Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Hayek, Friedrich A. von (Friedrich August), 1899-1992
- Abstract:
- Friedrich A. von Hayek, economist and Nobel Laureate. Collection includes diaries, correspondence, speeches and writings, notes, conference papers, conference programs, printed matter, sound recordings, photographs, and digital word processing files relating to laissez-faire economics and associated concepts of liberty, and especially to activities of the Mont Pèlerin Society.
- Extent:
- 172 manuscript boxes, 14 oversize boxes, 26 card file boxes, 2 folio boxes, 2 trays, 6 oversize folders, 3 sound cassettes, 1395 digital files (.001 GB) (90.8 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- In English and German
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Friedrich A. von Hayek papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
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The original accession of papers donated during the lifetime of Friedrich A. von Hayek, relates to laissez-faire economics and associated concepts of liberty, and especially to activities of the Mont Pèlerin Society as documented in diaries, correspondence, speeches and writings, notes, conference papers, conference programs, printed matter, sound recordings, and photographs. Materials of the same time periods may also be found in the Incremental Materials.
The incremental materials of the Friedrich A. von Hayek papers constitute a significant part of the collection. The materials were received after Hayek's death from his family and his longtime secretary, Charlotte Cubitt. Consisting largely of correspondence, speeches and writings, photographs, notes, and digital word processing files, they document Hayek's career as an economist and his larger role as a public intellectual advocating free market principles and denouncing state intervention in matters of economic and social policy. The materials provide insight into the development of Hayek's thought as a leading figure of the Austrian School of Economics, and they also record the influence of his ideas on the political debates of his time, especially in the United States and Great Britain.
The Correspondence series includes exchanges of letters with fellow economists, publishers, and individuals active in the institutions with which Hayek was associated. Among the latter are colleagues and officials at the universities (London School of Economics, University of Chicago) where Hayek taught, as well as fellow members of the Mont Pèlerin Society, an organization founded by Hayek and in which he played a leading role for many years. The series contains Hayek's correspondence with economists associated with the Institute of Economic Affairs (Ralph Harris and Arthur Seldon, among others) and British politicians influenced by his ideas, including Margaret Thatcher. There is also extensive correspondence between Hayek and William W. Bartley, the editor of his final book, The Fatal Conceit. The incremental materials also includes a separate correspondence series relating to Charlotte Cubitt, which dates from the last period of Hayek's life when he was in declining health. The fourth increment includes correspondence among the Hayek family. The fifth increment contains a small amount of correspondence, primarily congratulations on Hayek's 92nd birthday and condolences to his family on his death, including condolences from President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush. Also of note is extensive correspondence with publishers regarding Hayek's works, notably The Road to Serfdom and The Fatal Conceit.
The Speeches and Writings series spans nearly the whole of Hayek's prolific career as an author. It includes early articles and book reviews, unpublished manuscripts on economics and psychology, and various prefaces and introductions prepared for foreign editions of his books. There are a number of speeches, as well as letters written to the editor of The Times of London. The series also contain drafts of such major works as The Road to Serfdom, the three volumes that comprise Law, Legislation and Liberty, and Hayek's final book, The Fatal Conceit. There are multiple versions of chapters of The Fatal Conceit, showing Hayek's corrections and revisions, and allowing for a comparison of Hayek's original conception of the work with its ultimate published form, whose extensive editing has been the subject of some controversy. The fifth increment includes drafts and notes of Hayek's lectures and monographs. Of note are drafts of Law, Legislation, and Liberty and an early draft of The Fatal Conceit. Also includes annotated copies of his works.
Additionally, the Reviews of Works By and About Hayek series documents commentary on many of Hayek's published works. There is an abundance of reviews of The Road to Serfdom, most dating from the time of its original publication, but also some relating to subsequent editions, including translations. These articles show the success that the book achieved with the general public as well as demonstrating its impact on editorial and scholarly opinion at the time.
There is a significant amount of documentation on Hayek's personal and professional lives in the Biographical File series. It contains many articles and clippings relating to Hayek, as well as some autobiographical writings, including a travel journal kept during a trip to France and Italy. In addition, there is a lengthy oral history consisting of extensive interviews with Hayek that were conducted by scholars under the auspices of the University of California at Los Angeles. The fifth increment contains significant materials documenting Hayek's military service during World War I, legal documents, and an extensive clipping file documenting Hayek as a public figure. There are also many clippings and other articles about Hayek in the Scrapbooks series, as well as invitations, conference programs, and correspondence.
The large Notes series is comprised largely of notebooks, containing Hayek's notes on specific subjects, and a vast quantity of note cards, some of which relate to the writing of The Fatal Conceit and Law, Legislation, and Liberty. There are also many unsorted note cards pertaining largely to economics and philosophy, and whose diverse topics are indicative of the scope of Hayek's intellectual interests. The fifth increment also contains an extensive file of notecards, primarily documenting books read by Hayek and notes on psychology that contributed to The Sensory Order.
