Bidspirit auction | David A. Wells, Recent Economic

David A. Wells, Recent Economic Changes: And Their Effect on The Production and Distribution of Wealth and the Well-Being of Society, 1897 - Recent Economic Changes: And Their Effect on The Production and Distribution of Wealth and the Well-Being of Society by David A. Wells. Published by D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1897. Copyrighted 1889.   This hardcover book has a decorative covering that looks original to print. The corners of the front and back covers are frayed, but the spine is in good condition. The binding and the back cover of the book are separated and will need repair, but the book holds together when handled. All pages appear to be present with some minor ripping and tearing of pages throughout the book. The edges of the pages show signs of use but can be turned and handled normally. It measures H 8 W 5.5 D 1.25 inches.  David Ames Wells (American, 1828 - 1898) was a popular American writer on science and economics who, as chairman of the National Revenue Commission, helped to create the U.S. Bureau of Statistics and to establish an empirical basis for taxation in the United States. Wells’s most important economic works include Recent Economic Changes (1889 which demonstrated his ability as an empirical investigator. Wells was also one of the highest-paid economists of his era. He earned $10,000 annually (20 times the average annual family income of the time) as a member of the Board of Arbitrators, a private board that heard disputes between railroad firms servicing an area from Chicago to the Eastern seaboard.