The Wealth And Poverty Of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich And Some So Poor

David Landes,

W.W. Norton & Company, 1998

Agent: Sandra Dijkstra

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.

Reviews:
“Powerful and lucid.... There are few historians who would not be proud to be the author of this book.”
Los Angeles Times


“Mr. Landes writes with verve and gusto.... This is indeed good history.”
Wall Street Journal


“You cannot even begin to think about problems of economic development and convergence without knowing the story that Landes tells. ...I know of no better place to start thinking about the wealth and poverty of nations.”
Washington Post


“Enormously erudite and provocative.... Never less than scintillating, witty, and brilliant.”
Kirkus Reviews