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  • Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy

  • Written by: Tim Harford
  • Narrated by: Roger Davis
  • Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (17 ratings)

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Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy

Written by: Tim Harford
Narrated by: Roger Davis
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Publisher's Summary

A lively history seen through the 50 inventions that shaped it most profoundly, by the best-selling author of The Undercover Economist and Messy.

Who thought up paper money? What was the secret element that made the Gutenberg printing press possible? And what is the connection between The Da Vinci Code and the collapse of Lehman Brothers?

Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette's disposable razor to IKEA's Billy bookcase, best-selling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention's own curious, surprising, and memorable story.

Invention by invention, Harford reflects on how we got here and where we might go next. He lays bare often unexpected connections: how the bar code undermined family corner stores and why the gramophone widened inequality. In the process, he introduces characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them, and were ruined by them, as he traces the principles that helped explain their transformative effects. The result is a wise and witty book of history, economics, and biography.

©2017 Tim Harford (P)2017 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"One of the joys of Tim Harford’s Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy is that it presents this perspective on economic growth so that the most casual reader can grasp it... It's great fun to dip into individual chapters of Fifty Inventions. Mr. Harford succeeds in teaching about productivity, economic growth, monopoly, regulation and other essential topics without resorting to technical terminology and intimidating charts and tables. Such a feat requires a kind of inventiveness in itself.” (Wall Street Journal)

“Tim Harford is a master at picking out the perfect little story that explains some huge economic principle... He’s been my go-to guy for learning about the economics and math behind the world at large... perfectly crafted to light up the pleasure centers of my nerd brain.” (Roman Mars, 99% Invisible)

What listeners say about Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy

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Very entertaining!

If you want to learn about inventions in an atypical way, this is the book for you. You will realize how many inventions we see everyday and take for granted. Narrator is very good and entertaining.

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