This biography of early 20th-century economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen. It examines his unrelenting criticism of the conspicuous consumption and waste of American business culture and his reputation as an eccentric and womanizer.

A definitive biography of the man who coined the expression "conspicuous consumption". Based on newly released archival sources, this book sets the facts straight on more than 60 years of myths and misinformation concerning the highly regarded economist and sociologist.