The Mont Pèlerin Society File series documents the founding of the society and many of its meetings. The series includes articles of incorporation, bibliographies, brochures, bylaws, circulars, correspondence, directories, financial reports, minutes, notes, programs. The Academic Career File series contains lectures given by Hayek in his capacity as a professor of economics, including his earliest lectures in Great Britain. The Writings by Others series consists largely of articles, many of which touch on themes in Hayek's work. Also includes works submitted to Hayek for comment or review.
The Photographs series consists of numerous prints depicting Hayek, including ones relating to meetings of the Mont Pèlerin Society. The series also contains prints, albums, and negatives depicting the Hayek family, trips to the Alps, Hayek's military service in World War I (primarily in Italy), portraits of prominent economists, and photographs taken at conferences and meetings of the Mont Pèlerin Society. Of note is a small album depicting Austrian flora, dating from 1915-1919.
The Subject File provides insight into Hayek's wide range of interests, including bibliographies, brochures, bylaws, clippings, correspondence, curricula vitae, letters of recommendation, lists, minutes, memoranda, newsletters, newspaper issues, obituaries, outlines, press releases, programs, proposals, reports, and studies, arranged alphabetically by subject.
The Miscellany series consists of programs, maps, and memorabilia. It includes a file of theater and concert programs documenting Hayek's love of theater and classical music, and maps documenting his hiking trips in the Alps as well as his military service in World War I. Other significant items include medals and a tablecloth related to the Mont Pèlerin Society, Hayek's dogtags and military service medals, and a gold coin with a profile of Hayek and the text "Denationalization of Money" on one side and "For Integrity there is no Substitute" on the other.
- Biographical / historical:
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Date Event 1899 May 8 Born, Vienna, Austria1921 Dr. jur., Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria1923 Dr. rer. pol., Universität Wien1927-1931 Director, Österreichisches Institut für Konjunkturforschung (Austrian Institute for Economic Research)1929 Habilitation, Universität WienAuthor, Monetary Theory and the Trade Cycle1929-1931 Lecturer in Economics, Universität Wien1931 Author, Prices and Production1931-1932 Guest Professor, University of London, England1932-1950 Tooke Professor of Economic Science and Statistics, University of London, England1935 Author, Collectivist Economic Planning1937 Author, Monetary Nationalism and International Stability1938 Naturalized British subject1939 Author, Profits, Interest and Investment1940 D. Sc. (Economics), University of London, England1941 Author, The Pure Theory of Capital1944 Author, The Road to Serfdom1947-1962 President, Mont Pèlerin Society1948 Author, Individualism and Economic Order1950 Visiting Professor of Finance, University of Arkansas1950-1962 Professor of Social and Moral Science, University of Chicago1951 Author, John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor: Their Friendship and Subsequent Marriage1952 Author, The Sensory OrderAuthor, The Counter-Revolution of Science: Studies on the Abuse of Reason1952-1953 Lecturer on Political Economy, Harvard University1955 Author, The Political Ideal of the Rule of Law1960 Author, The Constitution of Liberty1962-1968 Professor of Economic Policy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg i. Breisgau, Germany1967 Author, Studies in Philosophy, Politics and Economics1968-1969 Visiting Flint Professor, University of California, Los Angeles1969-1974 Guest Professor, Universität Salzburg, Austria1973, 1976, 1979 Author, Law, Legislation and Liberty: A New Statement of the Liberal Principles of Justice and Political Economy (3 volumes)1974 Joint Nobel Prize in Economics (with Gunnar Myrdal)1977 Appointed as Honorary Fellow, Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace1978 Author, New Studies in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and the History of Ideas1984 Author, Money, Capital and Fluctuations1988 Author, The Fatal Conceit1992 Died - Processing information:
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This finding aid is currently undergoing revision while the collection is being digitized. As a result, there may be delays in serving collection materials in the reading room, as well discrepancies between the materials described and their respective boxes and/or folders. If you are interested in accessing this collection, please contact us for the most up-to-date description.
- Arrangement:
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The Hoover Institution Library & Archives first received the Friedrich A. von Hayek papers as a donation during Hayek's lifetime, and subsequently received incremental components after Hayek's death that were added to the collection. These increments have been maintained as identifiable units within the collection through the use of Roman numerals, but have been intellectually grouped together under the collection's overarching series to support discovery and research.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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Users must sign use agreement. Boxes 176-177 and Box 200 closed; Boxes 178, 180, 205-206, 209, 211-213 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
This finding aid is currently undergoing revision while the collection is being digitized. As a result, there may be delays in serving collection materials in the reading room, as well discrepancies between the materials described and their respective boxes and/or folders. If you are interested in accessing this collection, please contact us for the most up-to-date description.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Friedrich A. von Hayek papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
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Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563