Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy

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.

The author cover many topics, each with avg 4-6 pages. It's challenging to bring so many things in one book and each topic with limited space still goes to a certain depth, many facts and the author's own perspectives. You can see the author put a lot of effort on researching these topics. I never have read anything about economy before, but I enjoyed reading this book and find out interesting aspects here and there. Worth reading.

Absolutely brilliant book. Very readable. The fifty things that Tim has chosen to include are not immediately obvious, but all are fundemental to our way of life. Each thing has its own selfcontained separate short chapter, so it isn't necassary to read the Book sequentially. ...but since every chapter is a gem, makevsure to read them all!

Read much of what Tim Hartford has written and this was, in comparison, OK but the structure by of the book did not allow him to go into sufficient detail and the whole thing came across as a random collection. Interesting, but in places wanted more!

A varied and engaging account of innovations that have contributed to human civilisation. It starts with the plough and ends with the light bulb, but examines many unexpected byways in between. For example: market research, intellectual property, infant formula, the Billy bookcase,razors and, of course, seller feedback! It is a most entertaining and stimulating read.