Theorist, practitioner, educator and arguably the father of professional economics, Alfred Marshall's life and career have long required a full scale biography to put his work into context and reveal the extent of his influence.Peter Groenewegen's outstanding new book places the major features of Marshall's life and work within the rich institutional setting of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain. This biography sheds new light on Marshall's decision to study economics - after dropping mathematics, philosophy and psychology in turn - and the background to his important books, including the Principles of Economics, as well as his government advice over three decades. More than just the life of a major economist, it also deals with economics and mathematics education at Cambridge, contemporary controversies over socialism, imperialism, free trade, eugenics, religious belief, social welfare and the women's movement.

As the first biography of Alfred Marshall, A Soaring Eagle contributes to the history of economics, the social sciences and education while also offering a series of insights into Victorian and Edwardian society.