Martin Ricketts, a leading scholar in this field, has selected the seminal papers from a variety of traditions that illustrate the evolution of thinking on 'the firm' over a considerable period of time. The firm as a vehicle for entrepreneurial initiative and the exercise of business judgement is contrasted throughout with the firm as a policing mechanism in response to known contractual hazards. The selection is in three volumes that cover respectively the general theoretical background; the ownership and scope of the firm - its degree of vertical and transnational integration; and agency issues relating to employee incentives and the control of managers. This authoritative collection will provide a valuable reference, of interest to students, postgraduates and professional economists seeking an overview of the subject and its evolution.