The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
For the paperback edition, Landes has written a new epilogue, in which he takes account of Asian financial crisises and the international tension between overconfidence and reality.
This book is without a doubt well written, has interesting anecdotes, facts and figures and a humorous tone at times, which I greatly appreciated. Unlike others have stated, I did not feel drowned in a sea of numbers. For sure, there are many of them, but they tend to support an argument, rather than being an arugment in and of themselves.My two biggest criticisms would be as follows:1. I often joke with friends about people who will talk of Africa as if it's a country. But this book tends to do
The last chapter of this book--"How did we get here? Where are we going?"--should be required reading for everyone. It succinctly outlines the complexity of our economic situation. I finished the book with an increased awareness of the importance of cultivating a culture of optimism, hard work, and entrepreneurship. The rest of the book was interesting but I felt it was written to impress colleagues rather than to convey the salient history behind the wealth and poverty of nations. Landes would
Read this book in one stint during a stay at the sea. It appealed to me on a very fundamental, nerdy level as it went deep into historic details, uprooting information that was new to me. The reader spends equal time in the main text as in the footnotes - while being challenged and entertained.'Guns, Germs and Steel' by Jared Diamond tries to explain history by looking at environmental factors and resulting positive feedback loops. Landes agrees basically that environmental factors contribute,
Despite the title, this isn't a book about why, say Botswana is doing so much better than Zimbabwe these days due to such and such a policy or Germany versus Greece or practical advice on how the poor countries can turn things around and the rich countries help them. It's more descriptive than prescriptive. Rather it's a world economic history that deals with forces centuries, even millennium old. I appreciated that Landes wasn't afraid to be controversial; he takes dead aim at all forms of
I am an enthusiastic supporter of outspoken, blunt opinions, even if they are expressed in very polemical terms. This is what David Landes does in this 600-page-blockbuster: without detours he formulates his views and insights, and when necessary he even outright spanks his opponents (especially anthropologists, multiculturalists, dependency theorists and supporters of the Third World in general).The field in which he does this is that of global history, departing from the really big question:
Perhaps the finest book of its type I have ever encountered. A huge education to any reader and hugely readable.
David S. Landes
Paperback | Pages: 531 pages Rating: 3.96 | 2914 Users | 154 Reviews
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Original Title: | The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor |
ISBN: | 0393318885 (ISBN13: 9780393318883) |
Edition Language: | English |
Literary Awards: | Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction Nominee (1999) |
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The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is David S. Landes's acclaimed, best-selling exploration of one of the most contentious and hotly debated questions of our time: Why do some nations achieve economic success while others remain mired in poverty? The answer, as Landes definitively illustrates, is a complex interplay of cultural mores and historical circumstance. Rich with anecdotal evidence, piercing analysis, and a truly astonishing range of erudition, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is a "picture of enormous sweep and brilliant insight" (Kenneth Arrow) as well as one of the most audaciously ambitious works of history in decades.For the paperback edition, Landes has written a new epilogue, in which he takes account of Asian financial crisises and the international tension between overconfidence and reality.
Mention Out Of Books The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
Title | : | The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor |
Author | : | David S. Landes |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 531 pages |
Published | : | May 17th 1999 by W. W. Norton Company (first published 1998) |
Categories | : | Economics. History. Nonfiction. Politics. Business. World History |
Rating Out Of Books The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
Ratings: 3.96 From 2914 Users | 154 ReviewsEvaluate Out Of Books The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
I can't say I enjoyed this book. To start, his style of writing is one of the worst I've come across... It bordered on scatterbrained sometimes, with painful phraseology and jumps to unconnected ideas. I felt annoyed more than once feeling like he hadn't given enough argument or evidence to support his highly opinionated conclusions. As Nietzsche wisely put it: "Conviction is a greater enemy to truth than lies."This book is without a doubt well written, has interesting anecdotes, facts and figures and a humorous tone at times, which I greatly appreciated. Unlike others have stated, I did not feel drowned in a sea of numbers. For sure, there are many of them, but they tend to support an argument, rather than being an arugment in and of themselves.My two biggest criticisms would be as follows:1. I often joke with friends about people who will talk of Africa as if it's a country. But this book tends to do
The last chapter of this book--"How did we get here? Where are we going?"--should be required reading for everyone. It succinctly outlines the complexity of our economic situation. I finished the book with an increased awareness of the importance of cultivating a culture of optimism, hard work, and entrepreneurship. The rest of the book was interesting but I felt it was written to impress colleagues rather than to convey the salient history behind the wealth and poverty of nations. Landes would
Read this book in one stint during a stay at the sea. It appealed to me on a very fundamental, nerdy level as it went deep into historic details, uprooting information that was new to me. The reader spends equal time in the main text as in the footnotes - while being challenged and entertained.'Guns, Germs and Steel' by Jared Diamond tries to explain history by looking at environmental factors and resulting positive feedback loops. Landes agrees basically that environmental factors contribute,
Despite the title, this isn't a book about why, say Botswana is doing so much better than Zimbabwe these days due to such and such a policy or Germany versus Greece or practical advice on how the poor countries can turn things around and the rich countries help them. It's more descriptive than prescriptive. Rather it's a world economic history that deals with forces centuries, even millennium old. I appreciated that Landes wasn't afraid to be controversial; he takes dead aim at all forms of
I am an enthusiastic supporter of outspoken, blunt opinions, even if they are expressed in very polemical terms. This is what David Landes does in this 600-page-blockbuster: without detours he formulates his views and insights, and when necessary he even outright spanks his opponents (especially anthropologists, multiculturalists, dependency theorists and supporters of the Third World in general).The field in which he does this is that of global history, departing from the really big question:
Perhaps the finest book of its type I have ever encountered. A huge education to any reader and hugely readable.
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