Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy

I definitely didn’t expect this book is so interesting. Short chapters, a lot of facts and all together it causes many hours of reading

I am an avid reader, but apart from history and philosophy I rarely read non-fiction and never books on economics. However, I’ve heard Tim Harford speak on the radio and television several times and was intrigued enough to try his new book. I found it insightful and remarkably entertaining, much more so than I had anticipated. The book is easily accessible to those who aren’t particularly au fait with economic theory and is written like a collection of independent short stories with each chapter as a different tale about a “thing that made the modern economy”, none of which need to be read in any particular order. It’s a pleasure to pick the book up and quickly read a chapter whenever one has a few moments to spare. Each chapter/story is a combination of history, anecdote and perceptive analysis that makes one think more critically about both the subject and the world generally, not simply the “economy”. I find I cannot get many of the stories and the highlighted social impacts Tim examines out of my thoughts and have found them brilliant topics for conversation that have led to some lively debates. I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed reading this book, found it informative, and recommend reading it.

This is a book in the very typical style of Tim. A comforting reading when traveling along. I bought both this and the sequel (50 more things ...) and I'm happy with the choices I made. Will not transform your perception of technology, overall. Will not inform you about the latest AI breakthrough. But it will give you a solid understanding of what makes this technology based modern world. Wish you happy reading, Adrian

So many books have been written about all the great inventions that make our lives as comfortable as they are today. In fact, we take for granted most of them - inventions that help us travel to any part of the globe within hours, to communicate with people in any part of the world at the touch of a button, to process/store food without having to run behind it everyday, ability to change the landscape around us at will, to state a few. This book speaks about many such inventions too, but with a difference. Unless making a tale out of each of the inventions and delving into what led their inventors to their 'eureka' moment, this book defines the invention and the social-economic impact that these inventions had on the world around them. Crisp, clear and a pleasure to read.