“If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh's clear, insightful, and remarkable (and short) work.” —Claudia Goldin, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics and Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University

In the spirit of Sapiens, a sweeping, engrossing history of how economic ideas and forces have shaped the world.

Why didn't Africa colonize Europe instead of the other way around? Why did inequality in many advanced countries fall during the 1950s and 1960s? Why is there more competition among corner cafes than among social media companies? How did robber barons inspire the game Monopoly?

In An Economist’s History of the World, acclaimed Harvard professor and economist Andrew Leigh presents a dramatically new understanding of human history. Spanning ancient times to the current day, he reveals the hidden economic factors that have shaped every aspect of our world, from determining the outcomes of wars to the endurance of social transformations. Moving chronologically from the emergence of agriculture to the war in Ukraine, Leigh weaves a fascinating narrative punctuated by expert insights into major moments in human history—why the invention of the plough led to gender inequality, how certain diseases determined the patterns of colonialism, why skyscrapers emerged first in American cities, and much more.

Entertaining, illuminating, and thoroughly enjoyable, An Economist’s History of the World is the story of how ingenuity, greed, and desire for betterment have shaped our world.