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Economics » Economic History

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations by David S Landes
Buy now

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations

by David S Landes

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (1998) was written by Harvard economics and history professor David Landes (1924-2013). An unlikely bestseller that took on Adam Smith’s key question—why some nations are rich and others poor—it’s also a great read. See what our experts have said about this book and why it’s so important below:

Recommendations from our site

“Another huge historical sweep on economic development and, perhaps controversially, this time more a view of why the West has been particularly successful and other countries have not.” Read more...

The best books on Globalisation

Stephen D King, Economist

“Landes argues, for example, that the most significant invention of the last 800 years was the mechanical clock, because until you…can reliably subdivide time, you can’t have capitalism” Read more...

The best books on Negotiating the Digital Age

Nick Harkaway, Novelist

“It’s the most erudite examination of what causes economic development and growth that’s been written in many decades.” Read more...

The best books on Understanding the Burmese Economy

Sean Turnell, Economist

“The Wealth And Poverty of Nations is one of several really fantastic economic history books of recent times.” Read more...

The best books on Economics

Diane Coyle, Economist

“He provides an explanation for why Western Europe was the cradle for modern economic growth and looks at the development of the institutions that made modern economic development possible.” Read more...

The best books on Economics in the Real World

John Kay, Economist

Other books by David S Landes

The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present by David S Landes

The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present
by David S Landes

Our most recommended books

  • A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
    by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman

  • How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth
    by Jared Rubin & Mark Koyama

  • The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy
    by Kenneth Pomeranz

  • The Passions and the Interests
    by Albert Hirschman

  • The Great Depression in the United States from a Neoclassical Perspective
    by Harold Cole and Lee Ohanian

  • Red Plenty
    by Francis Spufford

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