing array of sources in order to create a coherent picture of one of the most complex and intriguing social scientists. This makes the book a thoughtful work and one of the finest biographies of economists."
Journal of the History of Economic Thought
“A magnificent achievement. Caldwell and Klausinger bring Hayek alive; they also bring his world alive. This is riveting reading, taken as biography, and it’s much more than that. It casts a bright new light on Hayek’s era, and on our own.”
Cass R. Sunstein, coauthor of 'Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness'
“Hayek: A Life, 1899–1950 is a triumph of both scholarship and biography. Caldwell and Klausinger have given us an instant classic, sure to stimulate and enrich debates about this most controversial, and still misunderstood, economist and social philosopher.”
Joel Isaac, author of 'Working Knowledge: Making the Human Sciences from Parsons to Kuhn'
"Admirers and opponents of Hayek alike will find much to savor in this deeply researched, sweeping biography. Even readers who well know Hayek and his times will be enlightened and enriched."
Jennifer Burns, author of 'Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right'
“Hayek: A Life, 1899–1950 is brilliant, comprehensive, and engaging. For any historian, social scientist, or philosopher interested in how ideas shaped the twentieth century and how the events of the twentieth century framed intellectual discourse, this is a must-read."
Peter Boettke, author of 'Living Economics: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow'
“By far the most careful and comprehensive treatment of his early life and works, Hayek: A Life, 1899–1950 is an invaluable resource, full of remarkable discoveries.”
Angus Burgin, author of 'The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free Markets since the Depression'
A 2022 Notable Book
Seminary Co-Op
"Excellently researched . . . this biography offers exciting insights.”
Der Standard (Austria)
"As the authors state, they intended this to be the definitive biography and they have achieved this ambition."
The Enlightened Economist
"This is without any doubt an out-standing biography that should become the go-to account of Hayek’s life as an economist."
Business Economics
"A profound and trustworthy biography.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“A monumental biography.”
Future of Freedom Foundation
"This book is in every sense a monumental undertaking, for which we should be profoundly grateful."
The Critic
"This first volume of a monumental recounting of his life and thought will contribute to establishing [Hayek] firmly as one of the principal economists of the twentieth century."
Economic Affairs
“A fascinating hybrid between personal and intellectual biography . . . the biography is a major publishing event for everyone interested in Hayek’s intellectual development . . . We can now contemplate more deeply and with greater confidence the question as to what made Hayek a prominent economist, indeed one of the most accomplished and lauded economists of the twentieth century.”
History of Economics Review
"This biography contains wonderful material for understanding both the strengths and the limits of Hayek’s thought as it developed up to 1950. It is a major contribution to Hayek studies."
The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought
"This biography is remarkably comprehensive, and is of first-rate quality. It is, for such a scholarly work, surprisingly readable, and should be a key port of call for all students interested in Hayek’s work. Just because of the complexity of Hayek’s work, and the way in which ideas in different fields are interconnected, this study seems to me equally important for those who are sympathetic towards Hayek, as well as those who wish to make effective criticisms."
Jeremy Shearmur | Society
"Hayek: A Life is crucial read for understanding liberal economic thought in the twentieth-century and how it influenced much of the economic thinking of Cold War era conservatism and capitalism, the politics of freedom and anti-communism, and continues to be an alluring alternative to the soft centralism and managerialism of new establishment erected in the aftermath of the Cold War and War on Terror."
VoegelinView
"Vastly superior to the scores of books and pamphlets on Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, and the other heroes of Mont Pelerin that have been churned out by think tank men and bow tied libertarians for some decades. At times the authors do take on a mildly critical approach to their subject, and the amount of detail they have dug up is impressive. If you are interested in both facts and speculations about Hayek’s personal life—for instance his already mentioned divorce—this is the book for you. The volume covers much more interesting topics as well, and often does a good job at explaining the contexts within which Hayek lived, worked, and thought. . . Caldwell and Klausinger do excel at showing how political ideas come from a specific time and place and are directed toward specific contemporary debates."
Journal of Economic Literature
"Thoroughly researched. . . Hayek: A Life, 1899-1950 is a monumental and sympathetic biography of Friedrich Hayek. It is very well written, very clear and well structured. . . . and shows great scholarship."
History of Economic Thought and Policy
