Beautifully written ... for the first two-thirds I could not put it down or turn my mind to anything else ... a compulsive read.”

Samuel BrittanFinancial Times

“Fascinating and provocative read... Works of such scope and ambition rarely come along in economics...”

Robert H. NelsonEconomic History Association

“It draws attention to the people and invites its readers to look outside the box.”

Der Spiegel