This unique work combines an authoritative account of Veblen's life with a thoughtful appraisal of his interdisciplinary analysis of the origins, nature, and persistence of industrial capitalism. The book goes beyond the myth of Veblen's alleged marginality, and advances an original interpretation of his life's work, with special reference to his ethnicity and to evolutionism, respectively. In the process, the author considers the intellectual sources and impact of Veblen's critical social thought, and its continued relevance to understanding the economic and cultural dimensions of global capitalism.