“TO FORESEE THE FUTURE INTELLIGENTLY IN REGARD TO SUPPLY AND DEMAND, PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION…”

BENNER, Samuel. Benner's Prophecies or Future Ups and Downs in Prices. Cincinnati: Published by the Author, 1876. 16mo, full pictorial brown cloth gilt recased. $2000.

First edition of Benner’s guide to speculation in hogs, corn and other commodities.

Prosperous farmer Samuel Benner suffered financial devastation as a result not only of the panic of 1873 but also a hog cholera epidemic. He spent his involuntary retirement determining the causes and timing of economic fluctuations. In this work, he published a number of charts presenting price cycles for various commodities, among them pig iron, cotton, corn and hogs. Astonishingly, Benner's predictions proved preternaturally accurate; E.R. Dewey, Director of the Foundation for the Study of Cycles, remarked that Benner's pig iron price forecast, for instance, was "the most notable forecast of prices in existence." For most of the 20th century, Benner's models successfully predicted the United States' major downturns and crises. While Benner himself believed his cycles were divinely inspired, of particular interest to market theorists and Elliot Wave followers is the relationship of Benner's cycles to Fibonacci numbers and the Krondatieff cycle.

Interior lightly soiled. Text block expertly recased, restoration to spine ends. Light rubbing to cloth. A very good copy.