Economics and Finance Collection Guide

The initial selection of books on political economy for the Library in the 1840s fell to John Stuart Mill. William Baker provided a brief outline of Mill’s work as a selector in The Early History of the London Library, 1992. Today the subject ‘economics’ is covered at The London Library by a variety of shelfmarks in the monograph collection and by a number of periodicals both defunct and current. However, country-specific economic history works are shelved in the History sections, e.g. H. England, Social & Economic, H. France, Social & Economic. The collection has a strong 19th century base but some shelfmarks, notably S. Trade, have a good 18th century core. There is a good smattering of European languages, particularly in the early period. We continue to collect actively in economic and business history and in most of the special subject sections when relevant books appear.

Founded in 1841, the Library’s collection has grown each year and we hold titles from the late 18th century onwards on the open shelves.  As a result, our collection reflects the evolution and changes in thinking in a particular subject and does mean that you may come across titles which contain ideas and vocabulary that would be considered abhorrent today. The collection continues to grow with some 5,000 new titles being added each year. As we develop the collection, we seek to ensure that the controversial topics of today are represented from all sides of a debate.