Wealth And Poverty Of Nations [Hardcover]

Professor David S. Landes takes an historic approach to the analysis of the distribution of wealth in this landmark study of world economics. Landes argues that the key to today's disparity between the rich and poor nations of the world stems directly from the Industrial Revolution, in which some countries made the leap to industrialisation and became fabulously rich, while other countries failed to adapt and remained poor. Why some countries were able to industrialise and others weren't has been the subject of much heated debate over the decades; climate, natural resources and geography have all been put forward as explanations--and are all brushed aside by Landes in favour of his own controversial theory: that the ability to effect an industrial revolution is dependent on certain cultural traits, without which industrialisation is impossible to sustain. Landes contrasts the characteristics of successfully industrialised nations-- work, thrift, honesty, patience and tenacity--with those of non-industrial countries, arguing that until these values are internalised by all nations, the gulf between the rich and the poor will continue to grow.

A masterpiece. (Norman Stone )

One of the most important works of history to appear in my lifetime. (A N Wilson )

A marvellously remarkable economic history of the world. (Niall Ferguson )

Landes takes us through the arguments and provides a richly detailed historical perspective on the world's manifest unfairness to most of its inhabitants. (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'One of the most important works of history to appear in my lifetime.'

'Gripping ... well worth reading' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

*A magisterial history book on why some nations are rich and others poor.

The history of nations is a history of haves and have-nots, and as we approach the millennium, the gap between rich and poor countries is widening. In this engrossing and important new work, eminent historian David Landes explores the complex, fascinating and often startling causes of the wealth and poverty of nations. The answers are found not only in the large forces at work in economies: geography, religion, the broad swings of politics, but also in the small surprising details. In Europe, the invention of spectacles doubled the working life of skilled craftsmen, and played a prominent role in the creation of articulated machines, and in China, the failure to adopt the clock fundamentally hindered economic development. The relief of poverty is vital to the survival of us all. As David Landes brilliantly shows, the key to future success lies in understanding the lessons the past has to teach us - lessons uniquely imparted in this groundbreaking and vital book which exemplifies narrative history at its best.

David Landes is an economist who has enjoyed a distinguished academic career which includes senior posts at Columbia University and Harvard. He has both written and edited a great deal, and his work has been published in the States and Europe.